Back in Delhi

I am totally hooked on Big Boss. I've yet to figure out why. It's a show designed to bring out the worst in people, who are not exactly angels to start with. Yet I watch it mesmerised. Maybe because it's very real. It strips people of all their masks. It's a lot like a realistic version of one of those wierd serials on TV and I am tempted to think these guys are peforming to a pre-written script but I doubt anyone could write a script that weaves in insecurities and motivations so well.

Nevertheless, pre-written script or not, it's a fascinating show. You take a bunch of wannable celebrities with mammoth egos and tons of complexes and throw them together without any other distractions. And then you see how their insecurities drive them to plot and plan, to form allegiances and realign them.

Look at the cast. There is the compulsive lover, Aryan Vaid. He desperately needs to be in love or to chase or whatever it is that he does. So he flirts with Ragini, with an eye on Anupama, and when he declares his love for Anupama, he proceeds to use Ragini to keep Anupama slightly unsure. You with me?

The guy is not smart, he is just so manipulative he gives me the creeps. He is like the male version of the malevolent Kashmira Shah, who can effortlessly spin out one deceitful maneouvre after another.

There is Rakhi, who in the middle of all of these devious souls comes across as a deer caught in the headlights. She is terribly insecure about her background and her reputation. And so she reacts. She is quite a drama queen but I don't think she is false. I believe she is largely a good kid whom nobody is willing to give a chance. There are too many references to her being "uneducated" as though being "educated" has automatically transferred sterling character to this bunch.

And, of course, since she is an item girl, the implied assumption is that she is ready to drop her pants for anyone. The usual good girl - bad girl syndrome. "Gandi sanskriti" or some such term was used by Ravi Kissen if I remember correctly. I mean the man is apparently a philanderer and a fool on top of that---which idiot would say on national media that he has a beautiful relationship with another woman and his wife understands completely; little wonder wifey came out with statements refuting all this and saying she would throw him out of the house the very next day. But he is wonderfully entertaining.

Rakhi is the only one among all of these characters who has an interesting personality, her complexes are not manufactured. Her problems are not of the "maine zindagi mein kabhi khana nahin banaya, dekho mera angootha jal gaya" variety.

I rather like her Abhishek who came on the sets of Big Boss today. He looks like a chawl boy, the boy-next-door a la Rangeela. And boy, does Rakhi's mother not like him. She seems like an awful woman--a lot like the star mummies on the make who work their daughters to the bone.

Then there is Roopali--could easily pass off as one of the passive-aggressive victim prototypes of the saas-bahu serials. Cries at the drop of a hat and makes big googo-googo eyes. No personality beyond the bambi front.

Carol-- smarter than many give her credit for. Sticks to the boys and gives all the female drama a miss.

Anupama on the other hand is very shrewd too. Politically correct. And very often, political correctness is read as decent/neutral/impartial behavior. But she's so boring. And just because she spouts all the right things doesnt mean she's not nasty or vindictive. We just don't know yet.

Deepak Tijori enjoys making people uncomfortable. Likes to throw their foibles in the air and gets away with it. For instance, he cracked that bit about Big Brother, the American original, showing participants doing naughty naughty things, when talking to Aryan and Anupama. Which, of course, riled Aryan no end. And he launched a concerted campaign to prove how pure his intentions are.

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Brinda Karat seems to have run out of issues to take up and women to save. She is now championing the cause of Saurav Ganguly! Karat, said on CNN-IBN, that Ganguly should be given another chance to be part of the Indian cricket team. I mean, ok so you are a Bong but what's that got to do with anything, babe? Let's not mix politics and cricket, for God's sake.

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Blooper of the day: CNN IBN anchor says, "CNN has been celibate"...what she was attempting to say was, "CNN has been celebrating"....har, har!

posted by Jivitha @ 10:15 AM

1 Comments:

At November 28, 2006 1:33:00 AM PST, Sharjeel said…

Hi Jivitha,

Yes, I too have been watching this soap regularly. However, have lost interest in it of late due to the fact that I normally do not like being a celebrity fan (or following anyone, for that matter). You have given a very vivid and candid description of all the characters here. I specifically like your description about Rakhi Sawant :) She has been so much in news recently, and all for not good reasons. But you have highlighted a very different side of her personality, which I really admired...