Sunday, April 29, 2001		Television

Engaging, though fanciful, serial

IT’S a theme that has seldom failed to click in films. Which is why it’s surprising that it has taken such a long time for television producers to adapt it for a serial. And that too without much fanfare.

Chandan Ka Palna Resham Ki Dori Monday to Friday at 9 p.m. on Zee TV deals with the somewhat taboo subject of a childless couple and a surrogate mother.

The daily soap revolves around the Hirjee family, where the head pressurises his son to produce a male heir for their business empire. What he doesn’t know that his son and daughter-in-law are having medical problems and are unable to have a child.

That’s when the hapless couple has an inspiration. Why not get into an arrangement with another woman to be a surrogate mother for a male child the old man so desperately desires?

Just when everything seems to be going smoothly between the husband, the wife and the would-be mother of the child, complications arrive and a drama starts enfolding that threatens to blow in the face of the once happy family.

Will the ‘other’ woman give away the male heir and quietly walk out of the Hirjee family ? Find out for yourself in this engaging — though a bit fanciful — serial.

Surprise prize

It’s the season of easy-to-win megabucks. But if Kaun Banega Crorepati and Jeeto Chhappar Phad Ke are at least making a pretense at tweaking the grey cells of participants, Sabe TV has gone a step further. It is giving out goodies for free. No thinking, no intellect, no answers and no contests.

The channel’s brand ambassadress, Karisma Kapoor is visiting major cities where she will meet thousands of viewers and give away gratis things like (hold your breath!) furnished apartments, premium cars, world tours for the entire family, and many more big-ticket prizes.

The channel claims that several people will stand a chance to become rich overnight with these big attractive prizes. The smaller prizes will make them laugh all the way to their respective homes.

So all you viewers have to do is to watch out for the dates when Karisma will be dropping into your town those goodies and then just hope and pray you are one of the lucky winners of a car or an apartment. That’s what a lot of viewers would be hoping, Ghar ghar ki kahani!

Sporty move

For some years now he had come to be associated with Star News. But now Darain Shahidi has moved on to ESPN Star Sports as presenter, Sports Centre, Hindi.

It’s been an eventful decade for Shahidi. Starting as a reporter and producer in now defunct BiTV, he moved on the BBC as their first Hindi news anchor on television. From there he joined Star TV in 1998 and mainly anchored prime time live news as also a phone-in programme, Sawaal Aapke.

Now the 29-year-old show host and anchor has made his fourth career move. Given his slight pauses, many avid news fans of Star News may not miss him, but those who do, can now see him on ESPN Star Sports.

V-inning hearts

She very nearly became the oomph girl of the seventies and eighties era. Though she was upstaged by Zeenat Aman, Raakhee made a distinct place for herself among the top heroines of the era and bagged some of the most prestigious assignments.

Even today, Raakhee retains the freshness and charm as was seen in her interview with Channel V recently. She is still the pretty woman who took cinemagoers by storm over two decades ago when she made her debut in Jeevan Mrityu.

In a frank chat, Raakhee talked about her first marriage that was made in Calcutta and broken in Mumbai. Her days with Gulzar and the subsequent separation. There was a certain honesty about her when she frankly talked of her lows in life when she took to drinking and would gulp down vodka till she crashed out, night after night.

The entire show was an insight into the life of an amazing woman who was born in such a poor family that her parents had to give her away to a neighbour. And she went on to become one of the top actresses of her era. Absorbing from the word go.

Star-toons

Here’s something most kids will relish. Fox Kids on Star Plus brings a sackful of cartoon characters every Sunday at 6 p.m. till May 13. The toons including Dennis the Menace, Iron Man, The Tick, Dungeons & Dragons, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer all speak in Hindi.

Apart from that, there is also a contest where young viewers would be asked questions about these cartoon. The right answers every week win fabulous prizes and the two kids answering all four correct answers would win a bumper prize to visit Fox Studios in Australia, with one parent each.

So, if your exams are over, stay glued to your sets every Sunday for a one full hour of fun without mum and dad, big brother, sister and above all without homework! A time when you can freak out with your favourite toons.

Formula for thrills & spills

Anything could happen in this season’s Formula One championship. Last season it was all about Michael Schumacher and how he became Ferrari’s first champion in 21 years. This season Schumacher says his desire is as hot as ever — and he needs just eight more wins to pass the career total of the legendary Alain Prost who had a total of 51 wins.

Find out for yourself on April 28 and 29 on Star Sports as Formula I races through Brazil, San Marino and Spain. Last year, Schumacher won the first two races and then saw arch-rival Mika Hakkinen take the last. Their rivalry is sure to continue this season.

Viewers would also have the opportunity to watch the fortunes of the fast-rising Colombian star Juan Pablo Montoya, who lines up alongside Schumacher threatening him at every turn, keep tuned. There’s excitement on these fast tracks.

— Mukesh Khosla