Shedding the comic mantle

IF celebrated cartoonist Laxman has his ‘Common Man’ in print, brother R.K. Narayan too has created one on the small screen — Mr Wagle of Wagle Ki Duniya on DD and now Wagle Ki Nayi Duniya on Star Plus. Anjan Srivastava has played Wagle’s role to the hilt.

Srivastava’s gift for subtly understated performance is a well established fact after serials like Katha Sagar, Nukkad, Tamas and Discovery of India. But now he wants to expand his range and look for serious roles on the small and big screens.

And the 52-year-old Srivastava has the right credentials. The current president of IPTA, his association with theatre goes back to over three decades. After Wagle I have been typecast as a comedian. Now I want to erase this label once and for all." To begin with he’s started hunting for roles which project him as an actor of substance.

So out goes the frivolity and in comes the sobriety. "I don’t want to be remembered only as a comedian. There are other dimensions to my acting," says Srivastava determined to change things — though a trifle belatedly.

All in the family

Back in 1994 when she was doing her final year in B.Sc. from the Simon Fraser University in Canada, Vekeana looked all set for a medical career. Little could anyone have imagined that her life would take a turn for the fast and funky lane of a VJ.

On a trip to India she got enthralled by Channel V. "I just wanted to be a VJ. But it wasn’t easy. In 1996 she lost to Manpreet Brar. And was rejected in 1997 and again in 1998." My brother Vikram boosted my confidence and said I had everything going for me and I’d make it ultimately."

In an interesting twist of events, brother Vikram, an year older than Vekeana and a model by profession, too applied for the job of a VJ and was selected this year alongwith his sister.

"Life’s fun as a VJ," says Vekeana. Doesn’t she miss not becoming a doctor? No, she says. "Now I know the pulse of so many more people!"

Big city blues

It’s a Gaon versus Shehar where the village is purity personified and everything about the city is dark and evil. This, in a few words, explains the gist of new serial Aaghat telecast thrice a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10.30 p.m. on DD Metro.

Apart from the money and fame associated with metropolitan life, the denizens of big cities, according to the serial, live lives of hatred, insane jealousy, revenge and hunger for more affluence and property.

Even romance in the city is polluted. "There’s no peace but shock even in the relationship between two lovers," goes the convoluted script of the serial which flies in the face of progress, modern-day living and thinking.

There are no shades of grey. Everything is black and dark and the best solution offered by the serial is to flee back to the village and live a life of peace! Alas, one just wishes life was so simple.

Songs of war

After films like Kohraam, Captain Bhavani and Shaheed-E-Kargil, it is the turn of the small screen to capitalise on the Kargil victory euphoria. Vijay Jyoti every Sunday on Zee at 11.00 a.m. is a peep into an army man’s life.

Directed by Gajendra (Antakshri) Singh, the show is broken up into three segments. The first is a talk show where guests from the defence services interact with host and hostesses Raghuvir Yadav and Mita Vashisht about their aspirations and hopes.

The second section has a celebrity who tells viewers how he or she has been involved with the armed forces. The third dwells on the real life of the serving armyman and his family.

Says Gajendra Singh, "with Vijay Jyoti we wanted to say thanks to our brave soldiers for winning the war for us." And extending the gratitude further the serial has a heavy dose of Bollywood music to keep the jawan’s on a song — filmi ishtyle..

Dream machines

With their superior performances and world-class reputations, Ferrari F-50, Porsche 911 and Callaway Corvette are among the most advanced cars in history. Discovery Channel steps inside these ultimate driving machines in Fast Cars.

This one-hour special looked at the technical ingenuity that make fast cars so exceptional and revealed the physical reactions enjoyed by the people who drived them.

The show raised the hood of these dream cars and examined the inner workings that made them a class apart. Ferrari F-50 can spring from 0-210 kmph in just 5 seconds; Porsche 911 is packed with more computing power than rockets that first took man to the moon; and Callaway’s Corvette can reach a top speed of 283 kmph.

Although these cars and their accessories are costly — a set of Ferrari F-50 tyres can cost nearly US $ 4000 — money alone doesn’t necessarily ensure ownership. Ferrari has made only 349 F-50s and has set stringent purchase requirements.

A prospective buyer must already own at least two other Ferraris and must be well known by an officer of the company or a Ferrari dealer. Finally, the buyer must promise not to resell the car. Now that’s car power for you!

The good that men do

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Right? No, wrong. That’s what Deewar, the daily afternoon soap on the National Channel is all about.

Krishna is the caretaker of Purshottam Singh’s family and business in Deewar. Purshottam Singh has been convicted to life imprisonment for a crime he had committed unknowingly years ago.

Before going to prison Purshottam entrusts the care of his family and business to his best friend Krishna. However, Krishna’s own family starts resenting his involvement. So much so that he gets cut off from his wife, son and daughter.

The moral of the story: When you help people in a crisis chances are that your Good Samaritan acts may backfire on you. Don’t believe it? Watch Deewar and find out for yourself.

— Mukesh Khosla