Finally Some brains for the Idiot Box

- By Amit Meena

The announcement of the Hindi version of internationally hit TV series ‘24’ was music to the ears of the Indian viewers who have always had to look towards the West, in their search for a visual spectacle that is as entertaining as a film but lasts longer. Still the speculations were many.

After all it’s not every day that we see such an attempt but the fact that the quintessential Anil Kapoor was going to command the show was an assuring one. The show marked the first instance of a marquee Bollywood star playing a lead role in a Television series. ‘24’ was well received by audience and critics alike and a much needed change finally started brewing on the small screen.

Indian Television has since long been grasped in the vicious clutches of Ekta Kapoor and her likes. To find a needle in a haystack would probably be easier than finding one positive aspect in the painstaking Saas-Bahu serials which have been running on Indian Television since as long as we can remember. And because the viewer didn’t really have many choices, the torture stayed.

A Film star turning to Television to anchor or judge a show and earn some quick bucks is certainly not news for the Indian audience anymore. Flip through your entertainment channels on a weekend night and you will easily find celebrity actresses -who have never sung outside their bathrooms- judging singing talents; and film directors -who can hardly shake a leg without the help of a choreographer- giving marks to dancing talents. Irony? Yes, It is.

These are primarily the reasons why, the survival and revival of the Indian Television depends a big deal on two of the greatest minds of Bollywood- Amitabh Bacchhan and Anurag Kashyap; who have come together to bring us a Television series. The presence of acclaimed actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kay Kay Menon, Sarika and Tigmanshu Dhulia; makes the affair a more promising one. Titled ‘Yuddh’, the series has already premiered on television.

Though it’s too early to judge the quality and response of the show, the Indian Television viewer only hopes that it comes out great. The success of the serial will lay the cornerstone for quality television serials in India and who knows, we might very well have our ‘Game of Thrones’ one day. It might have disappointed us for years now but looks like the Idiot Box is finally getting some brains and god are we excited.