Children's Day special: Child actors Spandan Chaturvedi, Sadhil Kapoor on being stars in their own right

'Amitabh Bachchan acts better than me!'
All of six years old, Spandan Chaturvedi aka Chakor has conquered hearts with her winsome smile, twinkling eyes and charming demeanour. She may not know the importance of her character in Udaan, which deals with the sensitive topic of bonded labour, but loves the fact that Chakor has started going to school! "Now, I like my character and the serial," she says matter-of-factly.
Till then, her favourite character was Gunjan, the one she played in Ek Veer Ki Ardaas - Veera. "I have worked a lot in Veera," she says simply. Besides her school-going character what she also loves about Udaan is the fact that she gets to play with her favourite Yash (Aditya), Tasheen (Imli) and Wahid (Vivaan). And what do they play? "Some games, drawing, etc aur kya?" she asks wryly.

But she laments that now she cannot play as much as they used to earlier. "When the serial started we had a lot of time, now we can only play in between the scenes," she says. Besides her friends on the sets, Spandan has several in her school too, especially her class - standard 1. Dheer, Samiksha, Aarushi and Naman, but her best friend is Isha, "jo mere se bhi short hai", she says pointing to her tiny shoulders! And the best thing about Isha is Spandan can carry her, school bag et al. "Even if it's heavy, I carry her easily," she says proudly.
Aarushi and Naman, she says, are always sleeping in class! "They must be watching TV in the night," she reasons. So are they watching her serial? "They must be. Boys in my class call me Chakor and girls call me Spandan," she shares. And, yes she likes being addressed by either name.
Ask her what she feels while watching her serial and after thinking for some time she says the only thing that comes to her mind is, "Mera serial aagaya, mera serial aa gaya." She also watches cartoons, her favourite characters being Motu Patlu and Bheem.
The little actress is up to date on movies too! She loves Deepika Padukone because "she sings very well". "I like her Manwa lage and am practising the song," she shares. Among her heroes, is Amitabh Bachchan whom she watched in Bhoothnath Returns. "Woh mere se bhi acchi acting karte hain," she says innocently.
And does she love acting? "Yes, I love the camera," she says taking me by surprise. And later elaborates that she likes the cameraman who allows her to sit on the trolley and the crane!
Her father Sanjay Chaturvedi then intervenes and says that Spandan has been facing the camera since she was a toddler. "She was two when she started going on the sets with her cousin Sparsh Khanchandani, who has acted in several serials. Spandan got her break with Veera after which she appeared in several ads and serials including Sanskaar, Suite Life Of Karan and Madhubala (She played the child Madhubala). She got familiar with camera and lighting and has no fear," says the proud father.
Doesn't she ever get bored of shooting? "No, she loves it," he smiles.
As for Spandan, she likes being the centre of attention, especially when people come to her for autographs and pictures. "First I write love, then S, put a C on it, draw a circle, put two dots under it and write Spandan," she says with painstaking clarity. Looks like, she has already decided on her career – a film actress.
"No, I want to be a doctor," she stumps you completely.

'Actresses keep pulling my cheeks'
Amitabh Bachchan joked that he is scared of the questions and the avatar donned by Captain Tiao. Parineeti Chopra couldn't stop hugging and kissing him. Vishal Shekhar composed a special song for him...
Sadhil with his innocent questions, inquisitiveness and prompt reactions has wowed kids and adults alike. This boy wonder we are talking about is Sadhil Kapoor, the little host of Captain Tiao. The youngest chat show host – he is only eight years old, Sadhil's Captain Tiao is on every actor's go-to list for film promotions. Interestingly, all the little boy does is ask the celebs to share their interesting childhood memories, engage them in some trick questions and riddles – something that every child loves and a fun rapidfire. What makes his show popular is his innocent and charming way of questioning and his prompt reaction. "It was my curious bent of mind that got me the show. I love asking questions," says Sadhil who had auditioned for the show along with thousands of kids.
Sadhil, however is not new to fame. As Bal Ganesh in Devon Ke Dev, the child actor had already gained immense popularity. So much so, that a serial exclusively on Bal Ganesh was made later. "Earlier they used to paste the trunk on my face – starting from my forehead, but it got very sticky and I would experience some burning sensation. So, I told them to only paste on my nose," reveals Sadhil who loved doing all the stunts in Katha Mahadev Putra Bal Ganesh Ki. "The serial had me in a harness throughout," grins Sadhil, who wants to become an action hero. In fact, he has already signed his first film Janpath starring Irrfan Khan and Jimmy Sheirgill.
Ask him who his favourite actors are and pat comes the reply Salman Khan "for his body and acting" and Akshay Kumar because "he is good in comedy". While Salman has already graced his show – it was the highlight of Sadhil's life – he is waiting for Akshay to be his guest. "I couldn't believe Salman sir was with me. I was completely anxious but he put me at ease by hugging me. I knew Salman sir was fond of soaps so I asked him to close his eyes and identify different soaps through smell and he was bang on," says Sadhil highly impressed.
What about heroines – who does he like the most? "No one," is his candid reply. He is in that phase where he doesn't like girls! When actresses come on his show he is more nervous. "They keep pulling my cheeks and kissing me," he says uncomfortable even talking about it!
But with his cute cheeks and pudgy appearance, it's not a wonder that people want to hug him. In fact, when Sadhil asked Sania Mirza who was a guest on his show for tips to reduce his weight as he is on the heavier side, she said he is too young to think about it. "You are too cute as you are," she told Sadhil making his day.