As soap operas were going from bad to worse,women turned to the IPL for their daily TV fix
Everyone who watched the Indian Premier League,as a keen observer of cricket,as a critic of this pyjama party or even as an average viewer,knows this for sure: in the stands or in front of the television,the women wanted more of it.
Why wouldnt the average,sane woman be excited by the sight of so much male prowess (and sweat!),instead of Dekha Ek Khwaab (Sony) where the poor little poor girl has been crowned queen? A cross between Princess Diaries and Princess Diaries,Cinderella is now being asked to save her awful royal relations by marrying a pipsqueak whom she detests. If its majesty we want,well watch the real thing on BBC Entertainment,which is telecasting a history of the British royals as a prelude to Queen Elizabeths diamond jubilee as monarch. Whats Sonys excuse?
Dunno what to say about Chhal: Sheh Aur Maat (Colors) except that it ought to be stopped. Immediately. Here,Neha is forced to play her lookalike,Aditi,by the brooding Harlequin romance hero,Kabir,in order to save her bridegroom,Rishi,who has been kidnapped by lockjaw Kabir. It is now firmly a saas-bahu story of the opulent kind we thought were outdated.
Phir Subah Hogi (Zee) has a stunningly attractive Sugni,a Bedia tribe girl,who is trying to resist the fate of the tribes women of being forced into prostitution. This terrible custom deserves an episode of Satyamev Jayate for here the facts are lost in the beauty of the lead character and her fabulous outfits,besides being drenched in the tears her mothers as well as hers.
Pavitra Rishta (Zee) has become just too complicated for even the characters to understand whats happening. After being separated,Archana and Manav are forced to live together as per a court order. Meanwhile,their daughters meet their mother after 18 years but dont know she is their mother but love her anyway,like they would a mother and she them the only problem is she had an adopted daughter too and nobody is sure whos who.
Worse to follow: Kya Huaa Tera Vaada began as the Mona and Pradeep love story. Instead,the good-for-nothing husband falls for the oldest trick in the business his female boss and so,Mona is out and across the corridor,living with her best friend while evil Anushka is in. Now Mona works in the same office as Pradeep and Anushka. Its so silly. Mona is long suffering,Anushka,the other woman an object of ridicule while Pradeep is so unattractive,he is seriously not worth two women fighting over him.
In Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (Sony),weve gone from Ram and Priyas love story to wicked stepmother and her family versus Priya with our motu Ram dancing betwixt and between. Another saas bahu saga worse,stepmom and her brother are also caricatures.
Then,theres this thing called Diya Aur Baati Hum (Star Plus). The well educated Sandhya,with the ambitions of a career woman,marries sweet Sooraj,the mithai wallah. They spend the better part of each episode staring doe-eyed at each other. Theyre sweet on each other,which is very sweet but not terribly appetising.
IPL was fun compared to these storms in teacups. Why,even the ad breaks were made in heaven with that perfectly nonsensical Get an Idea Abhishek Bachchan commercial leading the way there. Loved the heavenly guy saying he is watching Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Or Tata Docomo with Ranbir Kapoor as the elderly miser and so what if we still cannot understand a word he utters? Or Saif,the showoff with the Appy Fizz bottle thats almost funnier than Comedy Central. As for the Vodafone series of ballooned out characters,well,they look funnier than their punchlines sound.
What now,especially for news TV? Theyll have to await SRKs next shenanigan and Team Anna instead of KKR. Or then,Arushi. As the trial of Nupur and Rajesh Talwar nears,thats the latest daily soap running on news channels.
shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com
