Going beyond science

IF you thought wintery evenings were not cold enough, here’s your chance to chill out even more. Tune into Ajeeb Daastan every Friday on Star Plus for tales which go beyond the realm of reason.

Based on happenings stranger than fiction, each episode narrates a complete story and takes the viewer into the metaphysical world of strange occurrences. The stories have been adapted for television from the science fiction written by Mukul Sharma and the series director is Mahesh Bhatt.

Viewers who like to get spooked by supernatural happenings will find this series interesting much the same way as they do the X-Files and The Pretender.

Nafisa’s songs of success

When it comes to singing, Nafisa Joseph, the MTV VJ is a natural.Back in school her honey-toned baritone easily won her a place in the choir. She also learnt how to play the guitar and the piano. So it was natural that she make a career in music.

But before that Nafisa Joseph picked up the Miss India crown and also became the first runners-up at the 1997 Ms Universe!

The fiery stunner has made her debut on television as a veejay with MTV’s MTV and Smirnoff Megamix showcasing peppy dance music videos from the Indian and international music scene.

But there is more to Nafisa than just her beautiful flashing brown eyes or her dazzling smile that never fails to captivate. The lady has a great passion for music. Not only listening to it but she is a fabulous singer and has awards to prove it. She has learnt how to strum to guitar and play the piano as well.

"I like to take life as it comes," says Nafisa obviously elated by the fact that life so far has been coming like a ride on a roller coaster to stardom.

Romancing the desert

It’s a story which will warm the cockles of your heart. Set in the scorching sands of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, Ek Mulaquaat is rooted in Rajput traditions and features the life and times of two affluent families.

Produced by Reena Wadhwa, it showcases the rich cultural tapestry of the people, their grandeur lifestyles all interspersed with local flavour of folk songs and dances, weddings, auspicious family occasions and festivals like Teej and Holi.

The cast includes Shahbaaz Khan, Manohar Singh, Vaidehi, Pankaj Dheer and others. This gentle-paced story of romance and revenge every Saturday evening on Star Plus looks all set to enthrall viewers.

CNBC’s corporate hunt

No, it’s not a search for the complete man. CNBC has gone a step further and is looking for The Complete Manager, an all-India contest for the corporate heads of tomorrow. The search covers 60 premier institutes and 13 cities, spanning the whole of India.

The contest which is currently underway and going through its regional rounds, will see over 8,000 future managers competing with each other, collectively battling their way through 15,000 testing hours and 3,00,000 questions.

The preliminary rounds have been conducted in over 30 institutes including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and more. The finale scheduled for January 8, 1999 will showcase some of the brightest talent in the country.

The methodology has been vetted by management guru, Arthur Anderson to ensure that the search for The CNBC Complete Manager objectively identifies and rewards the most well-rounded personalities, complete in every aspect.So, if you are an aspiring manager of tomorrow, this could be your great opportunity to be first among the equals.

Star show

India has the largest film industry in the world, producing over 700 feature films a year in a myriad of languages. Bollywood is capital of the movie industry. And Film India on BBC is the programme which aims to be at the heart of movieland.

Every week the show will preview the latest Indian films be they the popular Hindi masala movies, offerings from art or the parallel cinema or regional films from south India, Calcutta or Punjab. On-location reports, star profiles and special features will all go to make Film India the essential guide to Indian cinema in all its guises.

Film India will cover everything that’s worth reporting on the biggest film industry in the world. Previews of the latest releases and star interviews from around the country are just some of the features of this innovative show. An in-depth and critical film show which will delight film buffs.

Identifying creativity

Catch them young to be the new motto at Zee which is launching a trust called Indian Society of Intellectual Heritage.The objective is to create a Brain Trust of India of gifted children of the country.

Says Subhash Chander, chairman of Zee TV, "According to research on per cent of the world population are gifted children of child prodigies. Unless such children are identified and groomed by giving them special education and training, they may become misfits of society. It is this one per cent that causes technological and intellectual revolution leading to the betterment of the rest 99 per cent of the world population."

The aim of the trust is to create awareness amongst parents, teachers, and society. After they are identified, the trust will aid in their educative process to attain their full potential.The placement of these children in the Indian society will be the trust’s mission.

Zee already has Vippasana, Taleem and Zee Education. Brain Trust of India being the latest addition. And an inspired one, no doubt.

Stepping across the border

Adecade ago Raj Kapoor invested in a dream called Henna and tried to bring about a re-union of Indo-Pakistani cultures. Now Naved Antulay brings the concept on the small screen with Tanha on Star Plus every Wednesday.

Written by Haseena Moin, author of popular Pakistani serials like Dhoop Kinaray, Tanhaiyan and Ankahee, it revolves around a dynamic and aristocratic Muslim matriarch, (played stunningly by Sushma Seth) who strives to keep her family together.

Tanha stars popular Pakistani artists like Marina Khan and Sajid Hasan, both of whom rose to fame with the success of Dhoop Kinaray. The cast includes Parikshit Sahani, Atul Agnihotri, Vivek Mushran, Krutika Desai, Varsha Usgaonkar and Tanaaz Currim.

The 52-episode serial is being shot in Lucknow, Aligarh and Mumbai and lyrics for the title song composed by Javed Akhtar. Now it remains to be seen whether it will help assuage feelings across the border in the post-nuclear era or whether it will go the Henna way.

A scene from Tanha...Meeting of TV cultures.

Dance away your blues

Here’s another countdown show from MTV. Destination Dance, presented by the sizzling VJ, Malaika showcases the top ten Indian and western dance tracks of the week.

Each episode has a couple of ‘cool’ segments like the Hot Spot in which Malaika takes you to a hot spot, (a happening club, discotheque or pub where kids hang out and dance), talks to the people there, gives viewers a feel of the ambience while talking to the DJ to find out what kind of dance music his audience grooves to.

Asian Television Awards ’98

It’s party time for Shekhar Suman and Archana Puran Singh as they have been nominated for the ‘best anchor’ category for Movers & Shakers and Uncensored respectively — both on Sony by the Asian Television Awards ‘98.

Movers & Shakers is a late night show where Suman entertains viewers with gags and humorous real life instances. A live music band and audience brings in an element of interactivity between the show and the viewers. It also features interviews with two celebrities from different walks of life.

Uncensored is about stars with their wild and flamboyant lifestyles, their perception of fashion and style and their viewpoint towards life. It captures the glamour, the aura, the glitter, the scandals and the controversies of Bollywood. As an insider Archana gives you an insight into Bollywood with her own brand of wit.

Whether they finally get the award or not is not important. What is important is the fact that Sony is all geared up to gain important mileage even from the nominations.

Suman with guests in Movers & Shakers

Cousins re-appear

The boys are back! Lezz and Hari — popularly known as the Colonial Cousins are back with the release of their second album The Way We Do It. Channel V pays tribute to these musical maestros by crowning them The Chosen Ones for December, 1998.

The Sunday Special on December 20 is an in-depth look at the lives of the duo. This is followed by House Arrest on December 21 which puts two and two together — Lezz and Hari with Ranvir and Vinay.

The Way We Do It is a musical odyssey from the Colonial Cousins. Once again the two have welded ethnic Indian and Western sounds in a manner that guarantees universal appeal.

— Mukesh Khosla