TV REVIEW
Channel surfer
By
Randeep
Wadehra
Sometimes it becomes difficult to
tell the good from the bad; especially, when one is watching TV – news or
entertainment. Like, when Madhubala Ek Junoon Ek Ishq (Colors) had
debuted, Balraj Choudhary appeared to be the ultimate villain. But Rishabh
Kundra or RK proved to be a more complicated character. He starts off as an
uncouth, sadistic character who, apart from being rude to his mother, takes it
out on the hapless Madhubala in a manner that raised the possibility of various
rights groups intervening any moment. Inexplicably, RK undergoes a change of
heart, starts romancing her and becomes very protective as well as possessive.
He even starts respecting his mom, addressing her as “maa” instead of “that
woman who gave me birth”. Just as one had begun to wonder whether the couple
would go beyond the song and dance routine with all that clichéd clasp-and-clinch
drill, RK goes back to being a baddie for no apparent reason at all. Madhubala
is devastated. Madhubala’s mother is devastated. Madhubala’s half-sister is …
no not exactly devastated, but teary eyed enough for one to forgive her past
jealousy-ridden outbursts against Madhubala. Last see, a tipsy RK and a woozy
Madhubala were getting all mushy and penitent. If you find this confusing, you
have apparently not reckoned with our news channels’ ability to confound all
confusion.
One expects TV news to provide
bloomer-free information and a clear perspective on different incidents and
events. But things don’t really work out that way; even as banners, tickertapes
and occasional balloons on various channels clearly spelled out Dilsukhnagar as
the site of February 21 blasts many reporters and anchors preferred to call it
Dilkhushnagar. It took them more than twenty-four hours to pronounce the name
correctly. Nitpicking apart, the Home Minister added to the confusion by giving
conflicting info on whether an intel input / advisory was given vis-à-vis the
terrorist attack. The tragedy could have been avoided; or, could it? Experts on
different talk shows held different views. Then there were reports of the
missing CCTV footage. Was it the terrorists’ doing or sheer incompetence of
security agencies? Even as some anchors were berating the gaffe, the footage
surfaced miraculously. Bemusing? Not really, there were more than one CCTV
cameras in the area installed. So, the breast-beating was premature. Or was it?
Apparently, confusion had overwhelmed the TV news wallahs.
Were the commissions paid for the
Agusta-Westland deal bribes, or merely unofficial but routine sweeteners for the
services rendered? Was the chopper’s quality compromised? More importantly, was
the country’s security compromised? The answers to the last two questions were
negative by consensus. The chopper is top quality, said one expert. It was not
meant for the armed forces, said another. So, why the hue and cry? Because, it
is not right to pay commissions for such deals – was the almost unanimous
verdict on all talk shows across the channels. So, who got away with the gravy?
There was a lot of finger pointing on this issue till the finger of suspicion
stopped at the Tyagis. Are they the real culprits? Only time will tell, but a
former defense minister has already given clean chit to the former IAF chief.
This, even before the JPC has even been formed! Confusing? Then sort this out:
the UPA is keen on the JPC probe whereas the Opposition is opposing it tooth
and nail. Why?
NDTV’s Prannoy Roy’s riveting
run-up to the budget in the company of Amartya Sen and Montek Singh Ahluwalia
only accentuated the mediocrity of the mainstream TV discourse on the two
budgets. Was the railway budget populist or elitist? Is the general budget a success
or a damp squib? Progressive or regressive? Development oriented or populist?
If you are searching for answers on our news TV talk shows, here, have some
nuts. Better still, go back to watching Madhubala…
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