My only connection in the interim is the newspaper which I do not spend more than half an hour on. In fact I never get to know if any news has broken or that some mistakes have appeared on air unless someone tells me about it. On my day off from work, I hardly have a clue on what's happening in the world of news and many times I am forced to watch some news programme perforce simply because my job demands me to do it.
Does this mean that I do not watch television when I get home? Negative. I do but what I watch is not what my colleagues or friends expect me to. If I tell you that my current favourite Indian television show is Jhalak Dikhla Ja, some jaws are surely expected to drop. Yes, I can't wait for Wednesday and Thursday to catch the celebrities dancing. If any of you are not aware of this show, let me explain. Jhalak Dikhla Ja is a dance show on Sony TV where celebrities have to compete with each other in a new dance form every episode.
In the current series, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ajay Jadeja, Mona Singh (of Jassi fame), Sanjeev Kapoor, Rati Agnihotri, Pooja Bedi and a few other television personalities are on their toes twice a week to outdo each other in dance movements. They are judged by a panel of studio experts represented by Farah Khan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Shilpa Shetty and also by television viewers who send in their verdict by calling or messaging on landlines and mobile phones.
What may you ask is so different about the show? Aren't there a multitude of dance shows already on Indian television. Yes, there are, but none so engaging as this. What makes this show unique is that most of the chosen participants are not dancers. In fact some of them like celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor are as far removed from dancing as Americans are to cricket.
As Kapoor confessed himself, he agreed to participate in the show because he felt this was the only way he could get himself to shed his inhibition and dance with his wife (who incidentally loves dancing). For someone like me with two distinct left feet, this was déjà vu. I admired his guts to appear on national television without the faintest idea of how to move his feet. He was eliminated in Round 3 but not before two others who left before him, and mind you both of them were former Bollywood actresses.
Ajay Jadeja is as flamboyant in his dance as he is with his batting. He enjoys his movements whether it is down the pitch or on the dance floor and you can see it on his face. It doesn't upset him if his marks are poor, he shows you why he is such a good sport. In fact Ajay has dabbled in many things apart from his cricket. He has tried his hands in a Hindi movie, he has participated in celebrity quiz contests and now he has entered the competitive world of dancing. He is never afraid to experiment and does not seem to be mind failure.
Or for that matter Mahesh Manjrekar, better known as the director of many "masala" movies, is now churning some great dance movements on this show. Never can anyone expect him to be so innovative in his dancing. He has shown how dance is not about conforming to certain rules or patterns but following your rhythm and more importantly your heart. Each week he amazes you with his take of a particular dance form and thoroughly entertains you in his 90 seconds of performance.
I can just go on and on but my idea is not to be a brand ambassador of the show. I am neither being paid to write this nor am I friends with the creator of the show. What I like about this show are the choice of participants and judges and the packaging of the show. The Channel hasn't tried to get dancers on the show but people who may or may not be able to dance. All of them are consumed with a passion to excel and to do everything to thwart elimination.
The judges are eminent. Farah Khan who follows dance like Harsha Bhogle follows Cricket, Sanjay Leela Bhansali who is, to say the least, brilliant and Shilpa Shetty our very own dancing diva. The production values of the show are top notch. Siddharta Basu's Synergy Communications has this knack of adding significant value to every production they undertake. The camera movements, the switching, the pacing of the show and the element of drama which they have mastered after Kaun Banega Crorepati are all laudable. From Quiz Time to Jhalak Dikh La Ja, Basu has transcended several genres of television programming.
Isn't it incongruous, you may ask, for a news junkie like me to take so fondly to an out and out entertainment show? The grass, they say, is always greener on the other side and that is what I guess draws me to this show. Also in the present times when the divide between news and entertainment is so rapidly shrinking that I believe to survive in the future is to adapt oneself quickly or face the risk of extinction in an increasingly competitive world.
Coming up on the other side of the break is the news. Stay tuned.
About the AuthorRajen Garabadu Rajen Garabadu is Chief Executive Producer - IBN18 Network....Read Morefirst published:October 06, 2006, 12:13 ISTlast updated:October 06, 2006, 12:13 IST
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Having been in the business of news for a decade and a year, it is unlikely for me to be associated with anything which is not news. My friends usually ask me if I sleep with my television switched to news or devour the newspaper for breakfast. They are convinced that I walk, talk and live the news. The truth is I don't. From the time I get back from work till the time I reach work, I do not sample the news.
My only connection in the interim is the newspaper which I do not spend more than half an hour on. In fact I never get to know if any news has broken or that some mistakes have appeared on air unless someone tells me about it. On my day off from work, I hardly have a clue on what's happening in the world of news and many times I am forced to watch some news programme perforce simply because my job demands me to do it.
Does this mean that I do not watch television when I get home? Negative. I do but what I watch is not what my colleagues or friends expect me to. If I tell you that my current favourite Indian television show is Jhalak Dikhla Ja, some jaws are surely expected to drop. Yes, I can't wait for Wednesday and Thursday to catch the celebrities dancing. If any of you are not aware of this show, let me explain. Jhalak Dikhla Ja is a dance show on Sony TV where celebrities have to compete with each other in a new dance form every episode.
In the current series, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ajay Jadeja, Mona Singh (of Jassi fame), Sanjeev Kapoor, Rati Agnihotri, Pooja Bedi and a few other television personalities are on their toes twice a week to outdo each other in dance movements. They are judged by a panel of studio experts represented by Farah Khan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Shilpa Shetty and also by television viewers who send in their verdict by calling or messaging on landlines and mobile phones.
What may you ask is so different about the show? Aren't there a multitude of dance shows already on Indian television. Yes, there are, but none so engaging as this. What makes this show unique is that most of the chosen participants are not dancers. In fact some of them like celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor are as far removed from dancing as Americans are to cricket.
As Kapoor confessed himself, he agreed to participate in the show because he felt this was the only way he could get himself to shed his inhibition and dance with his wife (who incidentally loves dancing). For someone like me with two distinct left feet, this was déjà vu. I admired his guts to appear on national television without the faintest idea of how to move his feet. He was eliminated in Round 3 but not before two others who left before him, and mind you both of them were former Bollywood actresses.
Ajay Jadeja is as flamboyant in his dance as he is with his batting. He enjoys his movements whether it is down the pitch or on the dance floor and you can see it on his face. It doesn't upset him if his marks are poor, he shows you why he is such a good sport. In fact Ajay has dabbled in many things apart from his cricket. He has tried his hands in a Hindi movie, he has participated in celebrity quiz contests and now he has entered the competitive world of dancing. He is never afraid to experiment and does not seem to be mind failure.
Or for that matter Mahesh Manjrekar, better known as the director of many "masala" movies, is now churning some great dance movements on this show. Never can anyone expect him to be so innovative in his dancing. He has shown how dance is not about conforming to certain rules or patterns but following your rhythm and more importantly your heart. Each week he amazes you with his take of a particular dance form and thoroughly entertains you in his 90 seconds of performance.
I can just go on and on but my idea is not to be a brand ambassador of the show. I am neither being paid to write this nor am I friends with the creator of the show. What I like about this show are the choice of participants and judges and the packaging of the show. The Channel hasn't tried to get dancers on the show but people who may or may not be able to dance. All of them are consumed with a passion to excel and to do everything to thwart elimination.
The judges are eminent. Farah Khan who follows dance like Harsha Bhogle follows Cricket, Sanjay Leela Bhansali who is, to say the least, brilliant and Shilpa Shetty our very own dancing diva. The production values of the show are top notch. Siddharta Basu's Synergy Communications has this knack of adding significant value to every production they undertake. The camera movements, the switching, the pacing of the show and the element of drama which they have mastered after Kaun Banega Crorepati are all laudable. From Quiz Time to Jhalak Dikh La Ja, Basu has transcended several genres of television programming.
Isn't it incongruous, you may ask, for a news junkie like me to take so fondly to an out and out entertainment show? The grass, they say, is always greener on the other side and that is what I guess draws me to this show. Also in the present times when the divide between news and entertainment is so rapidly shrinking that I believe to survive in the future is to adapt oneself quickly or face the risk of extinction in an increasingly competitive world.
Coming up on the other side of the break is the news. Stay tuned.
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