Sophie Chowdhury out of Fame X show

It’s hardly a month that Fame X has started airing on SAB TV and the show has run into troubled waters. Anchor Sophie Chowdry is out of the show and will be replaced by Shilpa Sakhlani aka Ganga. Incidentally Sophie was having problems connecting with the contestants and the judges.

“She could not connect with the viewers either and the show was looking dull. Everyone had problems with her as she wanted to be treated as a celebrity,” says Vikas Behl, business head, SAB TV. The channel has decided to replace the anchor and zeroed in on Shilpa keeping in mind her image of a soft-spoken person.

“Sophie left us with no choice but to find a replacement for her. Shilpa fits into the role perfectly as she exudes positivity and an affectionate personality that connects with our viewers,” says Behl. Shilpa, too, is excited about her new role as the anchor of the show. “It’s thrilling and demanding at the same time. I feel that there is a lot of responsibility on me,” says Shilpa who has so far done serials on TV.

“But this will be a new experience for me,” she says. The problems with Sophie were mainly due to her attitude on the shooting floor and alleged misbehaviour with the people of the production house.

“She fails miserably as an actor She forgets her lines and constantly switches to English although she was briefed that since SAB TV being a Hindi channel the lingua franca is important,” says Behl. The channel seems satisfied with Shilpa and the new anchor, too, feels she will live up to the expectations of the viewers. “I know there will be many tense moments when the contestants are voted out every week. These are very delicate situations that need to be handled cautiously. I have started shooting and I am having a great time. It seems that the contestants have accepted me and the judges are connecting quite well with me. We are having a great time here,” says Shilpa.

E-mail autor: rghosh@ hindustantimes.com