SIGHT & SOUND
A case for justice, not politics
Amita Malik

Well, little Anant of Noida certainly scored over Prince of a Haryana village who fell down a dry well. The media hype just went on, with kidnapping experts flying down from California and the police recording conversations between the kidnappers and Anant’s mother. There was no explanation at the time of writing from the police forces involved about how Anant came home on a cycle rickshaw alone. Not to speak of political parties accusing each other — it could not possibly get more melodramatic, nor could the general public get more cynical about police officers getting tied up in knots.

As the Army rescued Prince, it was much more professional and clinical. The sight of the IG of police hugging Anant on the terrace made my maid ask me if he was Anant’s dadaji. Dadaji looked quite different in uniform and not half as relaxed in the press conference. I should imagine the hero of the story, apart from Anant, is the rickshawallah, who did everything right.

Meanwhile, another lesser melodrama played itself out. I think Barkha Dutt got a little overawed by Brad Pitt and the excitement of getting the "first exclusive." Her diplomatic, smiling and polite questions were only matched by the diplomatic, smiling and earnest replies of Pitt. The interview had lurking in the wings the usual Indian attitude that goras always tell the truth and desi versions are always suspect. Since Pitt was not present during the fracas but gallantly defended his security guards, it was not fair of Barkha to dismiss so easily the episode of the goons. I am glad the police acted with more good sense and arrested them. The "first exclusive" was repeated ad nauseam and became a big bore. Foreign film people are not that important.

I preferred to turn to a much more meaningful programme, with deep social meaning. That intrepid investigative reporter of important causes, no matter how remote the area, Radhika Bordia, was joined by Yogesh Pawar for a special report on NDTV on the Khairlanji killing. The duo did a thorough and (at times in spite of threats from political parties which interrupted and asked them to hurry up) a detailed job of trying to get to the root of the matter. It was at one stage described as "the centre of a crude political storm." But the reporters stuck doggedly to its social aspect and the touching statements by Bhaiya Lal, the only surviving member of the Dalit family, whose women were brutally raped in public then killed, ended with his significant statement that it was "a case for social justice and not politics".

It was a shame the way everyone in the village said they had seen and heard nothing. And the fundamentalists were so busy raking up past instances of Dalits attacking higher caste people, that they forgot to mention their attitude to the present atrocities. One can only be proud that intrepid reporters such as Radhika, Yogesh and Shikha Trivedi are keeping on at this most worthwhile form of investigative journalism on TV and that while their channels may not give them as much hype as to the Brad Pritt exclusive, they are quietly collecting awards, as well as the appreciation of viewers by their courage and professional integrity.

I am glad I watched last week’s episode of Cyrus Broacha’s programme That Was The Week That Wasn’t because it had trailed off a bit after the opening episode and brought in something I dread, canned laughter. Indian TV is particularly weak on canned laughter, badly done and timed, and it always makes one suspicious when one is reminded to laugh. But Cyrus picked up last week with the Renuka Choudhry dialogue and many more tidbits.

The rat race is hotting up with Times Now claiming in its own paper that it now has the highest ratings for English news channels while another rival channel loudly proclaims the same. Who should one believe? Somehow I prefer NDTV’s more modest statement: "Need one say more?"