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Savouring every bit of the in-laws melodrama, Tibetan women in McLeodganj consider themselves very much a part of the K-serial parivar, finds out Vibhor Mohan
SO when Tulsi was diagnosed with lung cancer in Kyunki Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi, they spent hours on end discussing her future and a strange gloominess descended on most Tibetan households when Parvati’s husband died in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. The widespread popularity of these family dramas is despite the fact that not all Tibetans here can understand the dialogues in fluent Hindi or relate to the intricacies of the storyline, which is essentially Indian and lacks universal appeal. Tibetan women, mesmerised by the twists and turns of the plots that unfold on the small screen every evening, are a common sight in McLeodganj. Yangchen Lhout, a homemaker, says she loves Tulsi’s character and does not miss even a single episode. "Every evening we get glued to the idiot box and watching these serials has now become our favourite time-pass," she says. The sarees and jewellery worn by characters in these serials have also become a hit with the Tibetan women. Kelsang Dolma, student, says although she has never tried putting on a saree, it is interesting to watch women dressed in their colourful best moving around in luxury cars. These women might have found an interesting way of filling their free time by watching these serials, their devotion to the storylines has become an irritant for the men in the Tibetan families. Kelsang,owner of Kelsang Rest House, says his wife and daughter-in-law don’t even care to look at him when he comes back home in the evening. "Besides, I like watching the Discovery Channel for programmes on wildlife. The women of the house are so engrossed in the melodramas they wouldn’t even let me touch the TV remote. I am a very religious person and the serials also disturb me when I’m doing puja," he rues. Tsanchol, who runs an antique-ware shop, says there are certain facets that one can not identify with. In Tibetan families, the father-in-law is the head of the family and the mother-in-law does not have such a dominating role. "But after living here for so long, we understand the Indian culture even if we don’t practice the same things," she says. "The love and affection showered by characters like Tulsi and Parvati on their relations really impresses us and I personally have tried to build the same bonds with my family ever since I started watching these serials," says Phurbu Dolma, another homemaker. Prime-time serials like Kasauti Zindagi ki, Kkusum and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki have come so popular that a Tibetan school recently called a meeting with the parents to ask mothers not to switch on the TV when their kids are doing home-work. "This was the result of a large number of students complaining that they could not concentrate on studies as their moms were disturbing them by constantly watching these Hindi serials" says Nyima, homemaker. Cricket-based reality show
India’s first cricket-based reality show will ride piggyback on the third edition of Scorpio Speedster0 - the hunt for the country’s fastest bowler that saw enthusiastic participation in the previous two years. The competition will be held in 10 cities across India, beginning September 14 in the capital and culminating in a 13-episode reality series that will be telecast on Channel 7 from November. "IMG is proud to announce the third edition of this successful event. The last two years have revealed that there are many talented individuals in our country who have the speed to bowl at the highest level of the game," Ravi Krishnan, managing director of International Marketing Group (IMG), told reporters here Tuesday.After Delhi, the event will travel to Chandigarh, Jaipur, Gwalior, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and culminate in Mumbai November 11-12.The regional rounds will be conducted for two days in each of the 10 cities.The 10 regional winners, the three next fastest bowlers across India and the winner and runner-up from the previous edition will comprise the 15 semi-finalists. They will compete with each other and seven finalists will emerge from the lot, who will be part of the reality series.The finalists will be tested beyond just raw pace and will engage each other for accuracy, adaptability, endurance, swing and other factors that go into making a complete fast bowler. All this will be showcased and telecast on the series.The winner will be richer by Rs.1 million apart from a full season’s stint at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, Krishnan said. — IANS Achievers all
IT’S a show that separates women from girls. Shikhar every Sunday at 12.30 pm on Sony Entertainment Television is about women achievers who have made a difference. From lawyer and crusader Flavia Agnes to swimmer Bula Chowdhury and from red-light activist Preti Pakar to Air Marshal Padmavati Bandopadhyay, it’s about women who’ve overcome obstacles and reached out to change destinies. Pooja Ghai Rawal, who anchors the show, says these high achievers initially overwhelmed her. "I was quite nervous initially but soon realised that besides being celebrities these women were good human beings as well. That put me at ease." The show is not just about successful women. It is about women who may not have got the best start in their lives but who have made it through grit and determination. "That’s real achievement but it’s tough to identify such extraordinary women," says Pooja. Besides Shikhar, Pooja has some very interesting`A0projects in her kitty, including Aroona Irani’s Rabba Ishq Na Hove, and also a powerful cameo in Jassi and with more serials coming her way, the young woman’s career is rocking like never before. Custom un-made
THE customs are not very accustomed to the likes of Naveen Andrews one of the lead stars of US mini-series, Lost every Saturday at 7:00 p.m. on Star World. Naveen gets the jitters every time he lands at a western airport. Curiously, post-9/11 he’s been routinely picked up by airport security on suspicion. The swarthy Brit-Indian with the long black hair says he looks a little too ethnic to pass unnoticed. "I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been stopped at the airports," says the 35-year-old, who played the London-based barrister Balraj in Bride and Prejudice. There was a time when celebrity was not the ID required for everyday life. "I remember landing at the London airport and being asked by security, ‘How did you get here?’" I was exhausted and said, "Oh, I came in a banana boat," he says and adds, "That was a terrible joke and the security guys just freaked out." That was the last time Andrews was aggressive. "I’m not looking for any more confrontations. I could be cooling my heels in the slammer for such lousy jokes!" Though he may wear a somber look at the airports, Naveen’s not lost his sense of humour. — NF |
AFTER
several highly successful reality-based TV shows that have been aired in
India in the past year, the latest version based on cricket will hit the
airwaves later this month.
