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So,
Rakhee Sawant has already been integrated into mainstream television as
a
slightly more sophisticated version of a stand up comic on Sony as well as Filmy,
a part she's carrying off reasonably well.  Rakhee,
whose only claim to fame earlier was as an outspoken item number, seems to have
found a good use for her impromptu comments and foot-in-the-mouth style. Now,
we hear that Bhojpuri film star Ravi Kishan is cashing in on his new found small
screen popularity and is turning movie jockey for Filmy. Kishan, who was one of
the finalists of Bigg Boss, found himself a new identity and a national
audience and may just get in more viewers for Filmy when he makes another appearance
as the celeb guest on Kaun Banega Champu.
One
wouldn't be surprised to see a Kashmera Shah or an Anupama Verma or even the non
celeb Bigg Boss participant Ragini in some soap shortly. The only loser
in the reality show appears to be Rahul Roy, who won the title but seems to have
no takers on the small screen. So far, at least. ****
| No
news is good news Pardon
the comparison, but most news channels, particularly Hindi ones, are beginning
to sound like those four page vernacular newspapers you can find in any small
town in the country's interiors. I
mean, take away the top stories of the day that may deal with UP elections and
latest on the country's cricket front, and much of the late evening and odd hour
programming is filled with news that would make a mofussil rag proud. It definitely
isn't a bad idea to dig up happenings in remote towns, but when they are twisted
and dramatised just to make 'sensational' news that doesn't really take us to
the root of the issue, it just does not reflect too well on the capability of
respected national news channels. Shows
like Criminal and Crime Reporter seem expressly made for the readers
of such newspapers in the country's innards. A girl eloping with her boyfriend
after getting married to another makes for a 10 minute segment, complete with
photograhs and shots of newspaper clippings. Sundry kidnappings and murders are
the routine staple of these daily shows, served up in a manner that would make
a voyeuristic viewer ask for more, rather than making him ponder the social issue
and its whys and wherefores.  The
channels have gone a step further on weekends, with shows like Star News' Kaun
Hai and Zee News' Honi Anhonee. True, these shows pick up stories that
have probably appeared in newspapers in Ghaziabad and Hoshiarpur, but take care
to embellish the supernatural element in the news. A dead lover's ghost that still
dangles from a tree and haunts passing villagers in north India was one of the
stories last week. No effort was made to offer a logical explanation of the phenonmenon
and the stories usually end with a question mark, leaving the viewer with a shudder
and half a belief in something implausible.
Is
there a need for such programmes that make no effort to rise above the puerile?
Is there little else channels' correspondents located in smaller towns can dig
up? The interiors of the country are a goldmine of human interest and social stories
which if presented in an interesting way, could be a far better draw than the
overly dramatised versions of minor crimes and assorted 'supernatural' events.  And
if that goes for the news channels, the same should apply to others, notably Star
One's Mano Ya Na Mano. It's beginning to take the same track of 'dramatised
supernatural events' that play on your nerves without coming to a logical conclusion
and host Irrfan Khan does his bit to add to the grim tone. Shudderrr! Leave these
'bhoot pret' stories to the mofussil papers, guys!
**** |
Big
B on small screen  The
man's got charm, no doubt. Every time Amitabh Bachchan appears on TV, it's enough
to make even a bland show charming. Last weekend, the Big B turned up on Zee's
Antakshari for a noble cause - to cheer visually challenged children who were
the day's participants. He sang for them, read the letters they had penned for
him and in general, bonded so well as a doting grandpa would that you wished they
could have done away with the regular hosts altogether!
**** No
kidding Been
watching Gali Gali Sim Sim for a while. And must say, the Sesame Street
inspired show's evolved very well over the months into a completely Indian show.
The Street characters Elmo, Zoe and company are all there, but they speak shudh
Hindi, and have adapted themselves to their Indian set up so well, you wouldn't
opt for the original if you had an option.  Unlike
many other kid shows, this one shows kids, their games and surroundings in a middle
class set up, teaches Hindi alphabet and numbers - all of which will definitely
help it reach out and endear itself to kids across the country. The production
quality, needless to say, is one of the best, making the show a treat to watch.
Gali Gali and MAD on Pogo have offered some of the best desi programming
for kids in the last few years. May their tribe increase.
****
Couch
potato's discovery of the week - Remember India TV's sting operation on Shakti
Kapoor and Aman Verma that featured an anonymous reporter called Ruchi, whose
identity was kept a dark secret. Well, the channel now has a correspondent Ruchi
Singh, out covering other, tamer issues for the channel. Is she the same Ruchi,
Mr Sharma? (The
views expressed here are those of the author and indiantelevision.com need not
necessarily subscribe to the same) |
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