Know your stars

Who8217;s in it? Former model turned TV actress Shweta Kawaatra hosts the show with her usual mix of chatterati glamour and a wide, toothy smile. While she may not have the same credentials of being an insider that a Karan Johar or even a Pooja Bedi would, she8217;s refreshingly different from the usual lot of TV show hosts. For starters, she8217;s quick, to the point and wonderfully free from saccharine sweetness. Also, unlike Kandy Floss host Archana Puran Singh, she seems particular about not appearing too gossipy, which goes well with the format of the show.

What8217;s hot? The best thing about the show is that it8217;s not your usual run-of-the-mill gossip show. This is a more serious show, albeit about a very tabloid subject-the life of stars. But Bollywood Biographies manages to save face by focusing more on the career growth of the stars, rather than discussing their personal lives, through liberal use of archival footage, personal photographs, movie stills and behind-the-scene shots. Also, Kawaatra is the right host for this show. She8217;s confident on screen and doesn8217;t let her commentary get monotonous.

What8217;s not? Interesting as the show is, as an after dinner watch for the family, there isn8217;t much here for serious Bollywood fans. Most of the information revealed on the show is already old news. For instance, even a star as reticent as Aamir Khan, had all the tabloids closely watching his divorce, followed by his second marriage. So there8217;s not much we don8217;t already know about that affair. Bollywood Biographies could8217;ve spiced up that section on his life with some hitherto unknown fact or even provided a different perspective. It seems that in the effort to be taken seriously, the show has compromised too much on the gossip factor and has forgotten that a little gossip always helps to make a show interesting. However, the one thing all viewers will definitely cavil at is that there are no interviews with the subjects themselves. One expects a show that adds the word 8216;biography8217; to its title, to have input from the stars themselves.

Should you be watching it? Well, why not? If you8217;re not going out this Friday, it8217;s a decent way to spend half-hour. Also, the use of plenty of archival footage and photographs ensures there is at least the nostalgia factor for those who still remember Aamir8217;s bouffant days in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Madhuri8217;s wildly popular purple choli from Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.