Sunday, February 18, 2001		Television

A predictable but absorbing tale

HOW could any viewing week be complete without a serial on two sisters/friends/neighbours with varying attitudes to life? One a tradition-bound woman and the other outgoing and modern.

Panaah, on Doordarshan Fridays, 9 a.m. is a story of two such women who are bonded by friendship and trust. No surprises for guessing that one is a ‘super woman’ and the other a docile housewife.

When submissive Shreya is deserted by her husband, dynamic Prerna shelters her and teaches her to stand on her own feet. But trouble starts when Prerna’s husband falls for Shreya. And the script takes a new turn.

Bitterness and acrimony set in as Prerna tries to untangle her husband from Shreya.

Will the two be able to resolve this conflict or will they part? Find out in this predictable but absorbing serial.

Fun & games

Things are happening at a frenetic pace at Sony Entertainment Television. Even as Jeeto Chhapar Phaad Ke notches up enviable TRPs, the channel is pressing home its other strong points. And one of these is Hum Sab Ek Hain Wednesdays at 7.30 p.m.

For the uninitiated, the comedy sitcom revolves around a big joint family headed by Brigadier Kacchru, a Kashmiri and his wife who is from Karnataka. He has three good-for-nothing sons and bahus who hail from Gujarat, Punjab and Bengal.

The news is that this family is going to get bigger with two new surprise additions. The Bengali and Gujarati daughters-in-law get pregnant simultaneously. So expect more fun more laughs.

Now the serial is going from reel life to real life. If some viewers believe their family is akin to the Kacchrus they need to send a photograph and explain why they qualify for the contest. The photograph will appear at the end of the show.

So, if you are a fun type of a family, get your camera ready and start clicking. Who knows, you could be the lucky one.

Farewell Meghna

She has surely turned out to be the oomph girl of the show. A person whom no one gave a long chance. But Meghna Reddy has proved them all wrong.

Back in 1994, she dropped out of the Miss India contest because, as she said, she couldn’t afford to be away from the action if she won. And the action she was talking about was happening for her on TV where she was the popular VJ of Mangta Hai.

Soon enough though, Meghna was lured away by the charms of modelling.But after two bitter-sweet years spent in London, she was back in what she called the ‘comforting zone of Channel V’.

This time, too, she didn’t stick too long and jetted back to London having chucked up VJing all over again. Even since, she’s been in the West "experimenting with things I don’t want to talk about now," says Meghna who was in India recently.

The 31-22-32 svelte Meghna does come to India now and then to meet her family and do a few ad campaigns. But Meghna’s mind is both on her secret assignment she’s doing in England as well as modelling. "Both are very demanding and I love them", she says. Which means it’s goodbye to TV for the time being.

International jasoos

The Indian sleuth is going international. Creative Eye has entered into an international co-production deal with Mauritius Film Development Corporation for a new TV series.

The two would jointly be producing a crime thriller tentatively titled The Detective. The 26-episode series will be shot in India and Mauritius and will have a star cast of leading artistes from both the countries.

Guess who’s coming to dinner?

Here’s a chance for young viewers to win a fun-thrilled dinner date with Shah Rukh Khan. And that’s not all. You can also get a year’s school education free.

Max TV has announced a contest based on the new Shahrukh Khan-Juhi Chawla starrer. One 2 Ka 4. This soon-to-be released movie has a song where Shahrukh says sorry to Juhi in his own inimitable way.

All you have to do is to be creative and write to Max about the most unusual way that you have ever said "sorry" to someone. The contest is open to children studying upto class 10 only.

So hurry and grab this chance to have a night-out with Shahrukh. Of the 25 kids selected, 5 will also win a year’s school education free through a lucky dip.

Death by design

Legend has it that a psychotic professor went on a bizarre murder spree. A group of fearless students decided to dig deeper and find out the person behind these unexplained deaths. The professor is apprehended but commits suicide.

Urban Legend February 22, 9.30 on HBO is the tale of these grissly murders. The horror story is narrated by Professor Wexler Englund who teaches American folklore at Pendleton University where these murders took place.

If you have a stomach for horror films, this one is as scary as it gets. It will set the heartbeats racing from the word go.

— Mukesh Khosla