Opinion Just another ordinary week

There were many inconclusive TV news debates regarding the precise reason for the cross-country jaunt,before and after it began,all obsessed with the same question: was Mr Advani,who we saw standing on the roof of his Jan Chetna bus,positioning himself above all equals in the BJP as the party’s next prime ministerial candidate? He wasn’t saying yes,argued news anchors,but he wasn’t saying no either,so…

So none of the commentators mentioned what was an obvious,if prosaic,answer at least to those who enjoy a four-wheel drive: that Advani simply likes to travel through the countryside by road?

— Team Anna Hazare is at loggerheads with the Congress once more on the Lokpal bill,this time during the Hisar by-election campaign; and Digvijaya Singh has ventured where his partymen fear to tread: how often have we seen that since the April Anna fast? Monday,he spent the entire evening explaining to English news channels how he believed,nay,knew BJP had promised to appoint Hazare the president of India. Next day,a letter to Anna… This is a poor joke,but with Team A haranguing us continuously,the Lokpal bill is really beginning to pall (told you it was a sad-sack joke).

— No sooner had we finished with one song-and-dance (India’s Got Talent,for instance) that a new show took its place. Producers have to find new ways of singing the same songs. Now it’s Star Ya Rockstar (Zee) where actors try to sing. And succeed rather well. Sachin Pilgaonkar is not exactly Sonu Nigam but he’s a melody king nevertheless.

— Another cricket tournament ended so that a new one may begin. Champions League T20 (Star Sports/ESPN) began with a whimper but ended with a bang as the ball hit the stadium roof,repeatedly,loudly. Chris Gayle and David Warner,in particular,helped the competition end on a high with their sixes.

— Once again,“jald aa raha hai”,SRK and AB on KBC. Or so the promos promise us every evening. Can’t wait. Meanwhile,it was business as usual: a string of women triumphed on the contestant’s seat. Saw one win Rs 12.5 lakh. The majority of them belong to smaller towns or villages. Since last year,KBC has gone seriously rural on us.

— And there was yet one more interview with SRK on Headlines Today. But this was a little different. It was conducted while he was modeling for Harper’s Bazaar. And he revealed more intimate details of the private Mr Khan than he does usually. He spoke of wanting his son to be himself,and how he and wife Gauri saw very little of each other during their marriage,which kept the relationship alive.

— Lastly,Bigg Boss (Colors) is trying hard to prove that it’s an adult show,which deserves the late-night slot it has but there’s a long way to grow before it grows up. When one man and a bevy of women have to pedal a stationary cycle to keep the show on the move,you know neither they nor the show is going anywhere. To prove that the 10.30 pm slot is warranted,the women get into as many arguments as possible and abuse each other roundly: the most original of these has been calling Laxmi “hijravati”. Shakti Kapoor shows us his calves (shapely) and his authority (commanding),but why does he have to enter the ladies dressing-cum-bathroom? Or is this a common toilet? After one week of being the only man around,he’s got male company in the person of Amar Upadhyay,the original Mihir Virani of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

And Bigg Boss hosts Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt have company or competition,depending on the point of view. It’s Akshay Kumar wearing a vest to show that he’s the Big Boss. Watch out for him in the BB ad break. Yes,it was just another ordinary week.

shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com