Indian original reality show : Naad Bhed!

It's really a breaking news. And it can be done only by Door Darshan (DD). We may criticize Door Darshan as government mouth organ, but it is true that Indian culture is preserved on DD and no private channels.

While most of private channels have either moved away from Indian culture (Iss jungle se mujhe bachao, Rakhi Ka Insaaf, Sach Ka Saamna, Bigg Boss) or have presented Indian culture in wrong way. Infact, most of reality shows are either Indian version of foreign shows .(In most of serials, big family, Saas-Bahu fight, conspiracy against relatives, extra marrtal affairs are shown.). In children based reality shows also, children are made to wear short dresses, they are asked about girlfriend/boyfriend, they are given/asked for flying kiss or they are made to dance/sing on vulgar/double meaning songs.

Has any channel dared to telecase reality show based on indian classical dance/music? Even, lifestyle based channel or food based channel are also mostly showing continental life style/food items. It is nothing to showcase world culture, but it should be limited to some extent.

These channels show titles of serial in Roman/English script. However, it should be noted that now SAB tv has started to show titles, recap, coming soon etc...in Hindi language.

Good news coming from Door Darshan that it will soon telecase a reality show based on Indian classical music. It's name is Naad Bhed (नाद भेद). It will be a first show of this kind. It will be based on Indian classical music. Well known organisation working for promotion of Indian classical music SPIC MACAY is also involved in this show. (I have listened and enjoyed a lot of classical music programmes organised by SPIC MACAY in Bhavnagar.)

So get ready for original reality show.

Who are they in ad of ebay, tell me abe!

Doordarshan period! Many remembered 50 years of Doordarshan in the year just passed year 2009, many didn’t. When memories comes in mind, heart goes out of control!

Many actors/actresses who featured at that time can be seen on either small or big screen. For example, Jayshree Arora who played character of the common housewife character Bhagyavanti in first soap opera ‘Hum log’ can be seen in ‘Yahan Mein Ghar Ghar Kheli’! Rajesh Puri who was known at that time as Lallu was recently seen in ‘Gunwale Dulhaniyan Le Jaayenge!’ which was directed also by himself. Now he is acting as boss of Sonu (Varun Badola) in serial ‘Sonu Sweety’. Nanhe (Abhinav Chaturvedi) was lastly seen in Subhash Ghai’s ‘Saudagar’. Basesarram (Vindo Nagpal) was lastly seen in ‘Karma’. Seema Bhargava who played Badki in ‘Hum Log’ was seen in some serial, but I forgot the name. May be serial was not worth to be remembered!

Renuka Israni who played character of Usha Rani was seen as Gandhari in serial ‘Mahabharat’. Grandmother Sushma Seth is almost retired, but she acted as mother of Rishi Kapoor in many films (few are ‘Diwana’ and ‘Bol Radha Bol’). Prince Ajay Singh in ‘Hum Log’ was played by Aasif Sheikh. He acted as hero in ‘Rama O Rama’ and then turned to play small Goonda in David Dhawan’s films like ‘Kunwara’, Rakesh Roshan’s films like ‘Karan Arjun’. But if we talk about small screen, we should take his name with one of the longest running serial on Indian Idiot Box (not the infamous ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, but) ‘Yes Boss’. In ‘Yes Boss’ he played character of boss Vinod Varma. Now he can be seen in ‘Ye Chanda Kanoon Hai’ playing character of lawyer Vibhooti Narayan.  

But where is Archana Joglekar (serial Kissa Shanti ka and film Sansar fame)? Yes, the Archna which was seen with Jayant Kriplani in serial ‘Mr. Ya Mrs.’ can seen laughing a loud in ‘Comedy Circus’ and hitting Akshay Kumar on a** in ‘De Dhana Dhan’. Jayant Kriplani and Girish Karnard are almost absent from the hindi tv and film scenario. ‘Karamchand’ Pankaj Kapoor has been active in serial (to give name a few, office office) and films, but now he is almost absent. ‘Karamchand’’s Kity Sushmita Mukherjee is playing mother in law who is sandwiched between her mother in law and daughter in law in serial ‘Kabhi Saas Kabhi Bahu’. So much names of actors from DD period are there that we are not able to remember all of them here!

But I can’t stop my hand running on keyboard to write few names of news readers. They are Shammi Narang, J B Raman, Ved Chaturvedi, Manjari Joshi, Avinash Sarin, Sarla Maheshwari. Where are they? Kahan Gaye Wo Log?

However, recently I got surprised when I saw almost vanished star of Doordarshan period in eBay ad. They were Dr. Narottam Puri and Komal G.B. Singh. Dr. Narottam Puri was regular as cricket commentator as today Harsha Bhogle is. Dr. Puri is not changed. He is still with his thin but famous moustache. However Komal has got much fatty and she looks much older.

And yes, Sadhana Srivastava! The famous announcer of Doordarshan period! I found her picture on net and memories got back in mind of ‘Aap Aur Hum’ (used to come on Tuesdays) in which viewers letteres were read!

Are you hearing a sweet sound of Rafisaab singing, Yaad Na Jaaye Bite Dinon Ki?!


(To read the post in Gujarati, click : http://jaywantpandya.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/અબે-ઇબેની-જાહેરખબર-મેં-યે/)

'Lapataganj' : DD time back again?

Promo 1 : There is couple trying to take a sleep at night. Suddenly power comes and light is on. Wife tells husband to switch off light as she can’t sleep with lights on. Husband asks her to wait for a while. Within few seconds power cuts off again. Couple now again happily try to take a sleep. But before going to sleep wife reminds her husband not to forget pay power bill as otherwise power will be cut!

Promo 2 : In an area, people are playing with colours on occasion of Holi festival. One leader comes with chamchas. One or two men act of pouring water from bucket. With fear of getting wet, leader goes back. Then these men says, ‘Pani aaye na aaye, tyohar to aate hi hai.’

These promos are of serial ‘Lapataganj’ coming soon (from 26thOctober) on Sab Tv. This is based on famous poet, writer, satirist Sharad Joshi’s (whose daughter Neha Joshi is well known actress and anchor) stories. From promos, one can judge that this serial is going to give you not only entertainment but also it will look into middle class and rural people’s lives.

It seems that with this serial and ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chasmah’ Doordarshan time is coming back as this type of serial talks about society’s lower and middle class people’s worries with entertainment. There had been a huge gap where nonsense serials like Ekta Kapoor’s K brand serials and other Saas Bahu Serials were ruling. In humor slot also there were serials in which humor was also nonsense. But with ‘Taarak Mehra…’, ‘Tedhi Baat’, ‘Sonu Sweeti’ like serials, good entertainment is back. I am not advocating or making p.r. for Sab. There are FIR and Gunwale dulhaniyan le jayenge like serials also. But overall, good and meaningful entertainment is back again, that’s what I see.

So, wait and watch for ‘Lapataganj’!

Doordarshan still have good programmes, but...

On the internet, on the blogs, on the message boards, on the forums, in the article we often come across these words : Doordarshan's old days, golden days. Many people don't like today's serials, reality shows and game shows. Hence they remember old and golden days of DD when Humlog, Buniyaad, Fatichar, Ye Jo Hai Zindagi, Nukkad and Dekh Bhai Dekh like serials and shows were coming.

But DD's game is not over! Many good programmes still aired on DD! 'Rangoli' and 'Chitrahaar' is still there! One unique programme coming on DD is 'Bioscope' being aired since 2004. Coming on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Hindi feature film (this term widely used on Doordarshan, remember?Nowadays, Bollywood movie is broadly used) is shown in part. It's time is 11 pm. So, office goers or businessmen can watch movie after coming home and having dinner! Housewives can also watch it with relax. And also they don't have to watch till late night as movie is telecasted for only one hour.

One programme is 'Cine Satrangi'. Host of the show Dr. Falguni Parikh is talking about story of one film and in mean time, songs of that one film and dialogues are shown.

There is comedy serial also, 'Kabhi saas, Kabhi bahu' featuring Sushmita Mukherjee (Kitty of Karamchand), Shama Deshpande.

If you think in the age of reality show, DD is lagging behind, you are wrong. It has two shows that I have seen. One is 'Bharat (almost forgotten word, no?) ki shaan' and one is 'Krazzy Kiya Re'. 'Bharat ki shaan' is singer hunt show like 'Saregamapa', 'Indian Idol' and 'Voice Of India' judged by non another than Suresh Wadekar, Bappi Lahiri, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Ismail Darbar,  while 'Krazzy Kiya Re' is talent hunt show.

But its serials (except comedy ) are not good that's what impression I have got whenever surfing I came across to them.

In short, DD has still good programmes all it need good marketing.