A Wedding Suit
There’s something about matrimony these days that keeps taking people to court allthe time. Falling in line with the trend is Sony TV’s forthcoming prime-timeattraction, Shubh Vivaah. The reality show, where those who haven’t found a mate atthe bus stand will possibly find one in the studio, is being anchored by Madhuri Dixit andscheduled to go on air in October. The trouble is that a production house claims that Sonyhas stolen their concept. Taal India’s Urmila Gupta says that in 1997 she had takenthe idea to Sony. Though the channel liked the concept and gave a written commitment, itdidn’t move on it for long. So Taal went ahead and approached DD which, surprisingly,got down to business fast. It announced a show called Swayamvar anchored by Vinod Khanna to be aired by the end of this year. The next thing Taal knew was that Sony too hadannounced Shubh Vivaah. "We took the concept to them," says Gupta, "andthey have made a show without us. So we have taken them to court." Sony’sprogramming chief Rekha Nigam argues: "How can a match-making concept bepatented?" Ironically, Sony’s press release has quoted Madhuri as saying,"What attracted me to Shubh Vivaah was the uniqueness of the concept." FormerChannel V head Mahesh Murthy says that Sony has a habit of pinching ideas. "We faceda similar problem with Udham Singh’s character. They pinched the icon. Even Star TVhad hired a lawyer and almost sued Sony for infringing into KBC’s copyrights, throughJeeto Chappar Phaad Ke, but then dropped the idea." One hopes justice will be donenow, before the couples in the game acquire dentures.
Manu Joseph
Fitting Tribute
In his short life, lensman Pradeep Bhatia documented India in all its shades—fromdance festivals in the monastries in the Lahaul valley to capturing the mountains in KuariPass and Chandra Tal and other places in all their glory. A range of his work is ondisplay at Pradeep—A Photographic Travel Show. Organised by the Pradeep BhatiaMemorial Trust, the exhibition, on view till October 8 in the Capital’s Lalit KalaAkademi, is aimed to raise a collective voice of protest against militancy. It is alsoscheduled to travel to Bombay, Bangalore and Calcutta.
Kitsch and Kink
It’s so much fun, says Sterre Sharma, one of Amethi’s many phoren bahus, of herobsession of painting trunks, padlocks, almirahs, and just about any surface available.The latest of these she’s showing at Delhi’s Gallery 42, a smallish gallery thatshe describes as "storeroom-like" and thus perfect for her theme: Just for Fun.But what’s funnier is a painting called Wild Woman—a Maggi-noodle haired,regulation white kangresi khadi-clad sipping a cuppa. The woman’s "vibratinghair" twirl to form a bird nest on her shoulder even as she grins like someonewho’s just been given a Cabinet berth. Not a far-fetched analogy considering the WildWoman looks curiously a lot like our very own picture of volatility, Mamata Banerjee."Any smart person would be able to see what I am trying to say," says awickedly-humoured Sterre. What remains to be seen is whether the Big Di would get thejoke.
Dhiraj Singh
Role Model
He’s once again getting rave reviews for doing what he does best—taking potshots at one and all. This time, Shatrughan Sinha’s getting accolades for hislengthy, tongue-in-cheek monologue that flags off his debut play, Pati, Patni aur Main. Pun is fun, he maintains, though he swears he’s not using it to air personal grudges.Now he is ready to take the show round the globe, simplifying the language for audiences abroad. But in the wake of the NY disaster, the US and Pakistan stopovers will now have to be deferred as the troupe sets off for less-happening places like Davos in Switzerland. There’s more. Sinha’s already finalising an anti-terrorism, pro-communal harmony play in English along with director Ramesh Talwar. For a global audience, of course.
Charubala Annuncio
Trash Of The Fortnight
Bold theme, bad film. Ajnabee goes down in the manner of other Bollywood experiments withinsolence. It tries to weave wife-swapping in the thriller format but ends up botchingboth the excitement and the suspense. There’s no threading, the script looks morelike a flat slab of slate. Akshay and Bobby partner Bipasha and Kareena somewhere inSwitzerland till Bipasha is found dead with Bobby sleeping next to her. Earlier, thecouples were friends till Akshay came up with the idea of ‘changing husbands’for a night. Now, why did he have to move his fingers across to make a silly adla badlisign? Then it turned out that wife-swapping was just a ploy. But by then you are wondering about the logic of it all; why go to so much length to build a murder mystery with Hitchcock-type nuances when you can’t do it? Why not make a straight Soldier-typethriller which really titillates?
Amaresh Misra
