Opinion Tube tycoons

TV has manufactured and produced “news” on a mass scale,in every size and form,appealing to the highest and lowest common denominators for maximum consumption. It has gone from a handful of channels in 2000 to 249,officially,in 2009 — no other genre has grown as much — informing,entertaining and,sometimes downright appalling.

After Kandahar,it helped prevent a Vajpayee-Musharraf accord (remember M’s famous Agra summit breakfast| broadcast?); it altered the course of a girl’s life — during a live broadcast Gudiya was forced to reunite with her first husband. It promoted justice (Jessica Lal); it trapped corruption (BJP’s Bangaru Laxman in the Tehelka sting) and compromised politicians (it has just assisted N.D. Tiwari out of Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad). It has prosecuted,judged and convicted (Arushi murder case). It has been accused of obstructing security operations (Kargil),endangering lives (26/11),And it transfixed a nation for two days with the boy Prince in a hole. Not bad for an idiot box.   

Of course,there was more to the decade. Here are some who made TV news:

Amitabh Bachchan: In 2000,he hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati,propelled Star Plus to the top and gave us a foretaste — or is it foreplay? — of reality TV. At the end of 2009,he was back on Bigg Boss. Where AB goes Bollywood follows: SRK succeeded him at KBC and others like Salman Khan,Akshay Kumar,hosted reality shows (Dus Ka Dum and Fear Factor).

Tulsi and Parvati: The K bahus made TV their home for eight years until a child bride displaced them in 2008 (Ballika Vadhu). Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thhi and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki celebrated the parivar as Ekta Kapoor rejigged the soap opera as a heart-stopping-stomping extravaganza of opulence and special effects. Didn’t we just love it? Soaps have returned to village India since,but the parivar is holding. As for the village belles,Ekta has a lot to answer for.

Ramdev: Single-handedly,he has twisted India into many shapes and sizes,made om-vilom an all purpose cure and redefined spiritual TV as a nation builder. He’s more popular than Shah Rukh Khan — his bare torso rivals any six pack workout.

Cyrus Broacha: Formerly MTV’s mascot,now TV news satirist — a comment on MTV’s decline and the quality of news.

Raju Srivastava: Sitcoms died notwithstanding Sab TV’s valiant efforts. In their stead,came stand-up comedy with the Great India Laughter Challenge (Star) and funny people from all parts of India. Srivastava was the king of comedy as he went from Kanpur to his own TV shows.

Mandira Bedi: With her 2003 World Cup debut,noodles-Bedi made cricket showbiz a hit beyond the fence. Since then we’ve had more “extraas” on TV than on the scoreboard. Mandira got women watching cricket and gave it the glamour it lost once Imran Khan had retired. Next stop,cheerleaders and IPL.

Kunjilal: He’s the bloke who foresaw his death and then lived to tell the tale. He symbolises what passes for news on Hindi news. Aaj Tak,the news chart topper since 2000,was the first to treat everything as news: from bhoots to bhagwans,from badmaash dons to Bollywood badhshahs,batsmen,border skirmishes,Britney Spears — and much,much more.

Vindu: He was Dara Singh’s son until he became Bigg Boss last Saturday. Now he’s a celebrity like Rahul Mahajan and Rakhi Sawant before him. Reality TV allows anyone to become a star — even a regression therapist (Raaz Picchle Janam Ka). While shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Indian Idol still salute talent,reality TV like this year’s Sach Ka Samna has Indian’s talking sex,lies on videotape. What next? Let 2010 begin.

shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com