Opinion Today,on the accusation channel

He has thus become a TV star in his own right. Now,he has to do something about his clothes. Baggy cotton trousers,a bush shirt and a white Gandhi topi with “main aam aadmi hoon” reportedly printed on it? Makes him look like a bureaucrat pretending to be a politician or an old-fashioned gentleman waiting tables. No offence. If he wants to portray himself as an entirely new type of politician,he should consult Soha Ali Khan and Aki Narula on What Not to Wear (TLC) in his new role. The cap is the first item Khan will throw out — it symbolises other politicians instead of a new kinda one.

There’s a new kind of victory jig after winning a cricket match,called Gayle’s Gangnam style. Each time the West Indies won a game at the Twenty20 World Cup or took a wicket,he would behave like a psycho or more precisely the rapper PSY,prancing about like the Congress party trying to sidestep the burning questions raised by Kejriwal. It has been a joy to watch the West Indies winning the T20 World Cup. They were men with happy feet and smiles straight out of the Center Fresh sparkling smile commercial. “Nobody,” observed one of the commentators,“celebrates likes the West Indies!”

So it’s a great pity to find something far less amusing happening off the field. India TV’s sting operation on four international umpires declaring their willingness to lift an index finger even when the batsman is not out in return for a little something is the second time the channel has pointed a finger at match-fixing in recent months. The last time it involved young Indian players in the IPL. Between them,India TV and Arvind Kejriwal are exposing any and everyone. Where is Mr Clean?

Salman Khan is in our midst once again with season six of Bigg Boss (Colors). In the opening episode,Khan gave a magnificent performance of Salman Superstar. His dancing,his drawl,his slow motion movements and expressions were an exaggerated version of himself in Dabangg,Bodyguard and Ek Tha Tiger. No wonder we encountered six of him for the price of one in the new Bigg Boss house. Which,by the way,resembles a posh new supermarket that FDI in retail may bring into the country soon — a sort of Walmart at the International Space Station. With the sponsor’s logos everywhere — Vodafone is more omnipresent than Bigg Boss himself.

The new motto for this season is see no evil,hear no evil,speak no evil. Just do. The contestants include slick- tongue-Sidhu,cartoonist Aseem Trivedi,TV actresses and actors and a number of other people you will get to know only too well if you stay with the show for the full 98 days.

Sur Kshetra (Colors and Sahara) is a singing talent contest with three wonderful judges: Asha Bhonsle,Runa Laila and Abida Parveen. Some seriously good singing on the show is lost in the din of patriotic fervour. As singers from India and Pakistan face-off you feel it’s the next war between the two. There’s too much jingoism: “Apne desh ke liye dua mangna na bhoolein (Don’t forget to ask for good wishes for your country)”,intones host Ayesha Takia. “India ko jita ke hi rahenge (We’ll ensure India wins)”,proclaims a proud Indian contestant,“Vande Mataram”. The Pakistanis respond with vows for the qaum. Seems all wrong to dress up a singing contest in national flags,somehow.

shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com