Sunday, December 9, 2001		Television

"IT depicts four couples brought to a steamy island overrun with scantily clad singles, who are urged to test the boundaries of their relationships."

No, this is not a review of a sleazy film but a leading American newspaper’s description of, Temptation Island that created a storm in the US and is now being aired by Star World every Thursday at 10 p.m. Billed as one of the most daring shows in American television history, it is surely going to test the limits of Indian morality.

Four couples are selected from all over America and transported to the Caribbeans. Here they are separated and sent to different islands where they meet 26 ‘fantasy’ singles. Secret videos capture the footage of each individual spending time with his or her partner.

For the newly single men the attractions include beautiful girls, exotic surroundings of beaches which will test the loyalty of each member to their respective partner and whether they can ward off the temptations.

So, stay tuned to this show where four committed couples travel to a paradise island to assess the strength of their long-standing relationships. The producers are eagerly looking forward to the reaction from India. Depending upon the response they are planning to organise a similar show for Indians as well.

Tempting indeed. Provided the moral police would allow such voyeurism to be telecast straight into people’s bedrooms!

Like all living beings who grow from infancy to adulthood, Zee TV’s Hip Hip Hurray has also grown up and so have its characters. In the earlier part of the serial, the stars were in school flitting through life with joys and sorrows of life as students.

With the passage of time these youngsters graduated to college and so did Hip Hip Hurray Part-II every Thursday and Friday at 7.30 pm. The focus has now shifted to life on campus. Appropriately, the serial starts with the declaration of Class 12th results and the beginning of a new phase in these young people’s lives.

All students who form the core characters of the serial have cleared school, except Mehul who was widely expected to top the class but shockingly could not even procure pass marks.

His trauma becomes all the more acute when he realises that he may never be able to achieve his dream of going to a medical college. In distress he contemplates suicide. His disbelieving friends come to his aid and ask for a re-evaluation of his answer-sheets.

Upon re-evaluation Mehul is declared successful and there is once again a cheer in his wide circle of friends. Their next mission is to get admission in the same college. Will the long bonding between the friends continue in their college life as well? Keep watching this fast-paced serial for a peep into the lives of archetypal teenagers and their very own way of looking at the world.

For decades now Hindi films have been advocating the timeless virtues of love. Generations of heroes and heroines have been jeeyenge aur marenge together.

Zee TV’s Ateet every Thursday at 10 p.m. takes a cue from these unflinching celluloid love stories and blends together a mushy tale of unrequited love spread over two lifetimes. A tale of reincarnation and how love always conquers all — even death. Remember Bimal Roy’s Madhumati?

Vidya, the protagonist of the serial, has recurring dreams of getting married to a person she has never seen. Her worried parents take her to a tantrik who tells them that this man was her lover in the past life and is about to take over her present life as well.

The parents ignore the warning and marry Vidya off to another man. Everyone is happy except Vidya who keeps dreaming about her past life lover. Will the tantrik’s words come true? Will he come back to haunt her married life?

Watch the serial for answers. Better still watch Madhumati on one of the channels that beams movies from the black and white era.

She flits from one channel to the other with remarkable ease and most roles fit her like a glove. That’s because Sangeeta Ghosh meticulously picks and chooses the parts she wants to play. As of now this Calcutta lass has Mehndi Tere Naam Ki on Zee TV, Desh Mein Nikla Hoga Chand on Star Plus and Bazaar on DD-1.

Though she’s suddenly being noticed because of her high-profile role in Desh Mein Nikla Hoga Chand, Sangeeta has acted in a number of other serials as well. Starting her career as a child artist in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Hum Hindustani, she graduated to more mature roles in serials like Daraar, Adhikar and Kurukshetra.

The high point of her career came with Mehndi Tere Naam Ki where she played the role of a handicapped person, shunned by her lover. She received wide applause for her sensitive portrayal of a disabled girl. Aroona Irani who directed the serial was so impressed with her performance that she offered her the lead role in her next venture Desh Mein Nikla Hoga Chand much of which is being shot in London.

Here she plays the role of an NRI, who is deeply influenced by Indian values. In London she gets engaged to an Indian who’s been brought up in a western world but falls in love with a young man who’s been born and bred in India. "I just adored the story. The serial is so romantic, so relevant for Indians settled abroad. That’s why the serial is such a big hit." Hit or not only time will tell. As of now it is Sangeeta Ghosh who’s a big hit in the teleworld.

Name three essentials for the success of any channel? According to trade pundits if you follow the SMC path and you can’t go very wrong. SMC? That’s short for Soap, Mythology and Cartoons. No channel can do without these three.

That’s the realisation which has dawned on Sabe TV. Mythologies and soaps may be fun for the family but are not necessarily a kid’s idea of entertainment. So, after the success of Alif Laila, the channel has another gift for children Toon-Time at 7 p.m. Monday to Friday is a delightful new show.

As a starter the channel is airing the Turtle Island series. A swashbuckling adventure revolving around King Tiki, the last survivor of the royal dynasty of the Flying Sea Turtles. The turtles over a period of time have collected fabulous treasures, now desired by every brigand and pirate.

Bandit Captain Minus and his crew vainly attempt to take over Turtle Island which King Tiki and his friends are ready to protect not just with their lives but with their superior intelligence and wit.

Though dubbed in Hindi as the channel has a predominantly Hindi-speaking viewership, Turtle Island is still a delight to watch because of its freshness and excellent animation that is guaranteed to bring a smile on the faces of children.

Cars that hover above the ground, floating communities and tourist trips to the moon. Are these merely figments of the imagination, or very real possibilities for the near future? Discovery channel presents an extraordinary glimpse into the future with premiere episodes of Destination Future December 6 at 7 pm.

Viewers go on a high-speed cruise through the wondrous possibilities of future life on earth and beyond. A comprehensive look into the future, the show presents the pros and cons of potential developments in transportation, urban planning and space exploration.

Unavoidable truths such as fewer natural resources and greater population will incur dramatic changes in a city. The programme also explores the future of cityscapes on earth, suggesting that the working and living styles of people will change dramatically in the near future.

So get privy to the complex challenges that humankind may face with this absorbing show.

— Mukesh Khosla