Telebuzz

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE
Remember Umesh Mehra’s laugh riot, Zabaan Sambhal Ke? Well, one was reminded of it recently while watching Raageshwari host MTV’s Baar Baar Dekho. Rags was supposedly playing a Catholic guy from Goa, Mario in the episode. But she didn’t sound anything like a maka pau Mario. Instead, she spoke very like a Parsi bawa. Funny but far from factual! Hey Rags, too busy to do your homework, wot?

AASTHA FRAMES THE QUAKE
The channels continue to channelize their efforts into helping the victims of the killer quake. The latest to jump into the bandwagon is AASTHA, the social-spiritual channel. AASTHA has hit upon a novel way of boosting the morale of the survivors. Through their serial Avon Jeevan Savare they are focussing on what and who survived the tremors rather than emphasizing on the destruction that it left behind with the prime objective of infusing the victims with the vim and vigour they would need to rebuild their lives. The first episode shows a young girl shouting jubiliantly, “Badhu mili gayo” (everything has been found) as she gathers together her belongings from the rubble that was once her home.
AASTHA is also organising an exhibition of photographs reflecting the magnitude of the damages caused by the earthquake in association with Tarun Mitra Mandalngo.

CONFESSIONS OF A LAKHPATI
“My life has changed after I returned to Kanpur,” says Irvinder Saluja who has just won a jackpot on Sony TV’s Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke. Saluja who was on the show recently, won a booty of Rs 12 lakh. And that’s not all. There was an air-conditioner, a Compaq computer and a brand new Santro purchased for just Re. 1. Saluja is ecstatic with the prized possessions and so’s Kunal Das Gupta, the CEO of Sony, “It is when participants like Irvinder from Kanpur return home with jackpot earnings, that the level of expectations, hopes and aspirations raises amongst our viewers,” he asserts, obviously hoping that Chappar...can soon evoke the kind of hysteria Kaun Banega Crorepati has.

(V)EAVING NEW CHANGES
Channel V, that was positioned as a channel for the generation next last year, is through with its “youthful” look and all set to return to its original avatar of a music channel. This will be the channel’s third repostioning in a year’s time. The channel now intends to do away with all its non-music shows and change the schedules of the remaining programmes. Hey V make up your mind about how you’d want to be seen. V are with you...

WORTH MORE THAN A CRORE
Talking of KBC, the anxious anticipation with which everyone is waiting for the next Crorepati is all too obvious. As soon as teasers featuring Ganesh Shende started appearing in the papers everyone jumped to the conclusion that he had won the jackpot. And Shinde was traced to his modest apartment in Kurla, Mumbai and hounded by media persons. Like Harshvardhan Navathe who is now STAR’s official model, Shinde might well have enjoyed his moment in the sun had he won. But he didn’t. A slip up on the last question saw his earnings plumetting from an unbelievable Rs 50 lakh to Rs 3.20 lakh. And with that his dreams of buying a flat for his parents took a tumble. But Ganesh Shinde is not a shattered man. For him that hug from Amitabh Bachchan was worth more than a crore.

WILL NINE GET TEN?
Will Kerry Packer and Vinay Maloo’s HFCL Nine Broadcasting cut all ties with DD’s Metro channel? If the buzz is to believed this is quite possible. Nine reportedly wants a 10-year-contract from Prasar Bharti failing which it has threatened to cut loose and launch its own channel. It also has plans of getting into film production. Will Nine get ten? Wait and watch.

AYE AYE CAPTAIN
The International Fleet Review that had Mumbai mesmerized last weekend, will live on screen for a longer time through Jaya He. Bharatbala Productions who contributed to 50 years of independence with award-winning and applause-ringing videos like Maa Tujhe Salaam—Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram, Desh Ka Salaam and Jana Gana Mana has added yet another feather to the the ‘India Ideas’ series. The film has been directed by Kanika Myer Bharat, wife of G Bharat or Bharatbala as he is popularly known. She was the first woman to ever step into an Indian warship and stayed on it for five days to direct this film.
Jaya He that is actually two films of 30 seconds and 60 seconds each, in English and Hindi, are already being beamed by all Indian cable and satellite channels. The first film or films for which AR Rehman has consented to compose the music. Jaya He also has Amitabh Bachchan lending his distinctive baritone for the very informative commentray.

For Jaya HeKanika and Bala along with their unit boarded the INS at Delhi and sailed on the high seas for five days accompanied by a fleet of five warships, two Chetaks, four sea harriers and one submarine. They persuaded the Indian navy to let them film from helicopters with the doors removed. “It was an incredible experience,” confesses Kanika, who’s put her heart and soul into making a film on the Indian navy that would make every Indian proud he belonged to a country that boasts of such an awesome naval power. “I also hope it will inspire our young men to be a part of this extraordinary world,” she says in conclusion.

TOP