Watch list

Hotel Mumbai - Dev Patel, Anupam Kher. A fictionalised account of the horrific Mumbai bombings, which concentrates on the Taj Palace hotel attacks. Very gripping and well done. There was some amalgamation of stories from other attack sites, woven into the narrative and reset in the Taj hotel. The narrative brought out how the youth are completely brainwashed into carrying out acts which are actually against their religion, and also firmly declared that Pakistan was behind the terror attacks, as acknowledged by Pakistan itself. Also brought out how how idiotic brainless treacherous so-called 'journalists' worked as traitors for India by broadcasting the plans for bringing down the attackers, thereby warning them and causing more hostage deaths. Those so-called journalists should be tried for treason. Maybe then their true faces will be revealed.

Acting was brilliant all through. A good watch ... disturbing and gripping ... and sobering, as one reflects that the movie is based on true facts.

Side note - watched this in the hall, saw Sanaya's Vicco ad on the big screen :) Looks like while Sanaya waits for a good break on the web platform, she will be doing ads on the side. My interest in following her career, or what's left of it, is dwindling rapidly. Not blaming her too much for not wanting to do TV ... Indian tv has gone down the tubes and there is really nothing worth watching currently. I continue to watch Tara and Mere Dad ki Dulhan, mainly out of habit, not really interest. Although I like Varun Badola, his character is quite obnoxious at the moment ... I am enjoying Shweta Tiwari ... she is a very good actress, and her character is very sweet.

Started watching Out of Love on Hotstar ... a HS original, based on Dr Foster, which I haven't watched. Quite a dark show ... have just watched the first episode ... will update as I watch more. Rasika Duggal is excellent as the paranoid suspicious wife ... the rest of the cast is decent ... she has the lion's share of screen space and acting ... and is doing a very good job so far. 

Intezaar ... and Ghost

Intezaar - music video,
Singers Arijit Singh, Asees Kaur
Featuring Sanaya Irani, Gurmeet Chaudhary
Written By Mithoon
Directed by Arif Khan
Presented by Mohit Suri & Vyrl

Beautiful song, beautiful lyrics, good direction, great acting and dancing. So good to see Sanaya on screen again, doing what she does best - acting, emoting, dancing ... she is good in all three. Story woven into the song, a story of love, pain, jealousy, betrayal, anguish, heartbreak ... told in a few short minutes ... emoted beautifully by the two actors. Both are such good actors ... their eyes emoted without words ... the first time watch, I didn't even hear the song ... the story was told through their eyes and expressions. Great onscreen chemistry ... Sanaya somehow manages to have great chemistry with almost all her costars. 

The second half of the video, when the song changes pitch, was beautifully shot ... past and present juxtaposed swiftly and smoothly ... scenes of the buildup and the denouement barely one second long, cutting from one to the other as the music soars ... the effect was brilliant ... an explosion of emotion ... and then a gentle ebbing as they both realise what they had and lost ... and come to terms with ... a love story without a happy ending. Both neither right or wrong ... just not meant to be. 

I liked her previous music video, Main Jaandiyan ... sung by Neha Bhasin ... this one is even better.

Edited: The short video tells a very intense story ... inspired me to write on it. 

If you watch the new music video Intezaar, it's from the man's point of view. A relationship gone sour, love changed to bickering, fights ... bitterness and recriminations ... and break down of the bond they shared ...
But he still waits ... she is still the love of his life ... He remembers the love, the shared laughter, the shared tears, the togetherness ... And then he remembers the fights ... with regret? The video doesn't make that clear. What is apparent though, is that he is not over her ... his wait continues.
And then he sees her with another man. She has moved on. So his wait will continue ... the lyrics say ... maybe another life, another time, another birth ... but he will wait for her.

From her point of view? She has moved on. She remembers too ... she remembers the shared moments, good and bad ... she remembers both. But finally the bad were more than the good ... she had enough ... the relationship broke ...
And she moved on.
She has a new life. A new man. A new relationship. She is happy in her new life ... the video indicates.
But she hasn't forgotten him. She also remembers the times they shared ... the good and the bad.
Maybe she looks back at 'them', at what they were ... with regret. Maybe not. Maybe it's now just a memory for her. A bittersweet memory ... she does remember the good times ... but she remembers the fights more.
And maybe she doesn't have regrets. Or not as many as he does. It seems it was easier for her to move on. It's not that she hates him ... if anything, time seems to have mellowed the bitterness, softened the tension ... so she can look back through a soft curtain of time, a gentle filter that has softened the sharp edges ... the picture is no more all dark ... there is some light among the shadows.
She remembers ... with some fondness, maybe wistfulness ... for what could have been. But not with regret.
She has moved on.
They were at one time ... but no longer.
Two people ... they don't have to be all right or all wrong ... or one right and one wrong. They both could be right in their individual places. But the places they came from were incompatible ... their paths were parallel for a time,but never quite met. They never quite walked the same path.

And so ... at some time ... the paths had to diverge.

She remembers him ... with sadness, with fondness, with wistfulness.

But she has moved on.

The song was apparently written for Aashiqui 2, but never used. So now it's been brought out as a single.

Edited to add ... Ghost released on 18th October ... sank pretty much as expected, though it did reach the Rs 2 cr mark, to my surprise. The movie was not trashed ... and Sanaya got good reviews, whatever few reviews there were. Her character does intrigue me, from the few reports of the story that are available ... so will try to catch it when it appears on some online platform. 

Indian Idol 11

After a long time, felt like making a post.

Just started watching Indian Idol 11. Watched the audition rounds the last couple of weekends,and the contestants caught my interest enough to continue watching this weekend, the so-labelled Great Grand premiere episode.

I have to say, this crop of Indian Idol singers is superb. I didn't envy the judges their task the last few weeks of whittling the contestants down to 15, and I don't envy them their job in the weeks ahead. It will be made easier for them by the public voting, of course.
Apparently some singers have been in other reality shows too, which probably accounts for how good they are, they’re not all raw.

One thing that annoyed me ... there are just five girls in the top fifteen. Come on, judges, you couldn't find six or seven girls good enough?!

What really annoyed me even more though, was that Anu Malik is back as judge after all the allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Sony packed him off last year ... why did they not stick to their guns and get someone else this year.

Saturday -

KK - was brilliant. Got the stage and the atmosphere rocking.

Adris - Naina thug lenge ... beautifully sung, soulful and with depth.

Rohit - is apparently a singer in Marathi films, wants to make a mark in Bollywood. Jee Karda ... Anu Malik stood on the table to applaud him, I felt he was okay, maybe I didn’t like the song so much. The original singer, Divya Kumar was there to support him, he sang the song much better.

Asmat Hussain - qawwali 'Aaya tere dar pe deewana'. Apparently Asmat took past in some reality show as a child, then lost his way the last few years, including drugs. He has just got back to his music. Took courage for him to confront and accept his shortcomings, his mistakes, and that too in public ... and find his way back. Kudos to him for that.

Sunny ... the boot polish boy, I don’t like to refer to him as that, but I really can’t believe that without any training, this boy sings the way he does. Yeh jo halka halka suroor hai ... he is raw, yes ... he could do with some polishing, yes ... but the raw talent this boy has, is just amazing. I hope even if he doesn't win the show, he gets picked up and mentored by one of the composers or classical singers. His voice, with a little bit of training, would be fabulous.

Rhythm/Ridham ... jhoom barabar jhoom ... I like his voice, it’s softer and more mellow than some of the other male singers who tend to get a little screechy especially in high notes.

Sunday

Rishabh ... the poor little rich boy. Afghan jalebi ... haven’t really heard the song before, although I’ve heard of it. Not bad, and he sang it well,, good stage presence. As he himself said, for the first time in his life, he has to work for something ... his parents can't buy it for him. And that will be his first own earning. Hence the hard work he is obviously putting in.

Nidhi Kumari ... aisa lagta hai, jo na hua hai ... from Refugee. Very sweet soft melodious song, sung well. Good jugalbandhi between the singer and the flutist. Not many variations added by the singer ...
if she wants to stay long, she will need to do more.
I had not heard her during the auditions.


Jannabi ... good performer ... make that, excellent performer ... her Humma humma brought the stage to life. I like her personality too. Again, she needs to work on her vocals, but her stage presence is excellent.

Shubhodeep ... I always like singers with a classical base ... he is no exception. Loved the taans he added at the end. The song Mitwa is a favourite with most reality show singers ... he sang it very well, exploding into brilliance at the end. Agree with Vishal, that a singer like  him is needed to attract the young back to classical music ... and most good singers have a classical base.

Chetna  ... hungama ho gaya ... the second girl ... good strong voice again. Very expressive voice, and she used it well to bring the song to life.

Chelsea ... the youngest at 14 years of age. Sings very well for her age. Jaanejaan oh meri jaanejaan ... an older song, lively and fun. Not yet mature enough to add too many of her own variations ... but very good and confident for her age.

Shahzan ... Ishqe di chaashni ... another singer with a good sweet melodious voice. Sang with expression ... liked him.

Stutee ... Kabhi neem neem kabhi shahad shahad ... started off a little shaky ... then stabilised. Soft lyrical voice ... again very expressive ... brought a lot of expression into her voice. Voice not as strong as a couple of the other girls, but sweet.

Pallav ... aaj din chadaya ... another good singer ... not too many theatrics or dramatics ... just a soft sweet song, sung sweetly ... then took off into gentle rolling aalaps ... could have been half note higher, as the judges said ... would have made a difference to the performance.

All in all a good start. They need to balance the episodes out ... six singers on the first day and nine the second day ... seriously, counting karo toh! ... and cut out the drama. The extra guests were annoying ... it would be more fun to show more BTS videos of the singers rather than bring in a fawning mother (last season it was Dadi) or the cross dressing actors of the Kapil show. I liked the little BTS of Rishab taking some of the other boys for an outing to the club and swimming pool, places they had never been before ... and the fun video of the banana honey mask for Chelsea ...

Aditya Narayan has obviously been given the brief to flirt with Neha a la Manish Paul of last year's Indian Idol... he's not a natural like Manish was,  though ... he's too sweet and boyish, Manish had that required wicked charm, and was all man ... Aditya is still a kid!

BARC Ratings - Apr 25 - week 16

Salil's tweets

#TVRising - #Top5 Shows (#Week16): 1. #TheKapilSharmaShow 2. #KumkumBhagya / #SuperDancerChapter3 3. #KundaliBhagya / #Naagin3 / #Kullfi 4. #KasautiiZindagiiKay 5. #TujhseHaiRaabta

#StarPlus: #DilToHappyHaiJi 1.0, #KasautiiZindagiiKay 2.0, #Kullfi 2.1, #KrishnaChaliLondon 1.3, #YehRishtaKKH 2.1, #YehRishteyHainPyaarKe 1.6, #YeHaiMohabbatein 1.2, #Nazar 1.4, #DivyaDrishti 1.6, #TheVoiceOnStarPlus 0.8

#ZeeTV: #RajaaBetaa 0.4, #YeTeriGalliyan 0.9, #Manmohini 1.1, #GuddanTumseNaHoPayega 1.7, #TujhseHaiRaabta 1.8, #KumkumBhagya 2.2, #KundaliBhagya 2.1, #IshqSubhanAllah 1.2, #AapkeAaJaneSe 0.8, #SRGMPLilChamps 0.7

#ColorsTV: #Udaan 0.7, #IshqMeinMarjawan 0.9, #Shakti 1.4, #KesariNandan 1.0, #GathBandhan 1.3, #JhansiKiRani 1.1, #Roop 0.8, #Sitaara 0.7, #Naagin3 2.1, #Courtroom 0.3, #RisingStar3 1.3, #KitchenChampion 0.6, #KKKhatra 0.8

#SonyTV: #MereSai 0.9, #VighnahartaGanesh 0.9, #ChandraguptaMaurya 0.8, #MainMaaykeChaliJaaungi 0.6, #PatialaBabes 0.8, #LadiesSpecial 0.7, #YehUnDinonKiBaatHai 0.7, #CrimePetrol 0.6, #TheKapilSharmaShow 2.3, #SuperDancerChapter3 2.2

#StarBharat: #PyaarKePapad 0.2, #EkThiRaniEkThaRaavan 0.3, #NimkiMukhiya 0.9, #RadhaKrishn 1.0, #Musakaan 0.7, #SufiyanaPyaarMera 0.5, #SavdhaanIndia 0.4

#SabTV: #TenaliRama 0.5, #Bhakharwadi 0.5, #TMKOC 1.5, #Aladdin 0.8, #JijajiChhatPerHain 0.5, #BaavleUtaavle 0.3, #MyNameIjjLakhan 0.2, #BandBajaBandhDarwaza 0.1

#TVRising: #Week16 #StarPlus 171, #SonyTV 139, #ColorsTV 129, #ZeeTV 126, #SabTV 114, #StarBharat 77, #AndTV 45

Sony still at no 2 ... well done! SP at 1 ... the gap is bigger now. None of the current shows are really worth watching ... am watching Patiala Babes and Ladies Special out of habit now, while waiting for some good shows on the OTT platforms.

Movies ... didn't watch Kalank after the bad reviews ... unfortunately Tashkent Files didn't show here. Hope it airs on one of the web platforms ... it's doing surprisingly well in theatres, despite very limited release.

No news from Sanaya ... normally silence means she is busy with something, so fingers crossed. She recently had some highlights done for a photoshoot, but we didn't get news about this from her, we got pics from the hair stylist! She's been quiet on insta too, which again usually means work of some sort. Hopefully Ghost promotions will start soon, as the movie is supposed to release in May.

BARC Ratings - 18th April, week 15

 Salil's tweets

#TVRising - #Top5 Shows (#Week15): 1. #KumkumBhagya / #Kullfi 2. #KumkumBhagya / #Naagin3 / #TheKapilSharmaShow 3. #KasautiiZindagiiKay / #YehRishtaKKH 4. #SuperDancerChapter3 5. #TujhseHaiRaabta

#StarPlus: #DilToHappyHaiJi 1.0, #KasautiiZindagiiKay 2.1, #Kullfi 2.3, #KrishnaChaliLondon 1.5, #YehRishtaKKH 2.1, #YehRishteyHainPyaarKe 1.8, #YeHaiMohabbatein 1.4, #Nazar 1.6, #DivyaDrishti 1.6, #TheVoiceOnStarPlus 0.7

#ZeeTV: #RajaaBetaa 0.4, #YeTeriGalliyan 0.9, #Manmohini 1.1, #GuddanTumseNaHoPayega 1.8, #TujhseHaiRaabta 1.9, #KumkumBhagya 2.3, #KundaliBhagya 2.2, #IshqSubhanAllah 1.1, #AapkeAaJaneSe 0.7, #SRGMPLilChamps 0.6

#ColorsTV: #Udaan 0.7, #IshqMeinMarjawan 1.0, #Shakti 1.4, #KesariNandan 1.1, #GathBandhan 1.4, #JhansiKiRani 1.1, #Roop 0.8, #Sitaara 0.6, #Naagin3 2.2, #Courtroom 0.3, #RisingStar3 1.4, #KitchenChampion 0.6, #KKKhatra 0.8

#SonyTV: #MereSai 0.8, #VighnahartaGanesh 0.9, #ChandraguptaMaurya 0.8, #MainMaaykeChaliJaaungi 0.5, #PatialaBabes 0.8, #LadiesSpecial 0.7, #YehUnDinonKiBaatHai 0.7, #CrimePetrol 0.6, #TheKapilSharmaShow 2.2, #SuperDancerChapter3 2.0

#StarBharat: #PyaarKePapad 0.2, #EkThiRaniEkThaRaavan 0.3, #NimkiMukhiya 0.8, #RadhaKrishn 1.1, #Musakaan 0.7, #SavdhaanIndia 0.4

#SabTV: #TenaliRama 0.4, #Bhakharwadi 0.5, #TMKOC 1.6, #Aladdin 0.8, #JijajiChhatPerHain 0.5, #BaavleUtaavle 0.2, #MyNameIjjLakhan 0.2, #BandBajaBandhDarwaza 0.1

#AndTV: #VikramBetaal 0.2, #ParamavatarShriKrishna 0.3, #MainBhiArdhangini 0.2, #MeriHanikarakBiwi 0.2, #BhabhiJiGharPeHain 0.7, #LaalIshq 0.2, #Daayan 0.2, #HappuKiUltanPaltan 0.6, #ShaadiKeSiyape 0.2

#TVRising: #Week15 #StarPlus 169, #SonyTV 145, #ColorsTV 135, #ZeeTV 125, #SabTV 116, #StarBharat 77, #AndTV 47

Tellychakkar BARC India Ratings

BARC India Ratings: The Kapil Sharma Show, Naagin 3 and Kumkum Bhagya rule the roost

Mumbai: It's BARC time! TellyChakkar brings to you this week's ratings of your favourite shows and channels.

Star Plus is at the first position in the urban sector, followed by Sony Entertainment Television and Colors.
Dangal, Big Magid and Zee TV have the maximum viewership in the rural sector.

Impressions

Urban

Sony’s The Kapil Sharma Show 6460
Colors’ Naagin-3 6188
Zee TV’s Kumkum Bhagya 6036
STAR Plus’ Kulfi Kumar Bajewala 5953
STAR Plus’ Kasauti Zindagi Kay 5787
STAR Plus’ Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 5556
Zee TV’s Kundali Bhagya 5468
Sony's Super Dancer Chapter 3 5392
Zee TV’s Tujhse Hai Raabta 4981
Zee TV’s Guddan Tumse Naa Ho Payega 4730

Rural
Dangal’s Mahima Shanidev Ki 11748
Dangal’s Ramayan 10839
Zee TV’s Kumkum Bhagya 10626
Colors’ Naagin-3 9662
Zee TV’s Kundali Bhagya 9152
STAR Plus’ Kulfi Kumar Bajewala 8663
Zee TV’s Tujhse Hai Raabta 8583
STAR Plus’ Kasauti Zindagi Kay 8410
Sony’s The Kapil Sharma Show 8280
Zee TV’s Guddan Tumse Naa Ho Payega 8220


No comments regarding the top shows on tv ... except that TRP junta and my tastes are as usual, poles apart. Kapil is hugely popular with urban and rural viewers alike though, so am happy for him that he is getting success in his second innings. Just hope he has learned from his mistakes and won't repeat them this time around. Am also glad that while SP is top, Sony is second ... not for their fiction, but for non-fiction ... and they are soon bringing a singing show as well as KBC's next season.

Am still watching three shows ...
Patiala Babes, where Babita is starting to get her act together and get a little more street smart ... Mini is still very irritating.
Ladies Special - Megha's story is interesting ... pride goes before a fall ... and she still cannot understand her own faults at all. Ambition is very good as a driving force, but one has to carry one's people together ahead, and not lose one's humanity on the way. That's what so many people do, and that's the cause of half the problems in the world today, especially in the corporate sector, where profits are ploughed into the fat salaries of the top executives, and the lower levels remain just above the breadline. Idealistic maybe ... but it would be such a better world if salaries at the top were capped, and salaries at the lower levels were allowed to rise. Bindu continues to be too good to be true .. it's high time Amar started questioning his blind devotion to Kangana. I have a feeling he will realise his feelings for Bindu just as Kangana's father enters the picture ... as Kangana's father has already decided that if his spoiled daughter wants her new toy, she must have it. I thought Kangana was married and waiting for a divorce ... what happened to that? Prarthana Viraj are not very interesting ... hopefully Prarthana will accept Viraj's proposal soon and there will be some progress in their story. She needs to understand that Viraj was duty bound not to divulge his identity till the end of his six months internship ... not to her, not to anyone else.
Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar ke ... Meenakshi is too much a clone of Kokila ben ... the actress is really not versatile at all. Shaheer and Mishti make a cute pair ... I like the way their relationship is starting with friendship ...as is Kunal and Kuhu's. Kuhu has been toned down a lot ... the feedback must have reached the makers .. she is much more tolerable now, both actress and character.

Still need to watch Delhi Crime ... maybe this weekend.
Netflix has announced ten new Indian films to be made over the next year ... they are really increasing their Hindi content by leaps and bounds. All from indie BW makers ... some should be good.
Made in heaven season 2 is on the cards.