Opinion Keeping it real

Poker Face ‘dil sachcha,chehra jhoota’ is all about hiding your real emotions. The questions and answers are irrelevant,which is why the questions are quite silly: what is the length of a saree? Who lives at 10 Janpath — if you think Rahul Gandhi,it won’t matter. Just keep a straight face,and hey presto,you’ve won yourself a cool coupla lakhs. Watch it for beautiful sets and Sharman Joshi’s smile which (probably) hides the nervousness he feel anchoring his first show.

Hindi Hai Hum: a serial where Bubbly-is-my-name wants to be a desi girl who is happy to be Indian. Recommend she watch Happiness,a journey with Deepak Chopra ( NDTV 24×7) or join the cast of Happy Home on Doordarshan.

Next,it’s Namak Haram with Swati,an IAS officer and Karan,a businessman. She’s the namak and he’s the haram (obviously). It begins lovingly enough: each morn sees them in bed (as it does most of us) and him weaving the sunlight into her hair. Then grim reality intrudes: off she goes to ‘sting’ her corrupt boss and off he goes to find a corrupt official who can save his family fortunes. No guesses for what ensues. This show comes closest to reality on the channel. Watch it for its no-nonsense style.

Real issues matter on NDTV Imagine,too,which has gone ‘social’ on us. Joining the old man/young bride of Bandini is Jyoti. She looks after a father in a wheelchair,a good-for-nothing brother,one tormented sister and a repressive mother. To top it all,she’s manglik. Her boyfriend is willing to marry her nevertheless,but she sacrifices love to the altar of familial duty. And what does she get in return? Nothing,of course.

If you really want to get real,try Sony Special@10,a new series produced by leading Bollywood directors. One hour of slick,tightly-knit dramas,closer to the truth than we may like. In Shaurat-Nafrat aur Showbiz,a young starlet’s climb to fame sees her Bollywood mentor shoot himself and her hospitalised. Then she’s breaking news on TV — “She’s OK but could have had a stroke” (a masterpiece of TV drivel). Is there a suicide note implicating her — if so,how to find out? That suspense angle gives the story a cutting edge.

Savitri’s the story of a wife who suffers a violent,possessive,drunken husband for her children’s sake. It’s a compelling portrayal: in one scene the husband comes home late and wants to exercise his rights over her body. She refuses saying he reeks of liquor which sickens her because she is pregnant. He promptly rapes her. Now that’s for real.

shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com