It's close to midnight and the brightly lit coffee shop at the Holiday Inn hotel in suburban Juhu is buzzing as Shekhar Suman tries to talk about how television has changed his life. But talking is tough and every few minutes Suman is interrupted by wide-eyed fans. 'Uncle,' says one toothy child, wonder written large on his face. 'Can you give your autograph?' 'Uncle, please give your photoo,' says another.

And even, 'What is your name?' Clearly, stardom has its price. But Suman is the picture of patience, with just the right amount of concern ('Beta, what is your name?' And not once does he lose his cool.

'All over the world people still know me as Tara.' - Navneet Nishan Serials: Andaz, Karz, Main Anari Tu Anari, Cafe 18 Charges: Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per episode Hit: Tara In another corner of the coffee shop sits film star Karisma Kapoor with her father Randhir Kapoor. Predictably, most of the stares and whispers are directed at her. But there's a respectful distance that the other people at the coffee shop maintain, preferring to affect a blase detachment. But Suman is a different matter altogether.

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He's approachable. He's one of us.

Hey, he's a television actor. Suman is typical of a new type of celebrity, created entirely by television serials. Television has done for him what films like Utsav had failed to do: given him work, money, fan following and recognition. TV has made him a star.

With seven serials currently on air, Suman could easily qualify as the of the small screen. Unlike most of his colleagues who charge per episode, he charges by the day: anything between Rs 75,000 and Rs 1 lakh (a producer recently asked if he'd take Rs 50,000 for half a day's work; the answer was no). And he shoots seven days a week, month after month. But Suman is not the only one who is raking it in. There is a whole breed of telestars who are making the sort of money that many Bollywood actors can only dream of. A veteran like Satish Shah - said to be the highest paid in the business - nets anything between Rs 90,000 and Rs 1 lakh for a single episode; and such highly rated actresses as Navneet Nishan ( Andaz, Karz), Pallavi Joshi ( Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum, Imtihaan) and Renuka Shahane ( Sailaab, Ghutan) each pick up Rs 25,000 for every episode they act in. 'Television is fast money,' says Rima Lagoo, the somewhat catty but nevertheless concerned mother-in-law in Tu Tu Main Main, a sitcom on Star TV.

Adds Archana Puran Singh, who at Rs 40,000 per episode, is among the highly paid actresses around: 'If my producer doesn't pay me at the end of the month, I will simply stop working. He has to pay me.' 'Television stars these days are very big. Projects are selling in their names.' - Shekhar Suman Serials: Reporter, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Andaz, Kabhi Idhar Kabhi Udhar, Ek Raja Ek Rani, Amar Prem, Main Anari Tu Anari Charges: Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh per day Hit: Dekh Bhai Dekh But there's more to life than fat bank balances for today's hot telestars. And while it's true that television is still light years away from the glamour and glitz of the big screen, TV stars like Navneet Nishan have a fan following all their own. With her short, (and currently) bleached hair, Nishan makes an unlikely star.

But as the lead in Tara which ran for over 500 episodes, she set a few trends. The 'Tara' sari for instance: typically in silk with large geometric patterns and worn with sexy blouses with transparent sleeves and a thin line of sequins along the neck. Tara hit the market at the right time,' says Nishan. 'It had an interesting and original plot that for the first time provided an insight into the minds of big-city girls.' Although Nishan is no longer in Tara - she says she opted out because the serial was beginning to drag and she got 'truly bored' - she remains in demand, compering shows for star-struck NRIs in New Jersey, Los Angeles and Dubai. She is spending the summer doing a number of shows in the US.

And she continues acting in such serials as Andaz and Karz. Yet, she says, 'All over the world people still know me as Tara.' For Nishan the revelation that she was a star came soon after the first episodes of Tara hit the screen.

She was rushing to catch an early morning flight in Delhi when a nondescript man whispered something in her ear. 'I thought he was trying to make a pass at me and I really flew off the handle. The poor man looked so bewildered. 'Sorry Taraji', he said. 'I was only saying good morning'.' 'Today I am in a position to refuse roles - and I do.'

- Satish Shah Serials: All the Best, Mast Mast Hai Zindagi Charges: Rs 90,000 to Rs 1 lakh per episode Hit: Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi But even those playing older, more deglamourised roles have their share of fans. Rima Lagoo, for instance, has become something of a national mother-in-law and says she is often consulted by both harassed daughters-in-law as well as troubled mothers-in-law. What's more, she is given tips on the delicate protocol that exists between the two: recently, one mother-in-law scolded her for hugging Supriya Pilgaonkar, her screen daughter-in-law, so often. In India, bahus should be kept in their place, she was told. 'TV has opened up a world of opportunity to so many people,' says Nishan, a National School of Drama (NSD) - trained actress, who moved to Mumbai with her mother and younger sister soon after the death of her father. 'I had to keep my kitchen going. And I must say that TV has made my life more interesting and certainly more luxurious.'

The ubiquitous television has thrown up stars from such diverse avenues as game shows (Annu Kapoor who reportedly charges Rs 1 lakh per episode) and music countdowns (Jaaved Jaaferi, also in the Rs 1 lakh league). But actors who've hit the big time on the small screen are a comparatively new breed. No one disputes the reach or influence of television. And while no film actor who's serious about his career will accept a TV role, the tube nevertheless is able to attract semi-retired veterans like Shammi Kapoor, who appears larger than life in Chattan.

Equally, it is true that there is no one who's doing only TV serials. Everyone has their eye on the main chance. But such telestars as Renuka Shahane whose widemouthed smile is a familiar sight in most TV households are clear that they will never quit the small screen altogether despite such hits as Hum Aapke Hain Koun 'In cinema you have only stereotypes.

In theatre there is no money. It's only on TV that I can act and do the things I really want to,' she explains. Sure enough, Shahane has tried to cast off her cerebral image created by programmes like Surabhi (currently in its sixth year on DD) by opting for comedy. Her newest serial is Kundan Shah's latest sitcom, Mrs Madhuri Dikshit. Adds Suman:'It's better to be in the top league here than be relegated to a secondary position in film.' And today's telestars are certainly calling the shots.

Sudesh Berry who has only one serial, Andaz, on the air right now, says he is deluged with offers from producers: 'I must have refused to do about 150 pilots.' According to Himesh Reshammiya, the producer of Andaz, there are 9,000 pilots - the first episode of a serial - floating around in the market right now: 'Everybody, paanwalas, mechanics, anyone with cash to spare wants to make a serial.' But in a tight money situation, with every channel trying to prune its costs, there simply isn't a market large enough to sustain so many. Not that this is a major concern for most stars who are merrily doing three, four, eight - and even more - serials at any given point of time.

As a consequence, many of the upcoming actors aren't identified with any one particular character but are known simply by who they are: Divya Seth, for instance, has two talk shows Purushkshetra and Aao Guess Karen as well as one game show on dd, Akshar Mela. She also has roles in such serials as Daraar where she plays the bitchy and manipulative Lola and Banegi Apni Baat in which she plays Nikita, an unwed mom. But to most people watching her on the tube, she isn't Lola or Nikita. She's Divya Seth. Pallavi Joshi Serials: Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum, Imtihaan, Nafrat, Ahsaas, Jeevan-Mrityu Charges: Rs 25,000 per episode. Hit: Mrignayani This would have been impossible a few years ago when identification with characters was absolute.

Recalls stage actress Sulbha Arya who ventured into TV with Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi: 'Even today people call me Mandira Bhattacharya,' she says referring to the character she played. But then a few years ago you only had one channel and a handful of serials that everybody watched.

But starting from 1992 with the launch of Zee, there has been an unprecedented growth in channels, leading to a greater demand for software, from countdown programmes to sitcoms. Today's viewers sit down before the television set armed with a remote control unit and spend the next hour or two surfing channels. Greenluma Steam Crack. Ironically, this should have led to slicker, better produced serials. But with a few exceptions, most are boring variations of each other and tell the same stories of bedroom or boardroom conflicts. According to Kamlesh Pandey, who scripted the hugely popular detective serial Karamchand back in the old days of DD's monopoly and, more recently, has scripted Mrs Madhuri Dikshit which was launched on Zee last week, most serials are of 'atrocious quality', with little to tell them apart. 'There is no individuality anymore.'

The scenario is somewhat complicated by the fact that viewers not only see the same tired themes but also the same stars on different serials: Suman has seven serials on air, with three more in the offing. Shahane has just pulled out of three - Junoon, in which she's been killed by the scriptwriter and Imtihaan and Close-up Antakshari where she has been replaced by Joshi - but remains on the air with four more and has one due to be launched next month. And Joshi has a total of six programmes on air (of these one is a game show while two, Ahsaas and Jeevan Mrityu, are re-runs). 'With so much insecurity, you don't know if you're going to be there the next day.' - Kitu Gidwani Serials: Swabhimaan, Junoon, Saahil, Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum Charges: Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 per episode Hit: Airhostess This sense of being everywhere envelopes even stars like Satish Shah who try and ration their TV appearances (he's currently doing only two programmes of which one is a countdown show).

But Shah has been around for so long and, more to the point, has been doing comedy for so long, that viewers feel they see him all the time. 'Today I am in a position to refuse roles - and I do,' he says. 'I am trying to move away from comedy but I don't want the transition to be too swift.' Adds Kitu Gidwani, who is already doing four serials and has one that's due to be launched later this summer: 'Ideally I'd like to do only two or three serials at a time. But with so much insecurity you don't know whether you are going to be there the next day or not.' As a result, she says, most TV stars find it hard to turn down offers.

'If I was paid adequately I would do only one serial, like Gillian Anderson who does only The X-Files.' But since Indian broadcasting isn't yet quite so organised, you have a situation full of contradictions. On the one hand, TV actors are recognised for themselves; but on the other, it's impossible to pin them down to any one character simply because they are spreading themselves so thin. And as long as there are producers willing to sign them on, no one's complaining. But cautions Chandraprakash Dwivedi, President of programming at Zee who also played the lead in Chanakya: 'In every building you will find at least one television actor or actress. There is nothing exclusive about them.'

Moroever, the success - or failure - of a TV serial depends on several factors, the script for instance. And no amount of star cast can compensate for a weak script. Today's serials certainly aren't strait-jacketed by the mandatory social, message. Extra-marital affairs and whisky-swilling heroes (not villains) are now routine. Inevitably, this liberalisation has led to shorter hemlines, trendier hair-cuts and a more glamorous screen presence. Pallavi Joshi, whose first serial Ek Kahani was aired over a decade ago, is the current flavour of the season with such programmes as Close-up Antakshari, a game show she co-hosts with Annu Kapoor, and Chahat aur Nafrat, a serial where she smoulders with sex appeal in low cut black dresses. 'Actors on TV now have an element of glamour that they never had before,' she says.

'And with the sort of competition these days, you have to look good, dress well and have a great figure.' But is this enough to gaurantee ratings? Not necessarily if one goes by the ratings at Zee where the most popular programme these days is Hum Paanch, a sitcom starring Ashok Saraf, who certainly isn't in the same league as a Shekhar Suman or even a Farooque Shaikh.

Then there is TVS Sa Re Ga Ma, a music-based game show, while Close-up Antakshari ranks third. Top-ranking soap Hasratein is only number five, after Shapath, a police thriller. The star-studded Andaz doesn't even figure in the top 10 list.

'It's only on television that I can act and do the things I really want to.' - Renuka Shahane Serials: Ghutan, Checkmate, Sailaab, Mrs Madhuri Dikshit Charges: Rs 25,000 per episode Hit: Surabhi So why bother with TV stars anyway? And where does the money for their fat fee come from?

Each episode of a TV serial costs on average Rs 3 lakh to make. What producers often do with the bigger stars is fix a daily rate for them. Say, for instance, Prem Chopra is signed for a daily rate for Andaz. He reports for shooting at the appointed hour and the producer then shoots enough for six or seven episodes during the course of that day. So, a popular programme like All The Best on DD Metro with Satish Shah would cost the producers, Gautam and Markand Adhikari around Rs 3 lakh to make (Shah's fee alone would take up nearly a third of the budget).

But it manages to get close to Rs 40 lakh per week in advertising. Take away the minimum guarantee that producers must pay DD and you still have a cool profit of over Rs 10 lakh. But the Adhikari brothers are disdainful about using telestars. 'I can sell a film on the basis of an. But no teleserial ever sells on the basis of its stars,' says Gautam Adhikari. Adds brother Mark and: 'Nobody and nobody on television is indispensable.' Not true, says Suman: 'Television stars these days are very big.

Projects are selling in their name.' Perhaps this is why producers like Reshammiya use what they call 'professional actors'. He says: 'Good actors always take less time to perform.' And while it's true that packing a lot of stars into a programme won't guarantee high ratings, it will at least have a high initial viewership, he feels. 'In these days of channel surfing, having a star in your serial has one advantage,' Reshammiya says. 'At least the viewer will stay on to see a recognisable face.'

For television producers, programming heads and advertisers, this is ultimately what determines star value. But for the sultans of soap the great television boom has been the best thing to happen in recent times. And until the bubble bursts, nobody's complaining.

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