Making a good splash

SOME KIDS collect stamps, others interview Robin Singh and Nandita Das.

Some like a dollop of TV after school, others play cricket, study, do some ads, sing, dance, just fool around or host a TV show. Isn't life a routine?

Feby has been doing ads the last three years, including IFB Washing Machine, MGM (``with Suresh Menon'') and Duke's Biscuit, but seems almost shy to reel off the list.

This eighth grade Church Park student, who talks more with her eyes, anchors a news bulletin, Splash In, on Splash Channel. And just for comfort she keeps looking at her friend, the talkative one.

``Nope.'' Regina's not done movies but has done a documentary on pollution with Suresh Menon. ``Nope. It doesn't have a name. It's only for children.'' She loves saying ``Nope'', and loves talking. But Regina is only her school name.

On Splash, when she's anchoring Splash-O-Paedia and Pot-Pourri with Aaditya - the more talkative one, she is Sweetie (``Everyone here and my friends call me that'').

So let's call her that. Sweetie, a class six student of Lady Aandals, has been modelling since she was seven. She's lined up Maltova, Milka Cake and Chakra Gold, among others.

Ads got them recognition and suddenly, little more than a month back, TV happened.

A trip to a farm house in Neelankari, and they were the chosen ones, along with Aaditya and Nakul, to anchor the in-house programmes of Splash Channel, a TV channel for schoolers.

They also do interviews - Aaditya chatted up Robin Singh and Sweetie, Nandita Das - and special programmes.

It's all too quiet but only till Aaditya makes his entry. This little energy kid, a class nine student of Chettinad Vidyashram, started his star career quite early.

One day he just stepped out of his diapers, wore some very tacky clothes double his size, teamed up with Prabhu Deva, and as Gautami was passing by, started shouting, ``Chiku Buku Chiku Buku Raailee...''

That's the kid. ``I was in pre-KG then. After that, I was Kamal's son in Kurudhipunal and then Meena's son in Rythm.'' Has done a few ads too, but it's only the movies he will name.

He just won't keep still. The girls light up as he enters, and as he lines up his list of movies, all too seriously, they start giggling. Aaditya and serious?

``Ask him his nickname. Ask him,'' kids Sweetie. He makes a face and before he can stop her, she pips in: ``Mosquito''. Even Feby, still quiet but all mischief now that Aaditya's here, keeps ragging him.

The guy's enjoying all the attention, but when he tries to put on the serious act, you know that's not him.

What's Sweetie's nickname? ``Mmmm... what's the opposite of Sweetie.'' ``Sourie,'' helps Feby. ``Yeah, she's Sourie,'' says Aaditya. ``The three of us rag her.''

At school, Aaditya loves playing cricket, Nakul, who anchors `Splash In' with Feby, did not turn up for the interview because he was at a basketball match, Sweetie plays basketball too and likes jiving, and Feby is in the school choir.

Their friends do not tease them much except for Aadiya who complains that he gets ragged by his friends because the girls make fun of him on air.

But TV's only for now. Sweetie wants to be a doctor, Feby wants to do IFS, and Aaditya has not decided what he wants to do.

By Feroze Ahmed

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Section  : Entertainment