Will this serial clean bowl viewers?

IT had to happen. Cricket, the game which galvanises the entire country, is now on the small screen. No we are not talking of the coverage of matches but of the serial called Champion.

The story of Champion begins with the Indian team returning from an overseas tour after facing a humiliating defeat. From the cricket field the serial shifts to the backroom politics of the control board, the involvement of multinationals in the game, the degrading status of cricket in Sharjah, rising influence of underworld and allegations of betting.

In the main lead are Mamik (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar) as Rohit the country’s best bowler and Prithvi as Sumit the team’s new captain. In the role of a happy-go-lucky all-rounder there is Asif Sheikh (Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya). Along with them are Puneet Issar and Karminder Kaur. Former cricketers like Chetan Sharma have given technical guidance to the serial.

Champion, aired on DD-II every Saturday, would hold viewer interest simply because cricket holds such a seductive charm for Indians. Anything concerning it is virtually manna from the heavens.

Big star of small screen

She’s the big star of the small screen. From playing the lead roles in Alpviram to Chahat Aur Nafrat to co-anchoring the highly popular Antakshri Pallavi Joshi is a very busy star these days.

"Offers keep coming everyday,"she says and adds, "but there’s a limit to what you can do. Acting is a very mentally taxing job if you want to do it well. And my aim is to do few shows which are quality stuff."

The fact is that Pallavi doesn’t have to hanker after roles any more. More so because she is now a very busy producer. Those who have seen her first creation, Neha for Zee TV’s X-Zone are already raving about it not so much for its production values, but more for its direction.

Praise the director and Pallavi’s face lights up with delight. And the reason is not far to seek. Vivek Agnihotri her husband, is now being swamped with offers to direct more serials. Earlier it was only Pallavi. Now the husband and the wife are India’s most wanted director and actress respectively. Talk of happy times!

On nature’s trail

It’s a chance of a lifetime or that’s what the National Geographic Channel and Siticable would have us believe. The two channels bring viewers an opportunity to experience an exotic holiday worth over Rs 645,000 as they go On Tour, in an educational travel programme of the National Geographic Society.

The On Tour contest which started in the last week of August and continues over three months is being aired to over 1.4 million homes in India. Entrants have to watch the National Geographic Channel and send in the name of any one favourite show as also the date and time of its telecast.

The lucky winner gets to pick from a wide range of travel choices, such as a trip to China, Turkey, Russia or Greece, a cruise on the Danube, a discovery of Britain’s countryside and capitals and an adventure in the United States’ Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Plagued by a low viewership, this is National Geographic Channel’s clever bid to ensure that cable operators beam the channel and people watch the programmes. And if the channel can lift its viewership figures then Rs 6,45,000 is a small price to pay for its winners.

A meaningful show

It’s a programme which is fast becoming popular with young viewers. Kudratnama a science quiz show being aired on Star Plus every Saturday and Sunday at 1.30 p.m. has been captivating the viewers of the subcontinent for many weeks now.

It endeavours to bring science out of the classrooms and create an awareness of science among the masses by blending information with entertainment. Ac-cording to its makers, the viewership response has been overwhelming. It is unlike other quiz shows because it goes beyond the normal "when", "what", "which"of the routine quiz programme.

Instead it tests the conceptual grasp of the participants by laying stress on why’s and how’s of the various phenomena about which science offers an explanation thereby helping the viewers to understand and appreciate their world better.

The National Council for Science and Technology Communication has designed in such a way that the participants are not only required to show a clear understanding of various scientific laws, principles and processes but also apply their knowledge to various problems, displaying keen scientific awareness and a quick presence of mind.

Top Ten hits the bottom

Whatever happened to Colgate Top Ten? It started off as a slick comedy starring the classy Pankaj Kapoor and genuinely funny Satish Kaushik, the countdown show has plumbed the depths after the two stars called it a day.

The so called comedy in the ‘all-new’ Top Ten is pedestrian to say the least. Laced with innuendoes and doublespeak it has done a complete turnaround in its viewer profile. It’s no surprise that its TRP has gone into a tailspin. And the reasons for this fall are not far to seek — an inane script, absurd acting and poor direction. It’s about time the someone did something about it.

Chasing the Hollywood dream

Tune into this fascinating fare from BBC. Starting on November 21, the channel will air a special series titled Carrie On Hollywood. It deals with life in tinseltown — the winners and losers and the triumphs and tragedies.

The series is brought to life by its presenter, Carrie Fisher who is ideally suited to turn the spotlight on the unreal life of Hollywood stardom. As daughter of two famour stars, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher; she had her first photocall at age three, did her first commercial at 12, became a chorus girl at 15 and shot to stardom at 19 in the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars.

"I didn’t have so much a childhood, as a career," says Carrie. "By 25 Ifelt like a has-been. All I knew was the celebrity life — Iwatched TV to see what people did in the real world!"

With such as intimate relationship with the world of make-believe, it is little wonder that Carrie puts so much life into the show by going behind the scenes and showing the dark backside of the arclights. A not-to-be-missed series for all Hollywood fans.

— Mukesh Khosla