Small screen, big picture

TV needs consistent approach in deciding on the rights and wrongs of programme content

Have you noticed how much they fidget? And speak with their hands or employ body language instead of words? They stalk their prey, they gesture broadly, they make faces, they shake and do everything possible to make stillness impossible. We speak of our TV news reporters and anchors. Never seen so much motion in commotion before. If you watch BBC or CNN, notice that anchors and reporters tend to keep their heads still, their hands on the table or by their sides and about the only things that moves are their lips. In the case of Indian news people, there8217;s nothing that does not speak to us. Quite the most typical of this species appear on CNN-IBN where everyone flings arms, bodies and words at us like guided missiles. And they tend to speak in this loud lullabye voice- sing song, sing along. Do news anchors reflect Indian habits?

Time to recommend Galli Galli Sim Sim Cartoon Network. Here speech and action were wonderful in the newly launched children8217;s show, an Indian version of the highly-acclaimed American Sesame Street. The show8217;s muppets are delightful in their simple lessons for everyday life. Going to bed on time is good for health, brushing teeth before going to bed is equally good and turning off taps when not is use is always good iquest; prosaic advise but the shaggy, shambling muppets deliver them with such artlessness and humour that you don8217;t mind the obvious truths. Recommended viewing for the child in all of us who has forgotten what8217;s good for us.

We know her as the best bahu on TV but now she may be TV8217;s greatest crusader. Smriti Irani, better known to us as Tulsi or the BJP party member, has launched herself into a new career and show, Thodi Si Zameen, Thoda Sa Aasmaan Star Plus. This is not the vehicle you had expected her to choose to drive forward her career. Or is it, given that she is now a politician as much as an artiste? The story is set in a chawl of Mumbai threatened by big bad business with Smriti as the sunny side up facing the misfortunes that befell her family and friends with confidence and rigour. So it8217;s all about exploitation of the poor by the rich and the little people fighting back. Fairly political in its overtones. However, it makes for a huge change and we ought to be grateful to Smriti and Star for trying to succeed by being different.

Only thing is that Smriti looks far too old and well fed and satisfied with life to be playing the role.

How closely Smriti8217;s work on screen is linked to it off stage was clear in a discussion Channel 7 on the ban imposed on 8216;A8217; cinema and the closing down of cable operations in parts of Mumbai, following a court order banning A films on TV. But then what about all the rest of TV, most of which would fall into the same category, including the soap Irani stars in? Smriti, like most other panelists, felt that there ought to be some codes in place because her children should not have to watch adult scenes 8212; by which she meant violence on news and other channels.

It8217;s time we all took a view on this: for too long the government simply steps in, or the courts do, and takes action against our freedom to watch what many want to and as many turn shy of. One day it is music videos, the next surrogate ads, the third adult shows, the fourth smokingiquest; None of this is wrong, in fact most of it is the right step taken in the wrong way. Appoint an independent broadcast authority, empower them to decide on the dos and the don8217;ts and let them get on with the job. We have been waiting for this elusive but very simple regulatory mechanism ever since and, though the government of the day talks of it forever, nothing ever happens. Meanwhile, watch what you can on TV, never know when it will go off the air.