Salman Ka Dum

Sometimes, we seem to read history in reverse order, and it can be quite perplexing. Rajdeep Sardesai paid Kapil Dev this backhanded compliment...

Sometimes, we seem to read history in reverse order, and it can be quite perplexing. Rajdeep Sardesai paid Kapil Dev this backhanded compliment: 8220;He was the M.S. Dhoni of his generation.8221; Comedian Jaspal Bhatti would call this ulta-pulta 8212; Kapil Dev laid his hands on a World Cup when Dhoni was still in his nappies.

But why cavil? It was a wonderful one-hour with Kapil8217;s Devils reminiscing about that glorious Indian summer day at Lords albeit somewhat overcast. Sardesai pestered Sandeep Patil about the possible presence, in the dressing room, of Bollywood actresses. Don8217;t know if this was a tart comment on the present IPL where the likes of Preity Zinta go everywhere the boys go almost or that Sardesai knows something about Lords 8217;83 that we don8217;t. Patil has not acquired two straight lines of white hair down his chin for nothing: with enviable aplomb he said he didn8217;t know about actresses but there were plenty of beautiful women 8212; and kisses!

Every channel had special shows to commemorate Lord8217;s 8217;83, but CNN-IBN8217;s was the most complete. Those old enough to have witnessed the victories, relived the joy and could say as Michelle Obama may have if she were Indian and a cricket fan, 8220;For the first time, I am proud to be an Indian8221;. For those like Rohit Sharma on CNN-IBN, it was a reminder that we possessed great players before Sachin 038; Co.

All you adoring fans of India8217;s other great sport, Salman Khan is every bit as good as Shah Rukh Khan. There, said it. Was afraid that as a TV show host, he8217;d suddenly strip off his chest gear and flex all the muscles but we8217;ve wronged him. On 10 Ka Dum, we meet a fully clothed Salman 8212; charming, modest, amusing and completely at ease. With Yuvraj and Harbhajan, he joked about Katrina Kaif and laughed at himself. No frills 8212; it8217;s let8217;s get down to business 8212; a departure from SRK who is also delightful on Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? but who spends so much time goofing, talking, talking, goofing that you forget why he8217;s there. The Salman experience was all the more charming, because he spoke in Hindi and thereby spared us his badly-strung-guitar American twang.

Tired of cricket, tennis, golf, soccer yes, even soccer? Take a ride. And Ten Sports has just the horse for you at the Ascot. It8217;s a joy to behold the perfect symmetry of the horses, the absolute lightness of being of the jockeys and everyone else dressed as though they were extras on My Fair Lady especially the ladies with every conceivable confection upon their head but a simple hat. There8217;s even a fashion strut by Ascot visitors, entirely voluntary and jolly good fun.

Continuing in this 8216;all things bright and beautiful8217; vein, please do watch World Movies. As the name suggests, here are films from around the globe and on any given day, there8217;s at least one film you wish you had seen. That8217;s because we have seen very little of world cinema. Sunday night, watched Massacre in Rome by Carlo Ponti, starring the inimitable Marcello Mastroianni as a Roman priest up against Richard Burton8217;s German commandant 8212; a different take on World War II.

To end on a more sombre note: Aaj Tak had another khulaasa that again, revealed very little. It had stung the first investigating police officer of the Arushi-Hemraj murders. He described, in detail, what he saw at the Talwars, the morning after, how the Talwars behaved, setting off another interminable and inconclusive studio debate between two anchors why two?, K.K. Gautam and a criminologist as to whether Arushi was asleep when she was killed. Severe as we have been on TV news channels for all their sins, spare a few censure motions for the police and CBI which have revealed evidence and unconfirmed suspicions to the over eager media. Isn8217;t there the equivalent of a Hippocratic oath that swears them to silence? There should be.

shailaja.bajpaiexpressindia.com