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Maybe some of you this week were preoccupied with the latest tragedy in India that caused the death of 148 people travelling in the Jnaneshwari Express from Kolkata to Mumbai, or were trying to recollect what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said about improving economic conditions. Or maybe you were rooting for Aradhana Prakash, Ruchika’s friend, who simply didn’t believe in giving up. For 19 years, she, with her parents, pursued the case against former DGP S.P.S. Rathore for molesting her childhood friend. But for those who were looking for pure silly entertainment, they needed to have looked no further than Desi Girl, the latest reality show to make its appearance on Imagine. Based loosely on Simple Life, the American reality show which was earlier aired on Star World, in which two rich brats — Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie — leave their life of designer luxury for a brief plunge into the American boondocks to, eeks, work. In that show, Hilton and Ritchie made 23 and 22, their respective ages, look like 14. They squeaked, yelled and pouted as their nails chipped and their bikini waxes unravelled, and they preformed some chores. I don’t know why that template should appeal to some of our own TV producers, but there is no accounting for taste. So this week we had eight belles, including Kashmira Shah, Monica Bedi and Sambhavana Seth, reach a village and fight what promises to be a losing battle. Clad in teeny-weeny dresses, with plunging necklines, our screaming beauties met the village sarpanch, Jaidev Singh, who, for some reason, is always referred to as chairman. The whole scene feels like that old Hindi film, Purab aur Paschim. Only now, instead of one screaming, ginger-haired Saira Banu, we have eight. Actually, I can’t figure out why the eight are in a state of shock. Don’t these mall rats know that there is something known as rural India? Aiding and abetting the brainless beauties is show anchor Rohit Roy. Other shows are also being launched, perhaps to save viewers from midsummer melancholia. Sony’s Toh Baat Hammari Pakki is the story of two soul mates. Conservative and traditional, these two singletons will meet and then eventually marry. Nothing sensational, as plot lines and family dramas go, but I am willing to give it time. Then there is the more riveting Life on Discovery, a nature documentary anchored by David Attenborough, easily one of the world’s premier natural history broadcasters, looking at how plants and animals survive. Unfortunately, American Idol, one of my favourite shows, drew to a close this week with Lee Dwyze winning the title. I was always rooting for the other finalist Crystal Bowersox, the rock star who really didn’t seem to care whether she won or lost. I always thought that with her dreadlocks and cute smile, she sang better and was far more talented. Besides, she never once lost a sense of herself, which must have been hugely difficult, considering the pressures on all the final contestants. But in the end, Lee beat her and almost keeled over when the results were announced. You knew his reaction was unscripted when he said: "I have never been so happy in my life." This season was also judge Simon Colwell’s last appearance on the talent show. Love him or hate him, he did make American Idol what it is — a top international entertainment show. There was a touching little video tribute to Colwell, causing the normally acerbic and emotionless Colwell get a little teary-eyed. Now only one of the original three judges of the show remains. In the meantime, Indian Idol is entering the final lap. With the riffraff have been sifted, the show is getting more interesting. If new shows don’t engage you, there is always the weather. With searing temperatures hitting most parts of the country, except for states where the monsoon has bounced in early, a hot topic of conversation on TV is the weather. The focus suits the public perfectly
because at any given point of time, talking, well actually complaining,
about the state of the weather — hot, cold, rainy — is like a reflex
action. Now with temperatures hitting 45 degrees and above, each channel
has become a weather bureau in its own right. Time was when some news
channels did not even want to air a regular evening weather report.
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