Opinion The message from the medium
After days of being sidelined by the Anna Hazare show,Amitabh Bachchan returns to form on KBC.
When Anna Hazare decided to break his fast on Sunday with a spartan coconut water and honey,we suddenly realised that,after 12 days,we could also take a break from his fast. The venerable gentleman reclining on the Ramlila stage had been the sole focus of the nations attention; he was our calendar and our timepiece. Now he has fasted for 152 hours; now he has fasted for 8 days and 13 hours, the news channels clocked in.
But there was one unintended consequence of his heroic efforts to root out corruption: the entertainment channels got the boot. We preferred to watch,spellbound,the spectacle at Ramlila Maidan (and the antics in the news studios) rather than the soaps,the song and dance,even Amitabh Bachchan.
Between August 16 and August 28,the elder statesman of Bollywood found himself up against the ageing messiah of the masses and,for all Mr Bachchans charisma,he could not defeat or compete with a hungry old man on a crusade. The angry young man in Bachchan may well have silently applauded Anna Hazare.
Saturday was the one occasion when the crusader was upstaged,that too by politicians who finally had their day and say in Parliament. They gave a good account of themselves so much so that,the same evening,the media proclaimed everyone a winner! Why had the politicians allowed Hazare and Team Anna to wrest and keep the initiative? Politicians must be heard,seen and seen to act. Last week,after the PM wrote his first letter to Hazare,the politicians were more visible on TV,they spoke up for the Constitution and worked to end the impasse between civil society and themselves all in the public glare. Thus,by the time Saturdays parliamentary debate on corruption ended,the viewer had begun to think,well,maybe they arent so bad after all.
Now that the battle has been lost or won,or won and lost and nobody,not even TV news is quite sure which it is,despite endless debate Kaun Banega Crorepati (Sony) is an entertaining diversion from the sound and fury of Kiran Bedis kachehri at Ramlila Maidan. Most importantly,its a great deal quieter. The loudest sound you hear is the honk which signals the end of an episode,not hysterical voices. Theres no Lok,only log from all parts of the country and the only bills are the ones the winners will receive when they cash their takeaway cheques. Like Season 4,the contestants are from cities or towns outside the metros,like Hisar or Bastar. And theyre hungry to win,and win the money. This might seem downright mercenary at a time when we are being exhorted to smell the roses of moral self-righteousness and say no to money power,but these contestants need the money: to build their first home,help their parents,to further their education.
Amitji is as popular as ever,as smooth as the silk kerchief he wears around his neck. Hes indulgent and if you have watched him often enough,you can tell when the contestant has the right answer he rushes through with computerji. When the answer is incorrect,he pauses deliberately. The questions,meanwhile,seem to have become easier at least the first seven or eight what is a lunar eclipse,what sport do you associate Narain Karthikeyan with,who has been the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha since 2009? Anyone who is a regular reader of the daily newspapers can answer questions upto Rs 3.2 lakh,sitting at home and still be empty-handed!
Bachchans buddy on Sholay,Dharmendra,is also winning us over (Indias Got Talent,Colors). Hes amiable,gentle even when hes hard on a contestant,he recites poetry,he shakes a leg,both legs and is so dignified as a judge. Hrithik Roshan (Just Dance,Star) is also generous and gracious: together they have challenged the established notion that the judges table is a combat zone,as it has been on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa or X-Factor.
shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com
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