Television
A melody in sand

Afghan Star follows Afghani hopefuls in a reality TV show as they vie with each other to become the country’s pop idol
Afghan Star follows Afghani hopefuls in a
reality TV show as they vie with each other to
become the country’s pop idol
 

A TV show within a TV show which not just brings out the resolute human spirit but an indomitable will to achieve things that we all take for granted. Afghan Star on Tuesday at 9 P.M. on the National Geographic Channel is an inspiring and brilliant film, by British filmmaker Havana Marking. It follows Afghani hopefuls at a reality TV show as they vie with each other to become the country’s pop idol — akin to the Indian and American Idols. Such a competition would have been unthinkable in the Taliban rule. People caught singing, dancing or even listening to music in Afghanistan risked imprisonment or even death. Now with a semblance of sanity returning, the country is opening up its cultural life as well. Viewers experience the birth of a new, optimistic Afghanistan through the eyes of young, talented and ambitious pop hopefuls all competing to become the next singing idol. The show features Rafi, a 19-year-old charismatic singer, Lima, a 25-year-old woman from Kandahar, who has to practice her music in secret and rebellious 21-year-old Setara, who sees music as a vital part of her self-expression. Catch up with all the drama from this much-awarded docu-drama.

The near-human cousin

FOR a quarter of a million years, Europe was home to a different species of humans. Their world was harsh and unforgiving, ravaged by Ice Ages and stalked by cave lions, bears and leopards. Yet they thrived, perfectly in sync with their environment. They were the Neanderthals. Neanderthal on Sunday at 10 P.M. on the History Channel showcases the harsh existence of this near-human beings which existed 40.000 years before the modern man arrived in Europe. They suddenly disappeared just leaving behind bones and stone implements. Historians are still baffled at their disappearance and are groping for answers ever since thousands upon thousands of bones and skulls were discovered in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal and a number of other European countries. The drama documentary shares the story of modern man’s closest human relatives and tries and find answers to one of history’s most tantalising mysteries.—NF





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