Editorial

MONEY FOR THE ASKING
SO it’s been another event-crammed fortnight for showbizfolk. We’ve had the much-hyped Refugee hit the screens, followed by Bichhoo, the action extravaganza, during the eventful period. And there’s been action off the screens, too. Adlabs chief, Manmohan Shetty has tied up with Imax to set the stage for the arrival of the ‘bigger picture’ in India. They plan to construct India’s first Imax dome theatre at Mumbai’s Wadala, and it certainly won’t be India’s last, you can be sure.

Showman Subhash Ghai has made his intentions public to launch an IPO. Clearly, that’s going to be another first for filmdom, with many more production houses likely to follow suit. The move will, no doubt, have far-reaching implications, for our movie majors will now have to shift from individual or family-owned outfits to corporate entities, as Mukta’s done. Besides, on the cards for Mukta, is the blueprint for a big time expansion that includes, among other things, setting up a film and television institute, acquiring CD, DVD, satellite and Internet rights of films and producing TV software.

In another crucial development, the Mumbai High Court has upheld producer R Mohan’s claim that no act of cruelty was meted out towards the elephant in his film, Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya. The verdict also upholds the Central Board of Film Certification’s clean chit for the film. The verdict comes as a resounding slap in the face for over-zealous, publicity-hungry NGOs such as minister Maneka Gandhi’s People for Animals, that attempt to take on the role of an extra-constitutional censor board at the slightest opportunity. So what if the case has slowed R Mohan down by a month or thereabouts? The victory and the verdict will now serve as a precedent for other such cases from now on. It’s a verdict other producers will have to thank him for.

EASY PICKINGS, ANYONE?
BUT make no mistake, the real talk of the town, this fortnight, hasn’t been Abhishek and Kareena’s performances on debut. If the man on the streets has heard of developments such as the launch of the new Imax dome, the Ghai IPO or the HC verdict in the R Mohan vs People for Animals case, he isn’t letting on.

The real conversation on local trains, at railway reservation queues and the city’s pubs, has been the Star Plus show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. The figures justify it: in less than a week, KBC has higher viewership ratings than anything on Zee or Sony in its time slot, as the TAM Peoplemeter for Mumbai and Delhi shows. No it isn’t one of our most original TV concepts. In fact, its similarity with the American series, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? isn’t limited to the title alone. Its format, rules and even the electric blue sets are a straight lift from the latter. But let’s give credit where it’s due: it’s at least not a cheap, third-rate imitation, unlike some of the movie remakes we can care to name.

What’s the show’s USP, do you think? Amitabh Bachchan? Well, netting him to host the show was indeed a coup, but it isn’t the Big B the audience is raving about. For all they care, it may as well have been anchored by any nameless, pretty young thing fresh out of college.

It’s the easy money to be had on the show that’s having people hankering to be on it. Ten correct answers fetch you a neat Rs 3.2 lakh, and a maximum of 15 correct answers can net you, yes, gulp, Rs 1 crore. All in a day’s work, too.

Easy pickings, don’t you agree? So what’s the harm in giving it your best shot? After all, the questions you get asked are as inane as “What’s Mahatma Gandhi’s middle name?,” or “What’s the name of the bungalow where Sonia Gandhi lives?” Agreed, for any quiz to be popular, the questions have to be easy — the easier the questions, the higher your TAMs are likely to be. But, tell us, after KBC, who’d want to contest in quizzes by the likes of Siddharth Basu or Derek O’Brien, where the prizes are, well, peanuts?

Surprisingly, we’re yet to see anyone become a millionaire on the show. And already, people are raising their eyebrows as to where all the “obscene” amounts being offered as prize money are coming from. “Are the shows rigged like the WWF wrestling bouts?,” they ask, despite assurances from the channel that everything has been computerised, that there is no hoax involved. How on earth can the channel sustain offering so much for so little? Good question, but answers there are none.
In the mean time, how about giving the darned number a try? You could be on the show with the Big B, too, and who knows, even net your first crore? Well, I don’t know about you, but I sure am.

Shaju George Alex