A love story across the mists of time

IT’S a love story across the mists by time. Inspired by Wuthering Heights, the classical novel by Emily Bronte, Dhund is set in the British Raj with the saga beginning in 1902 and stretching up to 1945.

A timeless love story woven around Ootacamund — where a fusion of the Raj and the rich estate owners existed, this is a poignant saga of Anjali and Amar which has all the ingredients of a potboiler — betrayal, revenge and other human frailties.

The serial is directed by Vikram Bhatt and produced by Pooja Bhatt who also plays a double role for the first time on the small screen.

The highlights of Dhund are the haunting melodies of late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Shankar Mahadevan. The songs, interspersed with the story make it very watchable — a serial with all the trappings of a classy Bollywood movie.

Intrigue in the family

Ever since she got into business, a certain credibility has marked most of Ekta Kapoor’s serials — powerful, storyline, pacy narration and well-rounded characters.

Her latest serial, Bandhan every Friday on DD-2 is the story of Ayesha, a spoilt rich girl whose life suddenly comes crashing down when she discovers she is an adopted child.

Her mother gives her an old letter from which she discovers she has three more siblings — Rahul, Sanjana and Ravi. They separated many years back and Ayesha was adopted by a rich family.

Ayesha is in for a major shock when she realises that her sister is a lady whom she hates, one of her brothers works as a peon and the other is someone whom she is in awe of and respects a lot.

But the story moves into a swift drama when she realises there’s an error — that one of the siblings is not the real one. One of them is lying... And on that hangs a tale of mystery and suspense.

A gripping serial, but a pity that it has been consigned to the 2 p.m. slot where it is lost to so many viewers.

Kicking up stardust

When a popular male model pairs with the top female model, the results can be quite an eyeful. And that’s exactly what’s happening on Star Movies. Lisa Ray, one of India’s leading models alongwith the much hyped Kelly Dorji, are anchors of the all new show, Starbiz every Sunday at 9 p.m.

The show, which is more like a weekly magazine format talks about all the happenings both from Hollywood and Bollywood.There’s behind the scenes look at films, top five Indian and US movies, reviews, previews, news and exclusive peek at some of the greatest films ever made.

For film buffs, this is just right show — with everything they ever wanted to know about films, from home and abroad.

So, join Lisa and Kelly, on a trip down the glam world of films on Starbiz. Though similar shows are being run on other channels, it is the host and hostess who make the difference here.

On top of the world

The mountain border between Nepal and Tibet is both breath takingly beautiful and frighteningly dangerous. Legend has it that the people who earlier inhabited the region were half birds and half human beings. Because, a person had to have wings to reach here.

The National Geographic Channel visits this land of high mountain ranges, washed by giant waterfalls, and meets a few inhabitants of this unforgiving landscape.

In the northeast of Nepal, the villagers of Saldang make a living by transporting their meagre harvest to Tibet, exchanging it for salt then trekking south by yak to the village of Rimi where they can sell the salt for precious household provisions.

Meet these hardy mountain people in the Salt Traders of the Himalayas on October 10 at 11 a.m. They may lead a perilous existence but have grown so used to their lifestyle that they’d trade it for nothing else in the world.

Yeh dosti

This feel-good comedy is about a group of six fun-loving friends and their adventures and misadventures. Hello Friends on Zee every Monday at 10 p.m. is all about caring and sharing.

Sanjana is a serious fashion designer, Penny an aspiring musician with a whacky sense of humour and Maya a rich girl who ran away from the altar as she didn’t like the groom.

Opposite their flat live Cyrus, an executive in a office, Rahul a struggling model and Vikram, a computer programmer and a forever depressed character.

The six friends share a great camaraderie and always help solve each others problems. One moment they could be flirting and the very next they could be fighting.

Their favourite haunt and meeting place is a cosy restaurant called, Uncle Sam’s Cafe. The roly-poly, no-care-in-the-world owner, uncle Sam, is also a close friend of the group of six.

Treated with a light touch, the serial has achieved a casting coup of sorts by signing on three popular VJs — Nikhil Chinappa as Vikram, Cyrus Brocha as Cyrus and Maria Goretti as Penny, so, if you haven’t had your fill of these VJs you can now see them in a different avatar.

The flavour is India

It’s party time again at the BBC and Madhu Jaffrey is once again ready with a delectable variety of Indian dishes. Flavours of India explores the food and cuisine of six states in the context of the local culture, and introduces an India that is little known to all but the most adventurous travellers.

Punjab’s Sarson da Saag and Chaamp Masala, Kerala’s fish Moilly, Gujarat’s Kheman Dhokla,Goa’s Chicken Vindaloo, Tamil Nadu’s Shark Puttu and Bengal’s Chingri Bhapey — they are all there to tickle the viewer’s tastebuds.

Some of Jaffery’s recipes are handed down through many generations. Others are new and exciting interpretations of traditional dishes.

Watch out for these colourful and vibrant cookery shows starting every week from November 6 to December 11. With their mix of cooking and culture, promise to entertain and inspire the cook and gourmand alike.

— Mukesh Khosla