Smriti Irani has stepped into new territory again. After appearing on Sony and 9X, the soap queen will now be making her debut on Zee TV. Smriti will be seen in <em> Teen Bahuraaniyan.</em> Speaking on her entry, Smriti says, "I am an avid viewer of Paresh Rawal's show. So when the role was offered, I jumped at it. This character has a lot of dimensions to it and is pivotal to the plot."

Ekta Kapoor has been endlessly singing the praises of her lead actress in<em> 'Kinjal'</em> in the show she is doing for the soon to launch Hindi entertainment channel 9X. Balaji's queen bee has however chosen to keep the girl's identity under wraps. Till now that is. The nation's soap queen has finally unwrapped the identity of her star in waiting and reveals that<em> Kinjal </em> will be played by first time actor Krystle D'Souza.

After announcing fiction shows, soon to launch entertainment channel 9X finally brings out its trump card. It is coming up with its first reality show called <em> Mission Ustaad</em>, produced by Endemol India. <em> Mission Ustaad</em> is a music based reality done in association with the United Nations (UN). It will involve eminent personalities, artistes, musicians and singers coming together to promote the UN's eight Millennium Development Goals, one of which is to end poverty in India and worldwide.

The sprouting of various channels has opened a window of opportunity for many producers. Cashing on this are a new breed of enterprising producers. Yash and Mamata Patnaik of Beyond Dreams are producing a comedy show for 9X . Why did they choose 9X? Yash replies "The new channels are looking for original concepts. Plus, one doesn't find a suitable timeslot with other established ones. 9X liked our concept and it didn't take them long to accept it. That's all that I can say about the show now."

The queen of prime time drama, Ekta Kapoor, is always charged up and immersed in the creative work she does. But nowadays, she is even more excited. This excitement stems from her show on 9X. Ekta says, "My new show for 9X is something that I am really excited about. As a gripping story, it will be very engrossing but it will also connect to the viewers in a very real and contemporary way."

The Balaji fall-out brigade is taking refuge in the upcoming channels. Tellywood's soap queen Smriti Irani-Malhotra has joined the bandwagon. Smriti will produce and act in a daily for 9X. The channel will be launched on November 5th. Speaking on this development, Smriti says, "Our company (Ugraya Entertainment Ltd) was looking at collaborating with new channels. 9X and Ugraya make a great combination. I'm producing as well as acting in it."