But will we watch?

Who ever dreamt that Ekta Kapoor would forsake the high and mighty Viranis, Aggarwals and Basus, descend to earth...

Who ever dreamt that Ekta Kapoor would forsake the high and mighty Viranis, Aggarwals and Basus, descend to earth with Kunjal she cannot disown that letter, a small town lassie with typical Ekta looks and a father, wait for it, who wears a khadi kurta and wait for it once again, doesn8217;t have enough money to grant his four sons their favours so sweet Kunjal has to step in and marry once, twice 8212; was it 37 times at last count? She8217;s a marriage planner. Where are the smelling salts or whatever people use these days to revive themselves?

Kunjal on Kahe Naa Kahe, is the new face of television, and what a lovely face it is too. We have 9X to thank for her, the new entertainment channel on the box. Kunjal brings with her a middle class drama 8212; which is neither new nor original, rather a throwback to when Doordarshan was strictly middle class mid eighties. Will her family and life be very different from other K heroines? Suspect not.

She is followed by Sunaina in Jiya Jale, presumably created by people with a J fixation. Here8217;s another gal with a large family and a mother who looks very alive but is apparently on her way out. The girl is not merely good, she is a devoted daughter whose only dream is to make her parents happy. In this noble quest, she is happy to deceive her mother and win a dance competition to fulfil mommie dearest8217;s unfulfilled ambition, of course and perhaps marry the man of her dreams to please momsie and popsie, of course.

On to Benares where two BJP stalwarts are Mere Apne. Smriti Malhotra and Vinod Khanna live in a palace, no less, on the banks of the Ganges with their four children two boy and two girls 8212; Benares is the best thing about it. Vinod Khanna could be the second best thing about it. Not quite sure circa when this is supposed to be. At the moment Kashinath Pandey Khanna dresses and behaves like someone the Ganges left behind a century ago. His children look more this century 8212; whaddya know, a generational clash! Kashi ji is the object of everyones8217; respect and his savage enemy Bhanupratap8217;s hatred. Khanna is good but Malhotra has begun to appear and act matronly in all her own shows 8212; Viruddh, Thodi Si Zameen 8212; and now this.

Ten thirty is comedy belt. There8217;s the inimitable Supriya Pathak opposite Deven Bhojani in Remote Control, their son and daughter who in episode one forget it8217;s their parents wedding anniversary. Luckily, the parents don8217;t. He buys her an umbrella and she, whatever it was, it wasn8217;t expensive thank god 8212; in saas bahu serials they never buy anything less than deluxe cars or super deluxe jewellery!. The last character is the television set which does what it8217;s done to you and me 8212; change us.

Another sitcom goes Dhak Dhakk second k for second heartbeat? in Dubai, where Miss Guju wants to marry He-man Punjab. Sheetal bangs into Vir Singh at college and she8217;s on track and he8217;s on song, being a singer. Quite winsome.

So: 9x is all about loving your family like K3G and possessing at least one devoted daughter; nuclear families are in and joint pains out. It8217;s not metro India, it8217;s the next India. Pancake make up is out but dropdead jewellery is still sagging necklines. The camera work is steadier, no zooming in and out of faces like a revolving door, the music is quieter and the dialogue simpler. So far the police won8217;t be after 9X for cardiac arrests.

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Seems aimed securely at a middle class audiences 8212; roughly the same as the K serials but there8217;s an innocence here, that is charming 8212; for now.

Will we watch? Yes, if a good story is being told well. It8217;s not about class, it8217;s about content.

Mintrox Peppermint is not about Mintrox, not about pepper or mint, and certainly not a TV commercial anyone in a right frame of mind should watch. It8217;s about a mental asylum: one man8217;s in straitjacket to restrain him from attacking Mintrox?, another8217;s hair refuses to lie down was the pepper too strong or the mint?, a third, well he8217;s a madman, too. They have a Mintrox and in 8216;crazed8217; voices scream out, 8220;Mein pagal nahin hoon8221; which is more than can be said for those responsible for this thoroughly insensitive and objectionable ad.