Now a talk show by Jaya?

YOU’VE got to hand it to the lady. Despite the fact that both Chandrakanta and Tu Tu Main Main have slipped in ratings and Hello hosted by Ruby Bhatia is a virtual non-starter, the maker of all these three, Neerja Guleri is never short of ideas.

The latest news is that Guleri has roped in Jaya Bachchan for a new talk show. Though the report is still unconfirmed, if true, then this is surely a pleasant surprise for Jaya fans who recently saw her in the piognant film, Hazar Chaurasi Ki Ma.

So far Jaya is known to have refused numerable offers from the small screen without ascertaining any reason for the rejections. It was either she was too busy with her family affairs or thought that television medium was not the right medium for her that she nixed most of the offers.

If Neerja does get her to sign the dotted line, then it would be a coup of sorts and Jaya’s show — peppered with her immense talent — is bound to deal a telling blow on talk shows by Priya Tendulkar, Kiran Joneja and a host of other ladies.

Zeenat’s back again

Today she dismisses the image of the Dum Maaro Dum girl with a casual wave of the hand and the rich, spoilt brat she played in some of her hit films only brings on a fleeting blush on the faintly wrinkled face. And as Zeenat Aman, Mumbai’s first oomph girl of the seventies, steps into the middle ages, she has found yet another avatar — that of a star on the small screen.

Making her acting debut on television in the long running Zee serial Shapath. Zeenat is all ready to play Sabrina Kenneth a doctor involved in a secret project of cloning human beings in a laboratory.

"I am just testing the water before taking the real plunge," says Zeenat about her television foray. " It’s too soon to reveal my future plans."

But then, Zeenat is no stranger to the small screen.Some years ago she hosted a teleshow Awaaz where she advised women in distress on issues ranging from delinquent children to dealing with drunken husbands and from being career women to fighting for their rights.

Now she and the producer of Shapath, Nikita Shah, are all excited about her new role. And why not? If Zeenat can dig out some of her old magic, the serial is sure to become a rage among viewers as her movies once were among the men.

Wild lovers

In celebration of Valentine’s Day on Sunday February 14, National Geographic Channel is screening a collection of four programmes featuring love among wild animals. The programme includes Sex on the Reef, which reveals the underwater sex life of the coral reef. In Love in the Wild, animals display the tender scenes of love and affection. Animal Attractions explores the factors that influence carnal love. And Little Love Stories is about the relationships between insects and plants.

Behind it all is the irresistible urge to reproduce — and thus to move evolution one stage further. Says Deborah Armstrong, director, marketing, "The Valentine’s Day special captures tender moments of animals in love. These patterns which often parallel human behaviour will tease hearts of viewers and keep the mood of love in the air."

Only March tak

It was an irony of sorts. On January 22, when the popular news bulletin programme Aaj Tak announced its completion of 1,000 episodes on DD-2 through an advertisement reports simultaneously started appearing in the press that the news bulletin was going off the air and its contract — expiring on March 31, 1999 — was not likely to be revived by DD.

Conceived by the late S.P. Singh, Aaj Tak became one of the most popular Hindi bulletins ever and that, in the moribund corridors of DD, may have ultimately led to its axing — if the reports are true.

Not used to such a free style of news reportage, a number of bureaucrats and politicians have been pushing for the removal of Aaj Tak arguing that the government cannot have two policies — one for DD-1 news and the other for DD-2 news.

If the powerful government lobby has its way, then it may finally be curtains for Aaj Tak. And the catchline Yeh thi khabaren aaj tak, intezar kijiye kal tak may become redundant after March 31, 1999.

Back to the beginning

For a mind-boggling 600 episodes you saw it on Doordarshan. And if you still haven’t had enough of Junoon you can now see it on Sony Entertainment Television all over again.

The marathon serial is to be repeated scene for scene. The saga of two families — the Dhanrajs and the Rajvanshs — which has seen the turnaround of 231 characters in its long innings. A story of love and hate, of violence and pathos. Nothing too original about the theme. Yes, like life, it continues. Sometimes inspiring and at most times dull.

The Dhanraj family has maintained its traditionality through the years. A scion of the family, Aditya Dhanraj falls in love with a girl from a middle class family. He goes abroad for studies but when he returns he finds out that the girl has committed suicide as she was carrying Aditya’s child.

He is confronted by the girl’s brother who threatens to avenge his sister’s death. The brother maked a meticulous plan but instead ends up killing Aditya’s wife.

The secret of Junoon’s success is that it depicts the vagaries of life which makes it so complex, interesting and yet so short. One only wishes Junoon too could have become short and crisp!

— Mukesh Khosla