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Celebs
in reel life
Almost
similar to what Brett Lee and Navjot Singh Sidhu did in the
same show recently, Bollywood star Abhishek
Bachchan
sprung up out of nowhere and exclaimed, "Oh Kareena,
tumne phir se jhooth bola? Ab to zaroor phasegi."
Bachchan
Jr's portion was obviously not a part of the screenplay.
Then
the channel and production house went a step ahead and roped
in superstar Shah Rukh Khan to say a word or two to lead protagonist
Kareena. Prem (Shahrukh, namesake of SRK, who plays a radio
jockey and Kareena's friend) organises a meeting between Kareena
(Kulraj Kaur who plays the title role) and SRK, scenes that
were shot in Dubai where the star was present for a channel
event.
Now,
ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been asked to appear in Saibaba
- yet another Zee show. Saibaba which went on air from
September 2004 is produced by sports promoter, hotelier, film
producer Aushim Khetrapal.
Khetrapal
refuses to acknowledge that Sachin has been consciously roped
in. "It's a small thing really. The show is based on
a much bigger concept than a celebrity. It's a reality based
show anyway."
"Sachin is a strong devotee of Saibaba. I know for a
fact that he has had a brush with Saibaba. That's why, just
like anubody else, he will participate in the proceedings.
Like we have other people talking about miracles attributed
to Saibaba, Sachin too will narrate a similar account."
Similarly,
Optimystix's Rajeev Vyas whose Indian Idol on Sony
had Juhi Chawla last week, defends, "Juhi was an an added
attraction. 'Indian Idol' has worked on its own steam."
Roping
in celebrities has been a regular feature on Sony too. Remember
the various personalities who made flash appearances in Jassi...?
Saif
Ali Khan made a guest appearance in the role of his film character
Karan Kapoor from Hum Tum in Jassi...Sunil Lulla,
executive Vice President, Sony, had said, This was not our
idea. The producers of Hum Tum approached us."
But
celebrity guest appearances is something Sony specialises
in. And Jassi... has been its favoured vehicle. It
saw Shefali Zariwala performing Kaanta Laga..., Mandira
Bedi playing herself, Negar Khan with a song from Shaadi
Ka Laddoo.
Sony’s
other middle class drama Ye Meri Life Hai had a one-hour
special which featured a remix dance performance by Sanober
Kabir of Meri beri ke ber and the Boogie Woogie
team.
The
ratings for the Jassi... one-hour specials had shot
up considerably. More importantly, on those days, they even
beat Balaji Telefilms' Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii.
Remember
popular director Karan Johar appeared on the first episode
of Ye Meri...? The channel officials had said, "That
was a natural part of the story. The heroine, Pooja is studying
to be a film director, and her icon is Johar. So he lends
value to her dream."
Whatever,
the fact of the matter lies in the questions listed below:
Wasn't
roping in Karan Johar a strategy to flag off with some Bollywood
glitter?
Before
the decision to rope in Juhi Chawla and Preity Zinta was taken,
hadn't the ratings on Indian Idol slipped a bit? Optimystix's
Vyas chips in with an explanation, "Yes. But that happens
with every show."
Has
competition with Star Plus driven Sony to cross promos and
special appearances?
Isn't Zee desperate for a success? Isn't it a fact that Nimbus'
Kareena, Kareena hasn't lived up to the expectations?
How long can it piggyback on the success of Astitva- Ek
Prem Kahani which has won only critical acclaim?
Don't
these special appearances provide a boost? Aren't they a source
of gratification for the loyal viewers at least? Doesn't it
come as a pleasant surprise for them- and helps the channel
to attract new viewers as well.
Above all, aren't these appearances done to corner media attention
if not the viewership ratings?
The
answer to all these questions is the same three letter word
'YES'. Need we say more!
By
VICKEY LALWANI
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