Prasanna's blog

Worst counting day coverage on TV by NDTV

2009-05-19T17:07:00.003+05:30

'And The Winner is'..

That's what NDTV had named their counting say continuous analysis program.
The winner is Dr. Manmohan Singh but the looser for sure is none other than NDTV.

I switched on the tv at 6 on counting day.
I wanted to get glued to NDTV. Cause the build up was just fantastic what with 'The Buck Stops Here' and '9 o'clock session by Dr. Pranav Roy'.

But I must say I am extremely disappointed with the way the program was run.
Free discussion with Vir / Shekhar Gupta along with the guests was a fine idea but that didn't happen..
It instead looked like some group discussion round of interview.
In fact it's such a treat watching and listening to Vir but most of the times he had to sit idle while the annoying Shekhar on the other hand kept interrupting the others' talks intermittently.
Vir being the gentleman that he is never did that. So kudos to him.

And the huge plasma screen that they had put up in that 'studio' showed terrains of India.. Chuck.. Can't stop laughing...
Whoever gave that ideas to these people.. What you wanted is a plain and simple map of India and not mountain ranges and greenery and bridges.. You could hardly see the hands / lotuses.. I am still laughing..
When one of the experts : Vikram / Pranav / Vishnu went to that screen and started saying something the others started talking among themselves.. There by negating whatever the screen guy was saying.. Hello.. Wasn't this supposed to be the best program to be aired in the last five years on the best English news channel in India...?
Just imagine this happening : Barkha gets a call in the middle of some discussion and she answers the call on air.. In front of camera.. And then tells everyone, on air, that she got a call from Varun Gandhi asking her and NDTV to publish news about her mom's win.. Amusing to say the least..
And where was viewers' involvement? No caller/ no sms...?
As for other programs, as always Arnab's was very close to reality and true to heart. Some brilliant discussions and very little chaos too.
But Rajdeep's program was simply perfect.
There were guests in these two programs too but it wasn't extremely chaotic like NDTV. It takes only a Rajdeep to bring the panel back to order and ALWAYS put the viewers' interests on a highest priority.
Hope things will change by next election.
Please let me know by writing in comments section if you experienced the same or how?

Guys, grow up...

2009-01-25T18:59:00.009+05:30

Other day, my friend - 'AD' forwarded a mail which was titled as (withot any changes) :

Why times of india is so excited for OBAMA!!!Does OBAMA give it some money!!!!!

The purpose of this post will be greatly served if the guy who sent that email in the first place gets to read this.

So, this is what I have to say :

There can't be a better example of cynism and narrow mindedness if someone thinks TOI is being paid by Obama.

If Obama is getting this much of publicity and adulation from Indian media then the cynicists should tell themselves that probably he deserves it.

I don't work for TOI but come to think of it, what would one want to read on the front page of TOI when the world's most powerful and the oldest democracy witnesses shift of power (and that too a landmark one what with a African-American President) ? News and pictures of Obama and his wife or the same brickbatting about fuel price hike / rape / murder / dirty political games played by age old Indian politicians?

In fact we (every one who reads TOI on a daily basis) must be thankful to TOI for having brought the news with pictures of latest developments in Washington. Or else how are people in India (who don't have access to tv) supposed to get to know the glitter and admiration with which the people of a country which is one of the world's richest, welcomes the new president to his seat of power and to his official residence?

As for the oaths of Indian PM and President, is there anything different? They read out the pledge with the most boring tone and voice and forget about it and get on with regular life. I am disgusted with Indian politicians to say the least. None yes none of the current politicians speak on his / her own at a ceremony. They need a well prepared speech which they read out like a 3rd standard student would read out being afraid of punishment.

There are a lot of things to be learnt and understood by us Indians about America if we want to be like America (BTW our ex president wants us to be a developed country -like America -by 2020) because America is not just a country, but it is an idea.

One should have a big heart to appreciate the fact that smooth transition of power is a compulsory part of democracy in that country.

It has a proper procedure. I didn't know that in the US, as a part of democratic procedure, the ex-president is seen off at the helicopter by the newly elected one soon after the presidential luncheon after the inauguration. My GK has only grown after reading this in TOI and if someone thinks TOI has done a mistake by writing about Obama and the US then he wants us Indians to remain oblivious about the way democracy functions in the developed countries.

If there are people who want to discourage the media that brings news and views about the US then it's unfortunate and we need to grow up before we are called 3rd world country and India - chauvinists..

Rosesh Sarabhai. Dubbed voice?!

2008-09-24T01:06:00.002+05:30

I just watched 'lady plumber' episode of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. I guess
this is the third time I watched it. As with all episodes I enjoyed it
throughly. If you are out of touch, the episodes of old seasons are
aired on Star One on week nights.

The timings are kinda wierd. On Mondays and Tuesdays one has to wait
till midnight. But the wait is always worth it. And on Wed and
Thursdays it's shown at 10.30. For me it's like a daily dose of
comedy. I look forward to it all day. Those of you who have been
following this blog from beginning would know that.

The pleasure is a little hurt these days. Anyone who has liked this
sitcom would remember the child-like voice of pampered Rosesh. After
watching the last couple of episodes I can confidently say that the
famed voice has been tampered with. I get a feel the artist must be
wanting to get out of the image of a childly voice and the channel
must have obliged his request.

This is for sure not a good news for die hard fans of svs. There are
so many episodes that are extremely hilarious only because of Rosesh's
character and of course his voice. Like the one in which he makes an
attempt to do a shoot for some commercial. And the one in which he's
kidnapped. I cant imagine watching them again in this changed voice. I
wag hoping stupendous popularity would encourage the channel to shoot
one more season but this is a step backward.

Hope better sense prevails.

Rock On!!

2008-09-02T18:53:00.001+05:30

(Don't worry there are no spoilers!!)
So Close.. But still so far...

This could have gone down as one of the most sought after movies in the history of Indian cinema.
We Indian cine-goers would have been blessed with a path breaking kinda movie in the form of Rock On!!
But it just misses the bus.

To put it in the simplest of the words, I liked the movie but..
Yeah, it comes with a but.
..but it could have been a much much better movie.

Every frame and sequence starts off great but then becomes dull thereby loosing the potential of making a great impact on the audience.
There are quite a few dull moments in the movie in the middle of rocking songs especially in the 1st half.
The two stories (One current and one from the past) go on together for more time than necessary.

Let's talk about the good things too :
The music is - yeah - rocking!

-- While Meri Laundry ka bill is hip and rocking, Sinbad Sikandar gives out the
message that one should follow his / her dream and should not give up.
-- And Tum ho to is just awesome. What melody and what lyrics. Beautiful.
-- Other songs like Tumhari meri baatein are nice soft melodies.
-- And Rock On, the title song rocks like anything.
-- Remember the climax sequence in Lakshya? (Hrithik Roshan climbs the hill)
-- The background music piece of that scene is used here for this song.
-- It just rocks.

Subject of the movie is new. A very good break from the 'jane tu.. kinda crap'.
Has a good message for the society.

This is what probably went wrong :
Farhan Akhtar chose a wrong movie to let someone else direct a movie he wrote / produced.
He could have done more justice to this movie as a director than as the lead actor.
He could have chosen Amir Khan / SRK to play the lead role instead.

All in all, I believe Farhan Akhtar has done a great job as an actor though he has no experience of it.

A very good movie just falling short of being GREAT.
--
-[P]-
kaprasanna.blogspot.com

Legitimate Buyer

2008-09-01T15:30:00.000+05:30

Feeling very good over the last 4 days.
Watched a movie on Saturday : Rock On!! (Bought legitimate tickets)
Liked the music of the movie.
Straight away headed to music store.
Bought a cd.
Could have downloaded or asked some friend to send across a zip.
Feels really good to listen to the music I have BOUGHT!

The goodness of the feeling is for being able to appreciate the hard work put on by the young minds.
Is also in expectations that it will encourage them to come up with more good work in the future!
But above all, it is the effect of the movie!

My review of the movie will follow very soon on the blog.

2008-03-10T11:19:00.001+05:30

WEEKEND TUBEAWATCH 10-03-2008

K for Kishore
I make it a point to watch this show for couple of reasons. One, for a change, I get to listen to old melodies (watching performances is actually just an after thought). Two, the judges (with due respect to each of them) at times, act funny!
This time, the two episodes were good. Definitely better than the previous ones (Filmfare special which according to me was a disaster as the organizers messed up the show by choosing wrong singers for right songs!!).
So, this time they got Javed Akhtar as a special judge. I thought a knowledgeable person like him was missing from this show. I just hope he’ll be back in next episodes as well. Nagesh’s remarks were just and to the point. I sometimes fear if his presence, his mannerisms and his immaculate pronunciations would put some extra, unwanted pressure on the contestants. Bappi plugging in his song and singing it himself (!) was something I’d like to forget asap. The highlight of the show of course was Rex deciding to quit and ending his miseries once and for all. But I guess I’ll miss him in coming episodes. Let’s hope this show will bring the best out of the remaining contestants and we get to listen to some of the finest songs of the legendary Kishore.

Khoobsoorat.
For a change, better sense has prevailed and SAB tv guys have been showing some of the finest retro Hindi Movies during weekend. I got to watch none other than Golmaal last week and this week Khoobsoorat. I don’t think I’ll ever be bored of watching these movies in spite of having watched several times. About khoobsoorat, well, words fall short if I start to praise. Its one of very few real gemstones found in sands of boolywood. The spontaneity Rekha has exhibited in this movie is just unmatched. Actually we Indians should be thankful to the man called Hrishikesh Mukharjee who made such nice and ‘honest’ movies. I’d in fact say these movies are like halwa or gulab jamun movies. Can’t imagine how life would have been without these 

Women’s tennis Bangalore open.
I feel I missed a couple of opportunities of witnessing live performances this weekend. First is the live concert involving BalMurliKrishna, L Subramaniam and Pandit HariPrasad Chaurasia. In actuality I hardly understand classical music but from what I read in the newspapers, it was a jugalbandi and I don’t think one needs to be a connoisseur of classical music to understand (read enjoy) that
The other live performances I missed out on are the semi finals and final of women’s tennis tournament that took place at KSLTA. But I happened to watch all the action live on tv.
So, star sports guys have done a great job. I must say I am impressed with them. The experience of watching tennis on tv was nothing short of any grand slam or any other overseas WTA tour’s live action. For the organizers, there are many things that they can (I mean they must) improve. First is about the ball boys. They are slow on the court. Movement of people on the court must be restricted. I saw some strange fellow appearing from no where on court and clicking pictures of the winner immediately after the final. I mean that is ridiculous. Then the organization of felicitation program was a complete disaster. I think Vijay Amritraj forgot that he is the master of ceremony at the end of a tennis tournament and not cricket. He started interviewing the winner and the runner-up just as in cricket! As I understand, in all the grand slams, the mike is handed over to the runner-up as well as winner to say whatever they want to say to the spectators, fans and to people watching on tv. And to top it all, he missed out announcement of the prize! Anyways, I’m sure as years go by and Bangalore open grows in popularity, even Vijay will improve.

ICL.
Looks like this time these guys have decided to put up a good show. The first correct step they have taken is to broadcast it live on ten sports which is a much established sports channel than ‘in-house’ Zee sports. The first match was as much entertaining as much ICL guys had promised in the newspaper on Sunday. One thing that should improve is the presence of crowd in the stadium. I mean players (in their prime or otherwise) do not want to play for empty chairs. They deserve some applauses and encouragement. Besides, they are assured of spicy live entertainment by bollywood’s leading actresses. All said and done, a t-20 match everyday seems like, a bit too much. Can’t imagine what’s going to happen when IPL hits us in April. I wonder how stadia get full house crowd in Europe to watch soccer matches almost every other day. I guess its time for us to increase our cricket appetite.

Sarabhai vs Sarabhai

2008-02-28T17:38:00.000+05:30

All through this week, have noticed Star One showing snippets o

All through this week, have noticed Star One showing snippets of a new game show: something-something-cash. I don’t have any problem with the game show irrespective of whatever is the ultimate motto behind having it. But there is a reason for me and I am sure, for many like me, who used to look forward to watching something that was extremely special, than what has been put on us instead: yet another reality / game show.

Yes, I am talking about Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai. Looks like, Star one has decided not to continue the immensely popular sitcom - at least not during prime time. It’s a pity that such a special show will have to make way for nothing but a game show.

For me, svs was not just a ‘serial’ or ‘soap’. It was much more than that. Any person who understands the importance of money and also appreciates class would have fallen in love with this show just as I did.

Actually, after having watched many episodes of svs, I am still to come to terms to the fact that this is an Indian show. Like all famous and hugely popular sitcoms in the west, every show of svs has had a nice beginning that sets up the mood for that episode, a precise middle that keeps you thinking and a happy ending that leaves you asking for more. I actually fall short of words while appreciating the work of the show’s director. He has made sure; it won’t take much time even for a new viewer to get familiar with each character. And he has done that in every single show. The fact that the story of the day is never obvious or predictable made watching it even more special. One more important aspect which might be again similar to western shows is that, there are very few characters. And the artists have done an amazing job of keeping the true nature of each character alive irrespective of the issue of the day. Earlier I used to say to my close ones it’s impossible to imagine this show without Ratna Pathak Shah. But I was wrong. Every artist has performed so well you can’t replace any one – can’t even think of it.

For a person who works all day, faces real tensions of life, like commute, work, quality of food, arguments with boss, deadlines, kids, emis, (and many more); svs was like a blessing for him. It was like an assured oasis to be found every night along life’s journey in the deserts of sadness, turmoil and chaos.

Maya’s sophistication and various ways of adding adjectives to the world middleclass, Monisha’s innocence, Rosesh’s pronunciation of ‘Momma’ and of course his poems, Indravadan’s meticulous balancing act of being both a debonair and down to earth, Dushyant’s ways of explaining the technical problems of appliances, and Sahil’s appreciation of innocence and also being in his own class are the things that I am going to miss from this show.

Whether or not svs will continue, ‘sweet and hilarious subtleties and the side effects of royalty meeting down to earth’ will keep haunting me for a long time to come. Hopefully, better sense will prevail and svs will retain its prime time slot.

Tubewatch

2008-02-26T14:23:00.000+05:30

HOME MINISTER AND ADESH BANDEKAR
Have been watching 'Home Minister' on Zee marathi off late. Just when I started getting a feel that the show was getting obvious and predictable, the format of the 'game-show' was changed by Adesh Bandekar and company. Though I am not very impressed by the latest format, it's surely better than the earlier shows. Not long ago, Vainys had to touch some piece of article in the house, blind folded (one Vainy had to turn on the water tap:-)!!). Now, Bandekar has come up with an additional prize. That's appreciable. Kudos. The way, Bandekar says 'wish karo Dish karo' is; I guess wrong. From what I have heard in Shaharukh's ads, it is 'Thoda aur wish karo.. Dish karo'.
In yesterday's show he took a little time off from the regular drill, to appreciate the innocence with which Vainy accepted that she is bhandkhor.. That was really good from Adesh. But one thing that doesn't go well with me of him is, he repeats what is said by Vainy or husband as a question. Like for example, he asks Vainy, how the marriage happened. She replies : Hyanchya mitrane jamavala. Then he repeats the same line as if he is asking a question expecting all to laugh. (And people around them literally laugh!!) That doesn't really sound good. It is not humorous at all. In fact, it is sometimes insulting to the hosts! So, probably, there is something for him to work on. Also, to decide the winner of dish tv, Bandekar asks a question : 'what is the wish of husband'. Now, the couples don't have to learn rocket science to decide in advance as to what would be 'the winning' wish among themselves. From then on, its all a matter of raising the hand faster. Instead, he could probably ask, wish related questions (after getting to know the true wish from Husband) like : what is husband's career / tourism / property related wish and so on.. That'll make the contest more interesting. Anyways, hopefully, he touches every single village, town, city of Maharshtra soon.