CELEB WATCH

Najma Heptullah
Deputy Chairperson, Rajya Sabha & senior Congress leader

News has become the best form of entertainment
I hardly get time to watch television but whenever I get time I watch news and news related programmes. For news, I tune into all the channels like DD, STAR, BBC, CNN, TVI, Zee and others. News has been my favourite programme because of our country’s political scenario especially in the last few months. I have not watched a single serial on regular basis. I don’t get time for that. But I like to watch Discovery Channel. some of the programmes on this channel are very good. In fact, I like to watch informative and interesting programmes but they are very few in number.

There are too many talk shows on different channels but they have nothing new to offer. In most of these talk/chat shows, anchors talk more than the panelists and audience. The anchors impose their views on the panelists, audience and the viewers. However, I like The Priya Tendulkar Show. Kiron Kher is also good.

Iwould like to watch programmes for rural viewers but except Krishi Darshan on DD, there is hardly any programme on any channel. For that matter even Krishi Darshan is very boring. It is unimaginative.

Unfortunately even education related programmes like UGC programmes on DD are unimaginative and boring. Most of the teachers who appear on the programme do not know the language, be it English or Hindi. How can anyone expect the students to learn from them?

I do not find anything to laugh at in the sitcoms that appear on various channels. There are too may films and film related programmes on the smallscreen. Most of the film songs are too vulgar to watch. I like to watch good documentaries. But there not too many of them. TVI has been showing some interesting documentaries. I also like to catch good plays on television. There is a dearth of good serials/programmes on science and technology. I used to watch Crystal Maze on STAR Plus but that programme has gone off the air.

I also like to tune in to quiz programmes. But most of them end up questioning on the same topics. Bournvita Quiz Contest on Zee is quite good. Countdown shows are alike and that's why I am not interested. Also, I just can’t tolerate serials based on fantasy whether it is on DD or STAR Plus. I also find most of the programmes in India repetitive either in their concept or in their presentation. There’s a need for more variety.