Opinion The fast,the furious

Over the next three days,we heard many speeches and watched Modi accept the praise heaped upon him with becoming equanimity. Truth be told? It was missing that indefinable something,perhaps that quality of self-denial,of striving,that stirs the soul and uplifts it. The media could be blamed — who else? — because it dwelt so assiduously on Modi’s prospects as PM and the Gujarat riots (possibly the last thing he wanted) rather than his fast. Since this was time-bound,no one was clocking the hours and the minutes of the fast (needed to be longer for that?),no one was overly concerned about his weight or health,prerequisites after Anna Hazare,and the barometers of a fast’s success.

The speeches and the interviews Modi granted every single TV news channel thereafter sounded like election speeches or soundbytes. Was the fast a good idea,then? Yes,insofar as Modi was the “box” item of the moment and enjoyed the opportunity to share his views with the country — on national television. Over to the country now.

Interestingly,his only rival over the weekend was unexpected,and one he has not perhaps encountered previously — a natural force,not a politician. After the earthquake on Sunday evening,many news channels rushed to Sikkim and by Monday morning the damage and human toll of the disaster rivalled Gujarat’s “irresistible” force. It was a tough fight for TV supremacy,Monday night,and while Times Now and NDTV 24×7 succumbed to Modi’s charms,Headlines Today and CNN-IBN stuck with the earthquake as their discussion point.

Kaun Banega Crorepati (Sony) might become the topic of discussion if by the time you read this,Anita Pawar has won Rs 1 crore or even Rs 5 crore. Host Amitabh Bachchan has dropped enough hints — on Monday he complained that so far in Season 5,no one has won Rs 1 crore. Promptly on Tuesday,Amita Singh reached the Rs 1 crore question but won Rs 50 lakh. On Tuesday night,promos for Wednesday’s episode showed Bachchan about to ask Pawar another Rs 1 crore question. If she hasn’t won,then Amitabh Bachchan should pay for raising expectations — we’ll have to figure out how. Do notice how women are,once again,great quiz wizards.

Here’s something else to think about — it could even merit a KBC question. Other than Rishi and Ranbir Kapoor in the latest Pepsi commercial,which parent and child combo can be seen in a TV ad,nowadays? And your options are (a) Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan,(b) Anil and Sonam Kapoor,(c) Shatrughan and Sonakshi Sinha,(d) Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan? Can you wait till next week for the answer? Well,it’s (d) Sharmila and Soha for Kohinoor rice. But see how many Bollywood parivar ads could soon be on the screen?

The Emmy awards on Monday made us watch Mike and Molly (both on Zee Café),the sitcom that won actress Melissa McCarthy an Emmy for the best actress in a comedy. You have to watch it with a large,and we mean a large-hearted attitude: it’s about two overweight individuals,Mike and Molly,who meet at Overeaters Anonymous and gradually as they shed kilos,get closer — which becomes easier presumably because the distance between lessens as they grow slimmer.

shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com