News is always good news

SURELY, for some anchors, one good idea deserves another. After Janata Ki Adalat and Awaaz, Rajat Sharma has bagged a new programme on Star Plus called Aaj Ki Baat.

A news analysis show, it deals with the happenings from in and around the sub-continent and aims not just to inform the viewer about what happened but also why and how it happened.

In short, Rajat Sharma provides an insight and an interpretation on the current issues. A kind of news behind the news including analysis, comment and interviews from every week day.

How Aaj Ki Baat will effect the ratings of Prannoy Roy’s 7 p.m. news bulletin would be interesting to watch. But as of now, it would appear that there is a new-found love between Rajat and Star Plus bosses.

A joy to behold

They are reaching out to the handicapped people with a song. After the Sa Re Ga Ma — Drishti Special for the visually impaired, Close-up Antakshari is doing a series of specials titled Dreams Come True involving blind schools, spastic societies and other physically and mentally challenged people.

A novel feature of these specials is to partner each handicapped person with a celebrity model and one police officer of his or her choice. The aim behind inviting models was to add colour to the programme. However, the police officials in their uniforms looked totally out place and their inclusion seemed quite unnecessary at least in these shows.

But that apart, what was touching was the spirit of the handicapped participants. Many of them sang so well that they could pass off as very accomplished singers. But more than that it was the sheer joy of coming on television which radiated on their faces and brought about a certain warmth in the show which has becoming a bit of a drab for the past few months.

Learning in the school of life

It’s all about the pains of growing up. Hip Hip Hurray on Zee is the story of mature children holding their own in a harsh adult world. Set in a ‘cool’ school, the serial revolves around the intriguing world of a bunch of class twelve students who are going through their most important year of school.

The serial aims to focus on these children who are the product of a society that places immense pressures on the youth of today. It explores their interactions with the people in their lives. It highlights their experiences in a novel school that offers them an environment not to just prepare for exams but a place where they can prepare for life that awaits them outside.

Hip Hip Hurray develops into a complex web of human relationships, growing pains, deeper understanding, higher learning and social issues through the whole year, culminating in the annual school show and finally the dreaded board exams. An interesting story of surprisingly mature children holding their own in a brusque adult world.

One guest too many

The old Hindi saying, Maan na maan, main tera mehman is what Knock Knock...Kaun Hai? on Zee is all about. It revolves around the life and times of Keshav Mehra, a top bracket executive with a fat pay packet who is plagued by a constant stream of guests.

In fact, a Panditji tells Mehra that his troubles are heaven-conspired. The direction of his house is in such a planetary trajectory that there shall never ever be a day when there are no guests in his house. Mehra’s wife, Gayatri cannot stand more guests. To add to Mehra’s troubles, one of his daughters thinks has a horrible voice but insists on singing constantly. The other is obsessed with films and clothes and has replicas of dresses Madhuri wore in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Urmila in Daud. She couldn’t care about guests.

So Mehra is saddled with the constant stream of guests. But he puts up a brave face. Guests are welcome, they are entertained and then expected to leave.

But herein lies the problem. They simply refuse to go! Once it becomes obvious that they are in no mood to depart, Mehra becomes hyper and tries every gimmick to get rid of them. The same story is repeated guest after guest making Knock Knock...Kaun Hai? a hilarious serial.

Pandora’s box of songs

You ask, they play. That sums up Music Asia’s programme House of Choice. So send in your request — anything from ghazals, film songs, old classics to Indi pop and Western rock. The requests can be sent through postcards, drawings or even e-Mail.

The programme recently completed 25 episodes where the entire crew and a few of the guests of previous shows cut a cake and celebrated together.

Now there is a new segment called Guest ofChoice — where the anchor asks viewers to write in and tell them who they’d like to see and know more about. Guests have included stars like Sonu Nigam, Shiamak Davar, Saagrika, Hema Sardesai and Jojo.

So keep sending those requests and watch all kinds of songs on one show every Sunday on Music Asia.

— Mukesh Khosla