Sunday, November 8, 2009

Like Some, Like Some Not

I hate those animal shows on TV in which men pounce on each other and pummel for joy. Near naked bodies that look like maida kneaded with rosemilk fill the screen in all their repulsive glory. I am repulsed even by women that wrestle. And I thought women could look graceful doing anything. Come to think of it, there are several positions in which women don’t look graceful.... like a dentist’s chair or the beauty parlour. But I digress. The wrestlers boast and swear while a crazed crowd cheers maniacally. I’ve been told that most of it is mere drama. I am sure many people enjoy the fights, but they don’t appeal to me.

Some reality shows like ‘You’re fired’ (..or is it called The Apprentice?) disturb me, for the competition is nasty and the situations unreal. Viewership shoots up when ill feelings among participants escalate. The show turns into a monster that feeds on candidates’ greed for fame and fortune. There is even a show where a bachelor picks out a bride from a pool of wannabies (who would want to be?). Production companies grow fat on the desperation of the candidates and the morbid curiosity of the spectators.

As for sob operas – the less said the better.

The kitchen is not my favourite place, but I love cookery shows. I can’t explain the penchant; perhaps it is a vicarious delight to watch someone else chop, fry, bake and serve. I do dislike the stupid anchors of some of these shows who ask the chef inane questions and repeat whatever she says and generally yak away needlessly.

Some ads irritate me while others amuse. The docomo ad with a fellow who gets a change of seat on a flight always makes me smile. “I’m taking a shower, I’m riding in traffic..’ is another that I find cute. The boy who eats while working out earnestly and the infant asleep on her dad’s stomach seem true to life. I like the reliance one with Hritik as the pied piper. My most favouritest ads are the ones with babies – I love their plump feet, their tiny pink toes, crooked smiles (with or without teeth.), their wobbly gait…Oh, I just love babies.

The most funny are party song scenes from old movies. You have a room full of people and the jiltee looks daggers at the jilter who has become another’s sajna/ni and sings about toota dil and bewafaa and pyaar ki nashaa – and nobody is the wiser. Never fails to cheer me.

7 comments:

Ay Jay said...

I agree with you completely. Wrestling's a whole bunch of senseless doping lunatics fighting around and acting in the worst way possible. Pointless, really. Didn't quite understand the last para. Never was a fan of Hindi typed in English, or Hindi for that matter...

ThalassicReverie said...

Watching cook shows are much preferred yes. If only they could transmit their dishes to our table...

" I love their plump feet, their tiny pink toes, crooked smiles (with or without teeth.), their wobbly gait…Oh, I just love babies. "

Yesh yeshh , I too lurrvvves 'em ! :D

And ahem , it should be pyaar KA nashaa....
( Keralites never fail to cheer me in their mallu-ish-hindi )

Last para , particularly reminds me of the song :
'Meri bheegi bheegi see palkhon pe reh gaye...
Jaise mere sapne bikhar ke..
Jale mann mera bhi kisi ke milan pe...'

When I reach at your age , I hope it will seem cheerfully silly. :D

( Ay Jay is missing out the fun of 'Hinglish' truly...! )

Anush said...

watever i saw 10 years back seems silly to me now... infact watever i did 10 years back seems silly to me now...

but one thing i always seem to enjoy are those cartoons from the mid to late 90s - scooby doo, captain planet, centurions, etc etc...

crappy graphics, simple plots, villains with unimaginable powers, and heroes with "fortitude" who face abs any challenges thrown at them :)

Ay Jay said...

@ThalassicReverie
Nope. Hinglish (they made a word out of that now??) never has and never will appeal to me....

Materialmom said...

Ay Jay

I agree with Reverie, you are missing out the fun. And Hindi is a beautiful language I believe.

Reverie
oops should have checked before posting. In my defence, pyaar seemed too profound to be masculine :) I once said 'mein chapathy banthi hoon' which apparently means 'Iam becoming a chapaty' not 'I'm making them' :)

It isn't the age factor, I simply haven't a romantic bone in my body :(

Anush

Hmmm getting mature?

I liked capt planet too. Dexter's Laboratory is my favourite. I prefer reading cartoon strips tho.

AtomicGitten said...

Sigh... your post invokes sweet memories of television :P

"...Some reality shows like ‘You’re fired’ (..or is it called The Apprentice?..."
Good one!
Sob operas(nice pun)are instruments of sado-masochism and the viewers are victims of another manifestation of the Stockholm syndrome.And the cooking shows never failed to inspire vain hope that the cooked item would materialise on the table :P
It galls me that I don't know half the ads you have mentioned!Though the vodafone is really cute.:D
And as for old hindi songs, don't forget those other party/romantic(?) scenes with the singer vigorously banging piano keys when there is no piano music happening. Same goes for the forever strummed but perennially mute guitar being maligned by the supposed cool dud(e).

Materialmom said...

Thank you, thank you :)

hahaha the mute piano/guitar are really silly. but I think such scenes are relics of the past. Now we have Pookkutty. Sad no?