Sunday, July 15, 2001		Television

It’s time to stop shaking and move on

HE’LL soon stop movin’ and shakin’. Shekhar Suman has taken his final bow from Movers & Shakers, the show that transformed him from a struggling star to a superstar. In 1998, he had signed a 5-year contract with Sony Entertainm ent Television reportedly for a whopping sum or Rs 25 crore for hosting the show. But now he’s dumping it midway.

In a recent interview, Suman said that he wants to quit when he’s still on top and move on to pastures new, but insiders say that there could be another explanation. Ever since shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi redefined viewing habits, all channels are feeling the heat of intense competition. So, it could be a play. Get Suman off the show and then, after a gap of a few months, get him back with a bang.

The producers of KBC — which too has fallen several notches — were said to be thinking on the same lines before Junior KBC became a success and gave the show a new lease of life. The original plan seems to have been abandoned for the time being at least.

So, is Suman’s decision of moving unshakeable? Only time will tell.

By now even the CDs must be croaking. But, in the unlikely event of some viewers having missed out on an eventful Bollywood journey, here’s Amitabh — yet again. Max presents Superhero of The Millennium — The Amitabh Festival, Fridays at 9 p.m. that will stretch till September 21.

For the uninitiated, the show is packed with Amitabh trivia.... that he’s the son of poet Harivanshraj Bachchan, that he’s from Allahabad and started the trend of the angry young man in the film industry. He made his debut with a very tiny role in Saat Hindustani in 1969 and finally got noticed in Zanjeer and Deewar and has since been a superstar.

As in its tribute to Dev Anand earlier, here too the channel has an animated Amitabh Bachchan logo. The claymation icon as also the 3-D animation are the only innovative part of the festival. The rest, as they say...is history!

Can’t relate to the new line of westernised cartoon characters? Tired of the old stuff? Look no further, your wait could be over. Cartoon Network has acquired TV rights for two full length animation films — Pandavas-The Five Warriors and Sindbad-Beyond the Veil of Mists.

The films, produced by Chennai-based Pentamedia Graphics, would be premiered on television in September. According to the company, they have been produced using the latest real-time 3-D animation technology and will be shown in episodic format in English and Hindi.

With its exotic backgrounds, intricate sets and action-filled battle scenes, Pandavas won the national award for the best English feature film as also the second best feature film award at the Vancouver Animation Festival.

Sindbad is the story of a beautiful princess, Serena, who seeks the help of a daredevil sailor to save her father and his kingdom from the clutches of the evil wizard Baraka. Hollywood stars Brendon Fraser and Leonard Nimoy (Dr Spock of the Star Trek series) have lent their voices to the film.

These two timeless classics would be a welcome change from the flood of new toons doing the rounds of the small screen. And best of all, the Indian viewers would be able to relate to them completely.

For all those who are tired of familiar mythologies about familiar Gods, here’s an unusual epic about a woman who we have all heard of but few know the mythology that surrounds her.

Sati Savitri on SABe TV at 11:30 p.m., revolves around the eternal Hindu woman who through sheer will power compels even Yamaraja, the God of Death, to bring her dead husband back to life.

"The programme", says serial maker, Sandeep Patel, "signifies the sanctity of marriage, portraying it as the timeless union that starts with the Saat pheras and ends at the funeral pyre. Sati Savitri, exemplifies the bond of love as shown between Savitri and her husband Satyavaan."

The epic of the husband-worshipping woman of Hindu mythology revolves around her tryst with destiny, her fightwith the ultimate truth — death — and her eventual victory. Her constant companion and her weapon is fire, the purest element known to man. The epic of Sati Savitri, always read in books or narrated by grandmothers now comes on the Indian TV in the form of a serial. A must-watch for all mythology freaks.

At a time when soaps are ruling the roost on satellite channels and everybody is hooked on to family dramas, it is not surprising that most of the comedies are finding it difficult to maintain their ratings.

But there’s an exception. Hum Sab Ek Hain, Saturdays and Sundays 12 noon on Sony Entertainment Television has continued putting smiles on the viewer’s faces. This homourous sitcom has completed three years on air with its 151st episode on July 1, 2001.

Produced by Neela Telefilms, the serial went on air on July 1, 1998, and since then has consistently managed to make the audience laugh week after week.

The serial is about the Khachroo family, the father and mother hailing from the North and South of India, respectively. To add to the diversity, their three sons are married to Punjabi, Bengali and Gujarati women, while the house servant is a Christian... a total pot pourri of a family where complete mayhem prevails!

Icebergs, hurricanes, fires, collisions, typhoons: the sea is a very dangerous place. But intrepid photographers bring viewers vivid, on-the-scene footage of the triumph and tragedy of modern-day mariners as they face disaster and rescues in Lost At Sea, Sunday July 15, 9 p.m.

From the Titanic to the recent Russian submarine tragedy, the sea consistently reminds human just who is in control as it tosses vessels and hapless sailors.

Feel the adrenaline rush through your body as a helicopter swoops down to rescue a sinking raft. Search choppy seas with the coastguard as the take one last look for a lost ship. A pulse racing show full of thrill and excitement.

— Mukesh Khosla