W
ith elections looming
large, the spotlight
may be on political
parties and their
candidates however an
unlikely candidate
seems to have entered
the fray, i.e. television.
Very quietly, two
shows have been
launched on two TV
channels within the
span of one week,
bearing an uncanny
resemblance to India’s
biggest ruling party -
the Congress.
One; Anil Kapoor’s
Indian adaptation of
the American
espionage series 24,
which aired on Colors
on 4 October and the
other; Desh Ki Beti -
Nandini, which
premiered on Sony on 7
October.
The desi 24 sees the
young scion of a
political family, Aditya
Singhania played by Neil
Bhoopalam, reaching
out to the country’s
youth a la our very own
vice president of the
Congress Party, Rahul
Gandhi.
While Desh Ki Beti has a
bun-sporting, saree and
long sleeve blouse-clad
Nandini waving out to
the crowd, reminiscent
of India’s only woman
PM, the late Indira
Gandhi.
Leaving aside
similarities; both the
shows couldn’t have
been timed better.
North India goes to
elections in November
while the race for
India’s next PM unfolds
in the first half of 2014.
24 will end in
approximately three
months but the impact
is sure to last. That
Colors reduced the air
time of one of its most
popular shows,
Comedy Nights with
Kapil, to accommodate
the series is proof of
just how much is riding
on the timing. Similarly,
Sony prematurely
pulled the plug on its
earlier week day show
Chhanchhan to make
way for Nandini, citing
low TRPs as reason.
Social media has been
quick to catch the so-
called connect between
these shows and the
ruling party. Here’s
sampling the kind of
comments on Twitter
and Facebook: ‘A new
show called desh ki beti
nandini seems to be
funded by congress’,
‘daily soap Nandini will
subtly glorify pre
emergency Indira.
Direct editorial control
from Rahul Gandhi’,
‘waiting for Aditya
Singhania the 24
character based on
Rahul Gandhi, to take
his speech and say
‘phaad ke phenk do’’,
‘24 just predicted a
Rahul Gandhi victory’
and so on.
Makes one wonder
whether this is part of
the viewers’ fertile
imagination or truly
Congress Ka Haath
behind these shows...
ith elections looming
large, the spotlight
may be on political
parties and their
candidates however an
unlikely candidate
seems to have entered
the fray, i.e. television.
Very quietly, two
shows have been
launched on two TV
channels within the
span of one week,
bearing an uncanny
resemblance to India’s
biggest ruling party -
the Congress.
One; Anil Kapoor’s
Indian adaptation of
the American
espionage series 24,
which aired on Colors
on 4 October and the
other; Desh Ki Beti -
Nandini, which
premiered on Sony on 7
October.
The desi 24 sees the
young scion of a
political family, Aditya
Singhania played by Neil
Bhoopalam, reaching
out to the country’s
youth a la our very own
vice president of the
Congress Party, Rahul
Gandhi.
While Desh Ki Beti has a
bun-sporting, saree and
long sleeve blouse-clad
Nandini waving out to
the crowd, reminiscent
of India’s only woman
PM, the late Indira
Gandhi.
Leaving aside
similarities; both the
shows couldn’t have
been timed better.
North India goes to
elections in November
while the race for
India’s next PM unfolds
in the first half of 2014.
24 will end in
approximately three
months but the impact
is sure to last. That
Colors reduced the air
time of one of its most
popular shows,
Comedy Nights with
Kapil, to accommodate
the series is proof of
just how much is riding
on the timing. Similarly,
Sony prematurely
pulled the plug on its
earlier week day show
Chhanchhan to make
way for Nandini, citing
low TRPs as reason.
Social media has been
quick to catch the so-
called connect between
these shows and the
ruling party. Here’s
sampling the kind of
comments on Twitter
and Facebook: ‘A new
show called desh ki beti
nandini seems to be
funded by congress’,
‘daily soap Nandini will
subtly glorify pre
emergency Indira.
Direct editorial control
from Rahul Gandhi’,
‘waiting for Aditya
Singhania the 24
character based on
Rahul Gandhi, to take
his speech and say
‘phaad ke phenk do’’,
‘24 just predicted a
Rahul Gandhi victory’
and so on.
Makes one wonder
whether this is part of
the viewers’ fertile
imagination or truly
Congress Ka Haath
behind these shows...
