Champakh: Odhani's pride; Karan's envy

There are stars among humans and then there are stars among animals. These mammals have always been in great demand in tinsel town. Presently, we"ve come across a starry tale of a camel from Bhuj who was subject to lot of pampering from the cast and crew of Star One and Beyond Dreamz productions show Rang badalti odhani.

The lucky hump back is named Champakh who was the chosen one to act in a few scenes for the show. Odhani shot their initial episodes in Bhuj. Champakh was all tattooed and dressed like a star. He used to really warm up to lead actress Yashashree.

The producer wanted to shoot a camel race and Champakh was chosen to represent the lead cast. The production teams took good care of Champak, but when the time came, the mammal simply refused to co-operate and chose to sit back on his haunches.

“Champakh had become the darling of the team. We fed and dressed him well but when we were preparing him for the race, he simply refused to oblige. Perhaps, too much pampering spoilt him. Despite our best efforts, Champakh refused to budge. Thereafter, we decided to have his dupe. It took us an entire day to find a suitable replacement. Finally, we went ahead and shot the race with the due while Champakh simply enjoyed the spectacle," said producer Yash Patnaik.

Yashashree, who was close to the mammal, says, “Champakh had literally fallen in love with me. He always warmed up to my touch. However, that day he simply wasn"t in a mood to race. Among the entire crew, it was I who he was most comfortable with. In fact, we often joked on the sets that he"s the show"s real hero. One person who certainly didn"t enjoy his company is Karan Tacker. Apparently, Champakh didn"t like his voice at all. To everyone"s amusement, he would start pooping the moment Karan opened his mouth. Ask Karan about his chemistry with Champak and he won"t be like it a wee bit."

When contacted, Karan Tacker reluctantly agrees to it. “Yes, such a thing did happen. This camel would start shitting whenever I spoke. Please call me later, as I have to go for my shot," said Tacker embarrassingly. With the show now being shot in Mumbai, poor Karan needn"t fear Champakh"s poop anymore.