SACH KA SAMNA YA RISHTOON KA KHATMA !
No reality show,of Indian TV,has attracted so much controversy,as SKS,(Society-OUTLOOK,Aug 10,2009)
The question is not,whether we believe or not,on what's on SKS,or if it is true or false,but the question is,Is it really worth it ?
The original show,from where,this has been conceived,may have been a real hit,but then,even today,the differences in the values and social norms between the western world and our culture are significant.Pre and extra marital affairs,surprised desires,fantasies,infidelity and even incest,are accepted as being present in the society,and one even accepts these,in a movie or a serial,and now as an audience ,we may even accept it on the show,but I personally feel that it would be totally unacceptable for the near and dear ones,who are involved in the confessions
Relations may not hold a very great significance in the western world ,but have a great importance in our country,We still have to live with the same family ,amongst the same friends and relatives and in the same society.The contestant may be comfortable with the anchor,and in going live,but the family may not be so brave.I think the very concept of the show is against inter and itra personal relationships and a total breech to the relationship with those concerned.The contestant may do it,for money,for fame(read notoriety),popularity or primarily money,but it may be at the cost of those who are sitting there,as family,friend and relatives,and being the humiliated targets.
Even the very foundation of the concept is doubtful,as we really don't know for sure,if the Lie Machine (Polygraph test) always tells the truth ! And even if it is foolproof,I think facing the truth is really not worth it,as it is not a personal issue,but may have a everlasting impact on the image and self esteem of the person spoken about.It is too big a cost to be paid for whatever big or small amount of cash that is won(many have gone empty handed).The prize is not worth it at the stake of life long relations and reputations and above all it is too big a price to pay for washing dirty linen in public.
Wonder how a lady would live,in the same family comfortably,after confessing smilingly,on camera,that her mother was biased,she hated her sister,wished her husband dead,and even thought of killing him,and was willing to sleep with another man,and all this in their presence and probably in the knowledge of her kids,and still win nothing !
It may bring some money,but one may loose relations,which cannot be bought again with the won booty !
Colonel S Kapoor VSM ,Lucknow
Sunday, August 9, 2009
INDIAN TV
Indian TV,comes of age !!
Indian TV,has come a long way,over the last nearly four decades,since when it started in early seventies( cover Story-India Today, Aug 10,2009 )
Initially there was nothing besides Krishi Darshan,Phool Khilen Hein Gulshan Gulsan and the weekly Sunday movie and then came the mother of all soups,Hum Log & Buniyyad, followed by the great epic serials Mahabharat & Ramayan.In between we had few other memorable ones like Ek Kahani, Mungari Lal ,Bharat Ek Khooj & Malgudi days.
The real boom,however,on the small screen came with Ekta Kapoor's K series of soaps,with juicy stories,full of split personality characters which could put Jackel and Hyde to shame.I am extremely grateful to Ekta ,for sparing Baa,of innumerable affairs,countless marriages,multiple divorces ,illegitimate children and never ending skeletons in the backyard
Following soon were the reality shows,few of which like Sa Re Ga Ma and Indian Idol,gave us few great singers.Others like Boogie Boogie, Laughter Challenge,brought dancing ,comedy and other hidden stars of India,to the forefront,and provided a platform to the common people,to show their talent at a national and international level.Few others,like Big Boss, Roadies, Splitz Villa etc,were introduced and focused on the younger generation,depicting the bitchy life and the rivalry amongst the competitors,spiced with most unwarranted foul language on screen.This phase also saw some good satirical comedies like Sarabhai verses Sarabhai ,Tu Tu Mai Mai & Office Office .
While the K series of family melodrama,were ordered to be put off the ventilator,a new series of soaps emerged,on regional culture,specially of Gujarat,Rajasthan and Bihar.Majority of the serials today are of a good standard and have great entertainment value .Many of these ,running presently ,like Balika Vadhu, Agaley janam ,Na Aana Is Desh Laado & Mitwa are focusing on social evils and issues likes female infanticide,child marriage,premarital sex, empowerment of woman & widow remarriage.Other good ones,on air at present are Bandini, Ladies Special, Jyoti , Eh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Utran & India Got Talent .Besides this,we cannot forget someother good programmes on news channels,like We The People & The Big Fight.Two channels that have shown commendable popularity in a very short time are Colors and NDTV Imagine .
But the two serials that need special mention are Rakhee Ka Swamwar & Sach Ka Saamna.Both of these have received the maximum attention ,since while the first was a really unique idea,the other is the most daring,and has in fact crossed the limits of social norms,compelling one to think of a regular censor Board for the idiot box !
The TV industry of India is as big as Bollywood,if not more,and with so many good serials,soups and programmes on various channels,the channels do have a tough time,keeping the TRP high.We keep blaming the channels,for the verbal,conceptual and visual contents of the episodes,but continue to watch them.So they give,what sells,and are encashing on the viewers taste well.The only thing that I cant understand,is that why do all channels,show their best programme at the same time,It may be compitition,or marketing logic,but am sure that if the channels plan,and spread their programmes,in a manner,that the timings of the best programme of at least three-four channels don't clash,then the TRP of many more will go up significantly.
Dr Sanjay Kapoor
Indian TV,has come a long way,over the last nearly four decades,since when it started in early seventies( cover Story-India Today, Aug 10,2009 )
Initially there was nothing besides Krishi Darshan,Phool Khilen Hein Gulshan Gulsan and the weekly Sunday movie and then came the mother of all soups,Hum Log & Buniyyad, followed by the great epic serials Mahabharat & Ramayan.In between we had few other memorable ones like Ek Kahani, Mungari Lal ,Bharat Ek Khooj & Malgudi days.
The real boom,however,on the small screen came with Ekta Kapoor's K series of soaps,with juicy stories,full of split personality characters which could put Jackel and Hyde to shame.I am extremely grateful to Ekta ,for sparing Baa,of innumerable affairs,countless marriages,multiple divorces ,illegitimate children and never ending skeletons in the backyard
Following soon were the reality shows,few of which like Sa Re Ga Ma and Indian Idol,gave us few great singers.Others like Boogie Boogie, Laughter Challenge,brought dancing ,comedy and other hidden stars of India,to the forefront,and provided a platform to the common people,to show their talent at a national and international level.Few others,like Big Boss, Roadies, Splitz Villa etc,were introduced and focused on the younger generation,depicting the bitchy life and the rivalry amongst the competitors,spiced with most unwarranted foul language on screen.This phase also saw some good satirical comedies like Sarabhai verses Sarabhai ,Tu Tu Mai Mai & Office Office .
While the K series of family melodrama,were ordered to be put off the ventilator,a new series of soaps emerged,on regional culture,specially of Gujarat,Rajasthan and Bihar.Majority of the serials today are of a good standard and have great entertainment value .Many of these ,running presently ,like Balika Vadhu, Agaley janam ,Na Aana Is Desh Laado & Mitwa are focusing on social evils and issues likes female infanticide,child marriage,premarital sex, empowerment of woman & widow remarriage.Other good ones,on air at present are Bandini, Ladies Special, Jyoti , Eh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Utran & India Got Talent .Besides this,we cannot forget someother good programmes on news channels,like We The People & The Big Fight.Two channels that have shown commendable popularity in a very short time are Colors and NDTV Imagine .
But the two serials that need special mention are Rakhee Ka Swamwar & Sach Ka Saamna.Both of these have received the maximum attention ,since while the first was a really unique idea,the other is the most daring,and has in fact crossed the limits of social norms,compelling one to think of a regular censor Board for the idiot box !
The TV industry of India is as big as Bollywood,if not more,and with so many good serials,soups and programmes on various channels,the channels do have a tough time,keeping the TRP high.We keep blaming the channels,for the verbal,conceptual and visual contents of the episodes,but continue to watch them.So they give,what sells,and are encashing on the viewers taste well.The only thing that I cant understand,is that why do all channels,show their best programme at the same time,It may be compitition,or marketing logic,but am sure that if the channels plan,and spread their programmes,in a manner,that the timings of the best programme of at least three-four channels don't clash,then the TRP of many more will go up significantly.
Dr Sanjay Kapoor
WHATS IN A AGE ?
What's in AGE !!
Nothing has lost its identity,more in the recent years,as has age !( Cover Story,OUTLOOK,Aug 3,2009)
Age,which once was a very significant aspect of any person's,personal particulars,seems have no existence today.
Just two decades back,age decided everything,schooling,job,marriage,kids,clothes,food,lingo and life style.We had rigid ,water tight compartments ,arbitrarily of 25 years each,to divide the community into youngsters,middle age and oldies,and the latter starting,at the surprising young age of 50.This compartmentalization ,probably based on the Ashram system of Vedas,was handed down generation after generation,with a pre conceived generation gap ! Majority of the people,spent most of their lives,just to earn a livelihood,and lived most of the time either taking care of the previous generation or the next generation !
But times have changed,and age has no significance today.People are living for a Life and for Self,today.It is not that today's individual has forgotten his or her responsibility towards the parents ,family or children,but its just that one has started caring for self too.The major factors that brought this change was,that each and everyone was getting suffocated in the traditional lifestyle and the never ending list of responsibilities.And the change has been made possible by many factors,Education,Financial stability,lack of insecurity for the future ,willingness to take risk and above all,getting out of the fear of what will the society say !
The biggest impact of this,has been,that the generation gap has suddenly disappeared and the difference between two generations,that was so evident earlier has become absolutely blurred.Parents and kids,use same brands of clothes,gadgets,accessories,enjoy same type of outings,pubs,and partying,use the same lingo and share the same jokes and SMSs ! And they even do this together.The mother and daughter not only share the same cosmetics and sandals,but even clothes,In fact in my family,four generations of ladies ,including my mother and sisiter's grand daughter use the same parlor.A man having beer with his dad and son,on a Sunday afternoon is not a surprising situation.This has brought the generations closer and has made them more friendly ,which is essential for a truthful and healthy relationship.
People do what they want to,persue a career of choose,work for satisfaction,break norms of society for happiness,and even marry ,at times,after settling kids.and having grand children.!
Nothing is without drawbacks,and even though a few people,may go overboard,but overall,this ageless society of today,is giving each one the right to live till the last breath as per his or her choice,and the trend is here to stay for good
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Nothing has lost its identity,more in the recent years,as has age !( Cover Story,OUTLOOK,Aug 3,2009)
Age,which once was a very significant aspect of any person's,personal particulars,seems have no existence today.
Just two decades back,age decided everything,schooling,job,marriage,kids,clothes,food,lingo and life style.We had rigid ,water tight compartments ,arbitrarily of 25 years each,to divide the community into youngsters,middle age and oldies,and the latter starting,at the surprising young age of 50.This compartmentalization ,probably based on the Ashram system of Vedas,was handed down generation after generation,with a pre conceived generation gap ! Majority of the people,spent most of their lives,just to earn a livelihood,and lived most of the time either taking care of the previous generation or the next generation !
But times have changed,and age has no significance today.People are living for a Life and for Self,today.It is not that today's individual has forgotten his or her responsibility towards the parents ,family or children,but its just that one has started caring for self too.The major factors that brought this change was,that each and everyone was getting suffocated in the traditional lifestyle and the never ending list of responsibilities.And the change has been made possible by many factors,Education,Financial stability,lack of insecurity for the future ,willingness to take risk and above all,getting out of the fear of what will the society say !
The biggest impact of this,has been,that the generation gap has suddenly disappeared and the difference between two generations,that was so evident earlier has become absolutely blurred.Parents and kids,use same brands of clothes,gadgets,accessories,enjoy same type of outings,pubs,and partying,use the same lingo and share the same jokes and SMSs ! And they even do this together.The mother and daughter not only share the same cosmetics and sandals,but even clothes,In fact in my family,four generations of ladies ,including my mother and sisiter's grand daughter use the same parlor.A man having beer with his dad and son,on a Sunday afternoon is not a surprising situation.This has brought the generations closer and has made them more friendly ,which is essential for a truthful and healthy relationship.
People do what they want to,persue a career of choose,work for satisfaction,break norms of society for happiness,and even marry ,at times,after settling kids.and having grand children.!
Nothing is without drawbacks,and even though a few people,may go overboard,but overall,this ageless society of today,is giving each one the right to live till the last breath as per his or her choice,and the trend is here to stay for good
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
RAKHEE KA SWAMWAR
GIVE THE DEVIL HIS(/HER) DUE
Rakhee Ka Swamvar,is the most talked about reality show of Indian TV,ever,second may be just to,Sach Ka Samana.(The Sexes ,The Week,aug 02,2009)
.In spite of her stunning designer outfits,with her pouting lips,pakoda nose,painted face,layered eyelids with artificial eyelashes,flickering at regular intervals,silicon at the right and wrong places,she looks like Ms Hanuman in any Japanese animation film on Ramayana,and reminds me of Simba of Lion King. Rakhee Sawant may sound loud or act crude at times,but she needs a great applaud,for it is she and she alone who could dare to do this and get away with it,so successfully
The morality guardians of the society and the critics of Bollywood may accuse her of exposure and vulgarity and may call her uncouth and un polished,but she has proved without doubt that hard work and a strong determination can help anyone achieve his or her goal.No wonder she is every where these days,from big screen to TV and from chat shows to media.
Coming from a very humble background,she has achieved a lot in a very short time,in terms of money and even fame,only due her genuinely.She has delivered what the audience wants and has no squams about the double standards of morality and doesn't play the hypocrtic role of sati-savitri
She calls a spade a spade and has the punk and the guts to stand for what she does.
Not that an item girl is the choice of profession for every girl,but Rakhee Sawant can definitely be taken as a role model for her strong determination by every girl,specially since she has proved that everyone has a right not only to dream but to fulfill their dreams too
And I feel,that she deserved better suitors,which she will prove by rejecting all! Its everyman's guess that ,come the final day,2nd August ,she wont marry anyone,but what will keep us guessing is what next? Rakhee ka Swamwar 2 or Rakhee Ki Suhagraat !
Sanjay,Lucknow
Rakhee Ka Swamvar,is the most talked about reality show of Indian TV,ever,second may be just to,Sach Ka Samana.(The Sexes ,The Week,aug 02,2009)
.In spite of her stunning designer outfits,with her pouting lips,pakoda nose,painted face,layered eyelids with artificial eyelashes,flickering at regular intervals,silicon at the right and wrong places,she looks like Ms Hanuman in any Japanese animation film on Ramayana,and reminds me of Simba of Lion King. Rakhee Sawant may sound loud or act crude at times,but she needs a great applaud,for it is she and she alone who could dare to do this and get away with it,so successfully
The morality guardians of the society and the critics of Bollywood may accuse her of exposure and vulgarity and may call her uncouth and un polished,but she has proved without doubt that hard work and a strong determination can help anyone achieve his or her goal.No wonder she is every where these days,from big screen to TV and from chat shows to media.
Coming from a very humble background,she has achieved a lot in a very short time,in terms of money and even fame,only due her genuinely.She has delivered what the audience wants and has no squams about the double standards of morality and doesn't play the hypocrtic role of sati-savitri
She calls a spade a spade and has the punk and the guts to stand for what she does.
Not that an item girl is the choice of profession for every girl,but Rakhee Sawant can definitely be taken as a role model for her strong determination by every girl,specially since she has proved that everyone has a right not only to dream but to fulfill their dreams too
And I feel,that she deserved better suitors,which she will prove by rejecting all! Its everyman's guess that ,come the final day,2nd August ,she wont marry anyone,but what will keep us guessing is what next? Rakhee ka Swamwar 2 or Rakhee Ki Suhagraat !
Sanjay,Lucknow
UNFAITHFULLY YOURS
UNDOUBTEDLY ENTERTAINING !!!!
Have been writing reviews on movies for almost a decade now,and hence thought I must pen down my views on plays too. ACTORS ,( Amateur Creative Talents On Repertory Shows) recently staged Unfaithfully Yours,a two act comedy,at Lucknow.
Watching it was a double treat,firstly because I was watching an English play in Lucknow after almost three decades,and secondly because the play was beautifully staged.
The story of the play revolves around Jack Smith,who secretly has two wives and manages to keep two families,with a daughter and a son from each wife.The kids meet on the internet and want to meet personally,more so,since they find that the description of their dad,matched identically.The plot is created as to how jack,along ith his lodger friend Sam,tries to prevent the kids from meeting.In this confusion lands up,Sam's dad,to complicate the scenario.Even though Jack and Sam, with great difficulty ,successfully manage to keep the kids apart,the two wives inevitably meet .And while Jack and Smith,struggle to explain the embarrassing situation,they are shocked by the wives,who declare that they have known the secret,all along,and were keeping mum,since Jack was at his best at both ends,and the ladies wanted to continue the fun!
Though a simple plot,it was difficult to execute,as the action in the living rooms of both the houses was played on the same stage setting and often,simultaneously at the two houses,with inhabitants of each home being oblivious of the presence of the others.
All the actors did justice to their roles but would specially like to compliment Zahur Zaidi who was brilliantly superb in the role of Jack.In spite of having the toughest role,he sailed smoothly,thanks to his histrionic abilities and amazing familiarity with contemporize stage acting.His dialogue delivery was effortless,expressions natural and actions impactful.Carlyle McFarland,playing Sam,once again showed his versatility and succeeded in putting life in the role he played and in making the audience laugh their guts out with him.Faisal Hussain was funny and aptly casted in the role of Sam's father,and added spice to the confusion. Tazeen Husian and Varsha Choudhary,looked prettty as Jack's two wives,and even though they stuck to the conventional theatre acting of school days,they played their roles well and smartly giving it the much needed glamour and glitter.Special mention to Varun Egbert and Samira Khan ,who played Jack's son and daughter respectively,and did a great job,for their age,and displayed great potential for future.
The direction of Faisal Hussain had a total professional touch and was clearly evident through out the play.But above all,one thing that made the biggest impact and had the maximum contribution in the succes of the play,was the coordination and synchronization,which in the setting of the plot,was a Herculean task.The flawless and precise timing of the actions,entry,dialogue delivery and the sound effects,gave the play the fines of Hollywood editing.The stage setting and props provided by Raj Furnishings were tastefully assembled and gave a very realistic look.The sound and light effects were positively complimentary.
No review can be completed without the mention of the audience.It was a pleasure seeing the audience in the hall that day,which could match the stage lovers of Mumbai or Delhi,without a hitch.The enthusiasm and involvement from people of all ages was very obvious and what was most prominent was the fact that,Lucknow audience has become mature and sporting enough to not only accept,but also enjoy,sexy adult jokes on stage and even uncamoflauged display of gay relations
Overall it was a wonderful theatrical treat and look forward to similar production from ACTORs and other stage lovers in lucknow.
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Have been writing reviews on movies for almost a decade now,and hence thought I must pen down my views on plays too. ACTORS ,( Amateur Creative Talents On Repertory Shows) recently staged Unfaithfully Yours,a two act comedy,at Lucknow.
Watching it was a double treat,firstly because I was watching an English play in Lucknow after almost three decades,and secondly because the play was beautifully staged.
The story of the play revolves around Jack Smith,who secretly has two wives and manages to keep two families,with a daughter and a son from each wife.The kids meet on the internet and want to meet personally,more so,since they find that the description of their dad,matched identically.The plot is created as to how jack,along ith his lodger friend Sam,tries to prevent the kids from meeting.In this confusion lands up,Sam's dad,to complicate the scenario.Even though Jack and Sam, with great difficulty ,successfully manage to keep the kids apart,the two wives inevitably meet .And while Jack and Smith,struggle to explain the embarrassing situation,they are shocked by the wives,who declare that they have known the secret,all along,and were keeping mum,since Jack was at his best at both ends,and the ladies wanted to continue the fun!
Though a simple plot,it was difficult to execute,as the action in the living rooms of both the houses was played on the same stage setting and often,simultaneously at the two houses,with inhabitants of each home being oblivious of the presence of the others.
All the actors did justice to their roles but would specially like to compliment Zahur Zaidi who was brilliantly superb in the role of Jack.In spite of having the toughest role,he sailed smoothly,thanks to his histrionic abilities and amazing familiarity with contemporize stage acting.His dialogue delivery was effortless,expressions natural and actions impactful.Carlyle McFarland,playing Sam,once again showed his versatility and succeeded in putting life in the role he played and in making the audience laugh their guts out with him.Faisal Hussain was funny and aptly casted in the role of Sam's father,and added spice to the confusion. Tazeen Husian and Varsha Choudhary,looked prettty as Jack's two wives,and even though they stuck to the conventional theatre acting of school days,they played their roles well and smartly giving it the much needed glamour and glitter.Special mention to Varun Egbert and Samira Khan ,who played Jack's son and daughter respectively,and did a great job,for their age,and displayed great potential for future.
The direction of Faisal Hussain had a total professional touch and was clearly evident through out the play.But above all,one thing that made the biggest impact and had the maximum contribution in the succes of the play,was the coordination and synchronization,which in the setting of the plot,was a Herculean task.The flawless and precise timing of the actions,entry,dialogue delivery and the sound effects,gave the play the fines of Hollywood editing.The stage setting and props provided by Raj Furnishings were tastefully assembled and gave a very realistic look.The sound and light effects were positively complimentary.
No review can be completed without the mention of the audience.It was a pleasure seeing the audience in the hall that day,which could match the stage lovers of Mumbai or Delhi,without a hitch.The enthusiasm and involvement from people of all ages was very obvious and what was most prominent was the fact that,Lucknow audience has become mature and sporting enough to not only accept,but also enjoy,sexy adult jokes on stage and even uncamoflauged display of gay relations
Overall it was a wonderful theatrical treat and look forward to similar production from ACTORs and other stage lovers in lucknow.
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
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