ChinmayC Blog

The news editor was in a very disturbed state of mind that evening. He was new to the newsroom of the television channel, its surroundings, and that made it all the more irritating. It was in the most biting phase of the winter and his newsroom pals seemed to be more interested in sitting cosily closer to their burning warm electric heaters chattily chewing betel nuts than anything else. There was the onset of a threatening lethargy that the hapless news editor tried to resist with all his might. He had to ensure that the most important story of that day got included in the bulletins. The story was written and ready, but somehow the visuals were eluding everyone. Again and again, the tape was inserted in the video editing machines and checked. No visuals emerged on the monitors. What happened? Furious, the news editor wanted to know. The camera unit was there for the coverage and stayed there full length of the event. Then? The editor called the concerned executive for explanations. Th...

Earlier, commercial breaks were not as intrusive as we could anticipate the time and quantity of their coming perfectly thanks to the limited opportunities available. Doordarshan was the only television channel, entertainment-public service-news all combined, for us to confront them.   We knew that maximum ad time would be for the Sunday evening Hindi feature film and we used to utilize those commercial breaks to entertain ‘silent’ guests, discuss the movie on air and make tea. The virtual breaks that were intrusive even then were the songs of Hindi or Bollywood movies that caught us unawares as always forcing us to take a break and go out of the theater into the lobby.   However, with the advent of cable television and the flood of private entertainment and news channels intruding-annoying-agonizing breaks have become a part and parcel of our existence—you like it or not. There emerged a rich variety of how the commercial breaks began to be presented to us. Maybe at the inne...

When private channels break a news that has no factual basis and withdraws it after sometime or make some obvious mistakes people just laugh it off or make a mention about it to friends. The matter ends there. When Doordarshan, run by India’s Public Service Broadcaster Prasar Bharati and the electronic media of the Government of India, does so the matter begins there. If Doordarshan (DD) makes a mistake or shows something or does not show something, big or small, there is a nationwide outrage with people from all age groups decrying mocking and what not. The universal dictum of ‘to err is human’ gets entirely forgotten in such outburst of genuine feelings or derisive pleasure against the national broadcaster. It is also a curious fact that newspapers always highlight high ad revenue generating glitzy and glamorous shows of private channels, but criticize DD without end if the latter missed to show an event or a news of the people. Why? People from all possible communities of all poss...

It is not for nothing that Chennai Express has broken all records in Bollywood history and Rohit Shetty has become the most successful director ever of Indian Cinema. Shahrukh Khan’s Chennai Express has crossed Rs.202 crore (2020 million rupees) mark beating the four-year-old record set by Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots . Rohit Shetty has already given three Rs.100 crore club movies namely, Singham , Golmaal3 and Bol Bachchan , and this unique feat has never been achieved by any other Indian film director.   Chennai Express in its third week run has achieved this with loving audiences all over and overcoming quite a few bad reviews. The reasons are not far to seek. You are pleasantly reminded of the Shahrukh Khan of yesteryear when he was superlative in comedy scenes for his immaculate timing, for his sprightful elegance and for his typical gesticulations plus monosyllables. All these qualities of the Bollywood superstar have come back in Chennai Express to regale you yet again and yo...

He was probably the most famous Sikh comedian ever in Indian Television and movies. He gave us a taste of a comedy show in the early years of National Network telecasts in Doordarshan. That time Doordarshan was the only television media and we were used to watching foreign comedy shows. But this brilliant comedian-writer-director enthralled us with indigenous doses of humor, wit, satire and fun in his comedy shows for the first time in Indian television. Jaspal Bhatti, the innocuous looking Sardar with a disarming smile whose one dialogue is enough to make you laugh out.   And his insightful storytelling was capable of making you cry too.  Jaspal Bhatti made his appearance in Doordarshan in the eighties with his TV Series Ulta Pulta and Flop Show . The shows were instant hits and he became a household name in India. His actor-wife Savita Bhatti appeared with him all the way and they were inseparable and one of the most loved couples. Later in the nineties when other channels...

One colorful Indian entertainment channel has been endangering the lives of gullible viewers. Cozily sheltered in the garb of a social reformer the channel always gives a message that it's against all kinds of evil. Problem is it welcomes an evil in fond gratitude and treats it in immaculate elaboration, lingering monstrosity, all pervasive manifestations and never ending audacity. Such obsession with evil! It dwells on it for months and neutralizes all solutions though carrying on merrily with its sermonizing. It has also been doing god-damnable research in finding out evils from all corners of India in rich original colors. The crucial part is all evildoers or villains shown in gory glory are invariably grandpas or grannies. They are shown to be selfless devotees of gods and goddesses and they are shown to be scheming while praying to cheat, kidnap, madden, sadden and even murder their dear ones. Such is the evil potency that the very credibility of granddads and grandmas is at s...

Door-darshan means tele-vision literally. Doordarshan is the national public broadcaster of India, nominated by the Government of India as Prasar Bharati. On this day of 15th September in the year 1959 Doordarshan started its telecasts with a makeshift studio and a small transmitter. Its regular daily telecasts started in 1965 and by 1972 some of Indian major cities were covered. In 1982 Doordarshan began its national network and it penetrated every home in nook and corner of India. That same year color television was also introduced. Doordarshan--the first to introduce soap opera, the first to start film based programs, the first take games like football and cricket to every home of India, the first to continue committed entertainment. The only television channel to give truth and only truth to the people. We are celebrating 50 years today. With the colors and vibrancy of the country. A very colorful musical program was organized and recorded today in Mumbai which will be telecast soo...