Sunday, May 2, 2004

TELEVISION
Girls on the go

Ye Meri Life Hai: More middle-class dreams

WHAT a fall. The leading bahus of the small screen are fast becoming former bahus with Saakshi Tanwar and Mouli Ganguli opting out of their respective serials and Smriti Irani battling it out with Kapil Sibal in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk constituency.

With the daughters-in-law out of the reckoning, it is time now for the daughters to take centrestage. First came Jassi, now there’s another daughter on Sony who is all set to grab viewer attention with her histrionics.

Ye Meri Life Hai, Monday to Thursday, 10 pm, starting May 3, revolves around Pooja, a teenager who aspires to be a film director while her traditional Gujarati father wants her to be a housewife.

Without telling her father, she joins the hip ‘n’ happening St. Martin’s College. But the rich brats there instantly make her aware of her middle-class looks and attitude. Determined to realise her ambitions, she faces situations with an optimistic attitude.

Pooja is always in the thick of action trying to strike a balance, given her orthodox family and economic background. But soon enough, just like Jassi, she too becomes a rage with her college mates. Let’s see if she becomes an eyeball grabber too.

On the middle path

HE’S the real Darmiyan man. A few years ago, he played a eunuch in Deepak Tijori’s serial Rishtey. After that, all he got were a few insignificant roles. Till Indra Kumar approached him to once again play a eunuch in his film Masti. After that, there’s been no looking back for Murali Sharma.

Though earlier he was noticed for his excellent performances in Dhoop and Maqbool, it is only after Masti that his stock has risen rapidly.

"It took me 13 years to get noticed, but I am glad I finally made it," says Murali. Now he’s looking forward to his new releases.

Besides a cameo in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Main Hoon Na, he stars in Black Friday, Rewind, King of Bollywood and is most excited about Aamir Khan’s The Rising.

Does this sudden turn of fortune mean goodbye to the tube? No, says Murali. "I am doing Zindagi Teri Meri Kahani and looking out for other interesting roles." Would he play a eunuch again? Pat comes the reply, "Why not? After all, I specialise in that."

Mallika jaissi koi nahin

FOR some years now, she’s been one of the top ramp models and has also done ad campaigns for products like Kit-Kat and Nivea. She’s also a much-sought-after compere at fashion and beauty shows as well as film award nights.

Despite her good performance as the archetypal vamp Mallika in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Rakshanda Khan is being offered no big roles. Ask her why and she shrugs, "Just luck."

The only offer she’s got after Jassi... is for an episode in the horror serial Raat Hone Ko Hai that will be aired on Sahara Manoranjan. But she’s quick to add that there were some Bollywood offers which she didn’t find interesting enough.

"I am happy doing Jassi and hosting star nights. I am not desperate and will pick up only sophisticated roles." Mallika is, after all, a class apart.

THE travel bug has bitten the small screen and the rate at which serials are being shot in foreign jaunts, they’ll give the Karan Johars and Yash Chopras a major complex.

Time was when Ekta Kapoor made big news by taking her flagship show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi to Australia. Then the camera followed Krishnaa Arjun to Singapore where the duo went hunting for a missing diamond.

Now overseas locales, it appears, are on the shooting menu of every serial-maker.

The latest to join the foreign-chalo fad is Paresh Rawal, who has taken his serial Bhagwaan Bachaaye Inko to the scenic island nation of Mauritius.

The 22-episode, Mauritius-shot escapade now gives viewers a chance to explore beaches with Sid, Nivi, Kuku, Pooja, Jawala and Kundun.

No doubt, the cast and crew are excited. But the question is: Will viewers be equally excited? Probably not. Both Krishna Arjun and Kyunki Saas`85 failed to grab viewer eyeballs with their junkets. And if the expensive experiment fails, all that Rawal can say is: Bhagwaan Bachaaye Humko.

Alien power

IF alien Jadoo could change the fortunes of Hrithik Roshan and give him that elusive hit with Koi Mil Gaya, the national network is fervently hoping that extraterrestrial Bongo will do the trick for DD.

So, for the first time on the tube, there’s an animated character teaming up with the real-life actors. Bongo, Sundays 12 noon on DD, is the story of an alien prince who comes to Earth on a mission to save his planet Zapata.

When most television biggies are producing family soaps or women-oriented socials, Bongo sure goes against the tide. Which is why the makers and the channel have high hopes from this techno experiment of 2-D and 3-D animations.

But will Bongo beat the heat and emerge a winner? Will he zap a popular hero like Shaktimaan? The fear is that the serial may go unnoticed on DD, which is witnessing a downslide in city viewership. — NF

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