Punjabi Antenna
Sensible show
Randeep Wadehra

AT last one got to see something offbeat on Punjabi television and that too on Doordarshan Jalandhar. A talk show on medical tourism (July 5) discussed in detail the present and future of this industry in Punjab. The topic was unusual and the guests were well informed. For a change, the anchor had done her homework and asked intelligent questions; no wonder the conversation was informative and, hence, interesting.

It is not often that callers to dial-in live shows go beyond inanities and utter something sensible. While listening to various dial-in (interactive) shows (Pyar Naal, Geet Masala etc) one expects either mushy, mediocre or sob stuff from viewers. Even on Zee Punjabi’s Dial-E-Punjab the conversations mostly involve mummyjees, papajees and birjees peppered with lots of hellojees and byejees. But one was pleasantly surprised by an unusual request from a viewer named ‘Rani’ from Mumbai — a frequent caller to D-E-P — who appealed to fellow Punjabis to maintain peace in public places, especially in places of worship. Worth chewing over, what!

It was a pleasure to watch theatre artiste-comedian Gurwinder Singh Ramiya on PTC’s Face to Face. His point that situational comedy is far superior to buffoonery and ribaldry cannot be gainsaid. However, what struck one was his ability to laugh at himself even as he made quite a few pertinent points about the state of theatre in India and inability of Sikh actors to grab meaty roles in Bollywood productions because of their appearance. Although Sikh characters have been featured in Bollywood flicks, they have seldom been main protagonists/ antagonists. Credit goes to the show’s anchor, Radha, too for drawing Ramiya out on issues that others would have ‘diplomatically’ obfuscated.

While watching a detailed analysis of the recent MC election results – by Amarjit Singh Narang, a political analyst, and Naresh Gujral, the "first Hindu Vice-President of the Shiromani Akali Dal" – on the PTC News one could not help concluding that the mood was more celebratory than reflective; and the attitude was far from being detached and analytical. True, the duo dwelled upon the effects of globalization and techno-economic progress on the mindset of today’s voter, especially, the youth, that has helped bridge the rural-urban as well as the communal divides in Punjab. Since the tone and tenor of the show was decidedly skewed in favour of the ruling combine, one sorely missed the Congress perspective in order to have a semblance of balance in the proceedings.

All television channels repeat their shows for obvious reasons – it is impossible to come up with fresh ideas and content 24X7. Moreover, the repeats facilitate viewing by those who are unable to watch them at scheduled timings. This is the reason why repeats are given different time slots. But what would you say if the show is repeated every day at the same time? One is talking of Good Morning Punjab on PTC, which is telecast on Sunday morning and fitfully repeated in mornings throughout the week. It is a tough ask listening to the same interview with a guest every morning. Worse, the astrologer Prem Kumar Sharma’s ‘weekly prediction’ turns into a stale pizza by the seventh morning – anything would. Perhaps the channel’s programmers don’t realise that repetition is tedious and tedium is a killer. Of viewers’ interest, in this case.