Quite like US

BBC sat solidly and stolidly in its Washington studio, with a revolving group of analysts and red-nosed correspondents in the field—no, they weren’t Republican, it was just darn cold out there. While not exactly boring (great anchors), a certain lack of variety over seven hours did compel a yawn or two. There were memorable lines: ‘‘Kerry’s running out of real estate’’, and a particularly dull account of Kerry’s godson’s daughter contributing a few dollars more to his campaign and receiving a thank-you reply after two months. No wonder he lost. A visit to a bar in that last frontier, Ohio, was more promising: the women fancied that non-looker Kerry, while the men felt secure with strong man Bush.

Another distinctive feature was of academic interest. Our news channels feature anchors, psephologists and politicians on election shows; CNN and BBC hosted a significant number of professors who used their once-in-four-years soundbytes of fame to tell us how America is polarised politically, religiously, economically. Here we were thinking we’re the only ones.

Speaking of bars, the French channel TV5 had the unique idea of conducting at least part of its election special at a nightclub. That’s why they coined the phrase, ‘‘Vive La Difference!’’. As for India’s double digit news channels, the only two that we saw dignify the American presidential elections with any lengthy coverage were NDTV and Sahara Samay. NDTV 24 X 7 went the whole enchilada with its usual election suspects: Roy, Sopariwalla, Yadav, Sardesai, while Sahara sent lead anchor Shireen to Washington.

When a channel synonymous with music and creativity, replete with exciting talent that produces wonderful shows like Fully Faltoo, goes shopping outside for entertainment, that too a daily dose of Balaji (Kyunki…, Kahani…, Kasauti…, Kkusum…), you wonder if it will possess the same originality and panache we associate with MTV or will it bear the Balaji trademark. A bit of both: the lead pair—Arnab and Ananya—could be Kashish and Sujal (Kahiin To Hoga), but the mother of middle-aged family hungamas does try to be hip and happening. The protagonist is middle-class, living in a single-mother, nuclear-driven family, works at a radio station and wears a skirt.

If most of the cast spends inordinate time at discos, put it down to MTV culture and working at a radio station. The young ’uns drink, dance, discuss and dissect each other (not our virtuous heroine); the girls expend all their energies on clothes, make-up and the other sex (in that order); ditto the men (sans make-up). They frequently say, ‘‘let’s enjoy’’, ‘‘you go on and enjoy’’, ‘‘if you are enjoying, we can stay on…’’. MTV Enjoy? Let’s see.