New on the tube !!!!

So after a long break from blogging, I am back !!!!

Now normally, I am not your regular TV watcher. The only times I switch on the TV is a). when there is a match on b) catching up on some news and c) going through the latest movie trailers. For anything else, there is neither the time nor the inclination (more of the former ;-). Also I cant watch a movie on TV with the endless breaks in between... But lately, there are a couple of shows that have caught my fancy and have actually made me sit in front of the idiot box for a length of time. Not entirely surprisingly, both of them are on a song n dance... essential ingredients of life ;-)

The first one is the popular celebrity dance show 'Jhalak Dikhala Jaa' on Sony. (for ppl who are not aware, this is a show in which celebrities, not neccessarily from the entertainment sector, team up with a choreographer and present a series of various dance forms to the tune of popular Hindi numbers. At the end, one of them is judged the winner). So you have ppl like Ajay Jadeja, Sanjeev Kapoor (yes, the chef !!), Mahesh Manjrekar etc all trying their hand at shaking a leg ;).. and boy, some of them do perform. For me, the best part of the show is the high levels of performance put in by the celebrities. Take Ajay for example. Though he was always fleet-footed at the crease, he appears very much at home here. The best part of it is the wide smile on his face while dancing. IMO, it is very important that you
smile your way through what is perceived to be a physically demanding activity. And Ajay does it really well. Ditto for Mahesh. Now its down to the semi-finals with Mahesh, Mona Singh a.k.a. Jassi and Shveta Salve (dont ask me where does she come from :-) left to do battle. May the best (and the happiest) win !!!

The other show is a new singing talent search. But for once, this is in Marathi. Talent hunt shows in Hindi are dime a dozen, so its really heartening to see Zee Marathi come up with a talent show in Marathi (Idea Sa Re Ga Ma Pa !!). Hosted by the ever lovely Pallavi Joshi, this provides a great platform for upcoming talent in regional languages (I guess they have similar shows in other states). For once, it sensitizes me to the great treasure that is Marathi music. I, as with most of my generation, have been guilty of neglecting it at the cost of Bollywood and Western music. And some of the performances are excellent. There was one show in the past where the judges had to select one of two contestants. And both of them were so damn good, they had to hold 3 additional rounds just to find the ever-so-slight difference between the two (and were left tearing their hair). All in all, it makes for great hearing.

So, these two shows, not to mention the Champions Trophy, ensure that more of my time is spent on the couch with the TV in front. Till the next, Ciao !!!!..