Channel surfer
By
Randeep
Wadehra
Semantic similarity apart, reality
shows are different from real life TV shows. The former are scripted while the
latter’s progression depends upon impromptu interactions among several elements.
However, there are some we would like to watch and others we would rather
avoid. Like, one wouldn’t like to see a child (Mahi) suffocate to death by
falling into an uncovered bore-well or the youth (Roshan) drown in an
unprotected well; one would prefer to avoid watching any human life go waste
like it happened in the Mantralaya fire in which two perished along with,
allegedly, the Adarsh Scam files. These tragedies were avoidable – if only the
concerned authorities had been true to their calling. The news channels did the
right thing by unwaveringly focusing on the three tragedies and their root
causes.
Happily, there are real life
shows that make TV watching such a pleasure. Leaving in its wake thrills,
controversies and surprises, the UEFA Euro Football Cup (Neo Prime), the
grandest show of the year’s first half, is over – the second half will unfold
the truly greatest show on earth, viz., the Olympics (27 July to 12 August). The
football players scripted it on field. Their speed, stamina, skill and strength
generated thrills that didn’t need enhancement through special audio-video
effects. One enjoyed the awesome bicycle-kick by Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic
that sent the ball crashing into the French goal, and Rooney’s (England) header
against Ukraine. Moreover, who will ever forget Ronaldo’s (Portugal) two goals
against the Dutch team which demonstrated his zeal as much as his artistry? Then
there were surprises like Greece beating Russia and Denmark upsetting the
Dutch. One of the most thrilling matches was Portugal versus Denmark which the
former won. There were no on-field Zinedine-style head butts or Maradonasque
‘Hand of God’ goals but the Ukrainians were distinctly unlucky when their goal
against England was not allowed in Donetsk as Marko Devic's shot appeared to
cross England's goal line before it was cleared by John Terry. But, would the
FIFA President, Sepp Blatter’s averment on the NDTV’s Battle for Europe about
introducing goal line technology to resolve such controversies in future help
or hinder the game?
Currently two new reality shows
are gathering momentum on TV. While watching some of the episodes of The Indian
Idol-6 (Sony) one wondered whether it was time to replace the old masala
with something better. You repeatedly see the same set-piece situation – a
young aspirant performs in all earnestness; the judges create artificial
suspense before giving the green signal that sends him/her into frantic ground
kissing-feet touching-air punching spree. However, Asha Bhosle’s arrival since
June 23 has added gravitas to the proceedings.
The longish curtain raiser to Jhalak
Dikhlaja (Colors) did not deter diehard fans from sitting through the
proceedings stretching well past midnight. Cricketers, actors, choreographers
and dancers boogied effortlessly; the glam quotient was ratcheted up by Madhuri
Dixit’s presence, with Karan Johar and Remo D’ Souza in supporting roles.
However, there is really nothing stunningly new about the content so far. Creativity
is about inventing and innovating; dance and music are no exceptions.
PS: Purno Sangma asserted in The Devil’s Advocate (CNN-IBN)
that he would defeat Pranab Mukherjee in the coming Presidential elections; time
for the reality check?
Published in The Tribune dated July 08, 2012
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