|
On
behalf of all devout couch potatoes, I must break my studied indifference
to Balaji soaps and register a protest against the most recent, blatant offence
to my sensibilities.  The
much publicised, hyped and talked about Kasautii Zindagy Kay 20 year old leap
happened on Thursday. And one can only be happy for Cezanne Khan (Anurag) and
Ronit Roy (Mr Bajaj), who wisely opted out of the show and moved on with their
careers elsewhere. Shweta Tiwari (Prerna) appears to have had no better choices.
Or perhaps has been convinced to stay on with other incentives. The result - the
viewer has to suffer a sudden onslaught of six (or was it seven?) granddaughters
who have appeared from nowhere to boost the TRPs, while the respective grandmothers,
instead of looking gracefully older, look even snazzier and youthful than before.
The Gen Next chirped around calling 'dadi, dadi' in Thursday's episode, but by
no stretch of the imagination could even one of the addressed ladies be classified
as a grandmother. Prerna herself, in an image makeover, looks no more than 30.
| On
the whole, it was a confusing mess of characters who didn't look their age, nor
act it. Since Star Plus has perfected the technique of deluding viewers and maintaining
the ratings - ( Kumkum, Ba, Savita, Parvati and countless others have aged by
leaps without adding a wrinkle or grey strand), it might get away with Prerna's
metamorphosis too. But it definitely doesn't add up to great programming.  Meri
Awaaz Ko Mil Gayee Roshni is one of the few exceptions on the channel. Into its
third week, the show still holds interest, is pleasantly paced and though not
terribly original, holds promise. Virrudh on Sony too has held its own, continuing
its stark and power packed run without succumbing to TRP bolstering tactics. The
show is this week poised at a point where the protagonist, played by Smriti Irani,
will meet her long lost mother and bring her parents together. There are no frills,
no unnecessary playing out of emotions and no reliance on garish sound effects
to drive home the point. Simple, strong story telling, told as it should be. May
the TRP Gods shine on this one.
| For
those who have a yen for waking up early mornings and switching on the telly,
there are two new offerings, apart from the usual dose of the Sri Ravi Shankar
and Asarambapu discourses. MTV has started its Kickass Mornings, songs interspersed
with some lively interaction between the channel's two mascots - Cyrus Sahukar
and Cyrus Broacha. It's a fun way to wake up when you don't feel like moving
out of the sheets. Over at Star News, there's Teen Deviyaan, where a numerologist,
a tarot card reader and an astrologer (all women, mind you) get together to predict
your day. I would rather stick to MTV. Another
avoidable show this week was an episode of the View from the Top on Zee Cafe,
which took viewers into the living rooms of an industrialist called Rajshree Patty
(owner of Rajshree Chemicals) and chatted her up on her life and career. The interaction
lacked depth, insight and colour. If anything, it sounded like a plug for the
lady who couldn't stop gushing about her achievements in the corporate world (!)
If only the questions had
been a trifle more searching and the answers more
honest, it could have been a really insightful look at the life of a woman achiever
in the Indian corporate world. (The
views expressed here are those of the author and indiantelevision.com need not
necessarily subscribe to the same) |
|
