TV Or Not TV, That Is The Question!

This post is dedicated to my friend, and fellow MICAn, ChUcK, for having just gotten into Nautanki TV :) Congrats Bro!



The Indian TV audience has been evolving steadily. This is a fact. Just ask Ekta Kapoor. Personally I think its reached a plateau and the “formula” needs to
be reinvented. There is only so much of Saas-Bahu drama that can be digested, don't you think? Maybe we should go the Obama way and tell the content/creative heads that its time for a change.


Let us examine what comes on the menu.

Saas bahu serials


When cable TV came into India, they did not have much idea what to do in the early days. Initially, they had song and dance shows like Chitrahaar. Then came serials. Then came Ms. Ekta Kapoor, daughter of the erstwhile Jumping Jack of Bollywood movies, and she hit upon the jackpot- in the form of Saas Bahu serials. Now, Ekta means unity, but her saas-bahu serials have actually caused disunity in many families which have been avid watchers of such serials.

Quiz shows


Then came quiz shows. These quiz shows, hosted by celebrity actors,would reward participants who could reach the hot seat. Of course, reaching the hot seat by dialling the given numbers was tougher than the tasks that mythological heroes were called upon to perform in the past. These quiz shows in turn were often used to launch new saas bahu serials which followed just after the quiz show.




Reality shows


Now, these channels have hit upon another formula. It is called "reality shows". In these shows,people typically sing and/or dance,and their performances are judged by celebrity judges. After their performance, judges give them marks. A few participants, getting the least marks get
eliminated. Not just the judges, public is also asked to judge the fate of the participants. After the performance, the participants have a message for the audience in which they request the audience to vote for them through SMS.


The presenter of the show takes a sadistic pleasure in announcing which participants are in the danger zone, and then with great fanfare and melodrama that the eliminated participant is thrown out of the contest.




Dissenting Participants/Judges


Often, some participants who get poor marks allege foul play and stage a walk out. Not just that, sometimes, one of the celebrity judges also alleges foul play when his favourite participant gets
eliminated, and he too stages a walk out.




Vote through SMS

And there are a huge number of audience who enjoy watching these "reality" shows, but the people who really enjoy it the most are the serial makers and the mobile companies, who roll in megabucks through the millions of SMSes that the public sends to vote for their favourite participants. The revenue thus generated in a matter of hours is easily more than what the sponsors of these serials pour into the coffers of these serial makers.




The Formula






Getting back to the formula, it seems, the content/ programming departments at all major channels are headed by a bunch of clones. One brave soul decides to venture out and do something original. And it clicks with the audience. What do the rival channels do? Copy it of course. Hey, if its a good idea why let it go to waste just because you didn't think of it first?


The formula basically works like this.


1. Find a show that is a hit. Either on rival channels or even from other countries.


2. Adapt it superficially to suit Indian audiences. My economics Prof called this “apple polishing”.



3. Promote it in other shows and prepare a media glitz for the launch.



4. Get well known faces into it.


5. Broadcast it to the gullible audience who will then ooh & aah over it.




The Recipe


So how does a new channel that is not a news channel launch itself into the already cluttered scene. Simple apply formula and do some borrowing/ stealing from the rival channels programme list. It would go something like this.


1. Take 2 daily soaps. Have fresh faces in one and already familiar faces in the other. Broadcast 5 days a week from Monday to Friday before and during prime time slots. For best results repeat broadcast next day afternoon. Recommend Ekta Kapoor's. For added flavour, celebrity
appearances by actors.


2. Add 1 reality show every 3 months. Must have celebrity judges and/or participants. To
increase viewership, garnish with controversy when public interest is simmering. Recommend using Rakhi Sawant or Rahul Mahajan.


3. Spice it up with a talk/chat show with a host who is not afraid to make an ass of him/herself. B-grade actors-turned-politicians recommended.


4. For the weekends, replace prime-time and afternoon soaps with the latest movies that people are either too lazy to go to the theater to watch, or are waiting for some channel to air it.
5. Alternatively picking up whatever other channels didn't pick up could work.


6. Festive garnishing is theme based. Patriotic movies for Jan 26th and Aug 15th recommended. And no, Deshdrohi doesn't count unless you are a Bhojpuri channel.


7. A major awards ceremony is a must. Even if it is just reruns from the previous years. A fashion show if you can fit it in.






Serves:

1 to how-many-ever-people-there-are-in-your-family and the dog. Or cat. Or Cow.




Add masala to taste.


And if you think you have a better recipe, or formula please leave a comment to let me know.


And if you think you have a better script, call Balaji Telefilms.

HowTo Hold a Handbag Like a Man

** Recently, as I was on my Retail Yatra as part of my curriculum at MICA, we visited the Hidesign facility in Pondicherry.

And as we were speaking to Mr.Kapoor, the CEO, who, while displaying all the leather accessories showed us some distinctly feminine looking handbag like accessories and told us, that they, were in fact for men.

Thus was born the idea for this entry.

Also having been around enough women/friends of the female variety/girl friends and having been put in this altogether very wierd situation, here comes forth some wisdom that I now offer to you, free.

“Handbags are for poofters and girls.”

~ Oscar Wilde on not being flamingly homosexual

“It's a man-purse!”

~ Your friend on why his girlfriend left him

“It's not a purse, it's European!”

~ Jerry Seinfeld on his purse

“It's a man-bag!”

~ Joey Tribbiani on Friends

You should know that men have to hold handbags sometimes. And it sucks, but it has to happen. And it has to happen because that's the way life is. And no one can help that, but you can learn to hold the handbag like a man. And then, the world will be like an oyster that is yours, but probably not exactly as enjoyable. Maybe a little more enjoyable, maybe a little less; I find it hard to give you a definitive answer. But take my advice, and know that even a world half as enjoyable as an oyster is more enjoyable than a world where everyone thinks you're a flaming homosexual because you can't hold a handbag like a man.

The Folded-Arms Technique

The folded-arms technique is cool, it's wicked, it's got all the right stuff. You could probably get away with holding a fricken pink speckled douche with this technique. That's how masculinisating it is. You wouldn't look queer at all, and that's probably the best way to look in these circumstances.

Simply stand with feet flat on the ground, shoulders pulled back, and arms folded, with the handbag tucked underneath your lean, muscular arms. Anyone who looks at you gets a cold, hard, masculine stare RIGHT IN THE BLOODY FACE, and they inevitably back down in feminine cowardice. Because you are the man, and even though you're holding your girlfriend's handbag, you are the man, and you will do whatever it takes to maintain your masculine manliness.

The Clenched-Fist Technique

This technique is for those people who aren't up for the proud display of masculinity mentioned above. I don't know who that would be. Probably an Englishman or something, but it's hard to say. In Australia as well as Scotland (where they hold handbags in their kilts), we have a proud tradition of not being poofs. The same can't be said for England, unfortunately.

Shuffling of feet and looking nervously at the ground are a must for this technique. Then you just hold the handbag in a clenched fist, and kind of stand until that sadistic bitch takes it off you. If you don't look like you're enjoying it, people might not think you're enjoying it, and they might not think you're a bloody ponce. But I guess that's debatable. Whatever the outcome, you just held a womans Handbag, and are now officially more gay then before.

The Throw-The-Bloody-Bag-At-Her-And-Tell-Her-To-Hold-The-Fricking-Thing-Herself Technique

Be careful of this one. It's dangerous. But worth a try.

The give it to someone else technique

just give it to someone else

The "I'm a thief" Technique

When someone asks you to hold a bag, grab it and run away. Purse thieves are famous for their ability to hold all sorts of bags without looking like sissies, a fact that you can benefit from until you get arrested.

The Put-it-three-feet-away-from-yourself and look-the-other-way technique

Another very good technique that is commonly used to decrease unwanted attention. Generally people will look at the bag but not at you, remember it is very important that the bag be atleast 3 feet away from yourself.

The"Hide-it-somewhere-safe" technique

Once the bag is in your hands, scan the premises for a good spot to hide the bag and move to another area where you can keep a close watch on it. This technique is flawless when executed properly.

The "One Hit Wonder" Technique

If you are asked to hold a bag, go through it and pull everything out of it for everyone to see. That person will never ask you to hold a bag again.

The "How-could-you-do-this-to-me" Technique

Drop the bag on the floor, walk out of the store, get in the car and drive home, and when she finally confronts you she'll be more pissed off about being stranded at the store, and then you can trump that by acting offended as all hell that she would have so little respect for you as a man and as much as accuse you of being gay by asking you to hold a woman's handbag, when you know damn well there's probably tampons inside it, and panty liners, and lip gloss, and other feminine crap infested with cooties, and because the male ego is so fragile she's more than likely to fall for it.

DOs and DON'Ts

Do’s

• Listen to bands like Dream Theater, Megadeth, Sepultura, or that kind of stuff. No metal heads are poofs, except possibly for screamo listeners.
• Stare people in the face when they are looking at you or the bag - MAKE THEM FEAR!
• The "Evil Eye" is also another way to intimidate passersby.
• Fart often and loudly. Nobody flatulent owns a handbag.
• Wear sunglasses, very dark ones.
• If you have a hood, wear it. It makes you look that much manlier
• Keep glancing at your watch. This will make people think you are waiting for someone. In this case, the bitch woman who owns the bag.
• Call a mate and speak very loudly about chicks, beer and hard rock/metal music.
• Be sure to scratch you hindquarters and/or shift your scrotum from time to time. Women rarely make these actions; partly because of a higher respect for public behaviour mandates, partly because they don't have scrotii.

Don'ts

• 
• Smile
• Giggle
• Dance the Charleston
• Exercise
• Pick your nose
• Put the handbag on the floor. People won't see you as a flaming homo, but the handbag owner will probably kick you in the gonads.
• Hold it while enjoying lollies. Especially pink or purple spiral-pattern lollies.
• Brush any dirt off it - people will think it's yours.
• Hold it while singing Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, or other girly pop songs.
• Wear it on your shoulder.
• Gaze at it as if you like the damned thing.
• Look at its contents.
• Check your lipstick in the matching compact's mirror.
• Exclaim that anything is "cute!"
• Ask anyone if it makes you look fat.
• Run madly into an intersection, and throw your handbag straight up in the air because you think you're going to make it after all.

Do you need help with that, Mister?

In certain and extreme cases a preference might develop for a particular type of purse, handbag, clutch or micro bag. From "preference" to "fetish" however, is a very short and dangerous leap. This could present a problem to your masculinity. Spot this problem and nip it in the bud, immediately. If you find yourself insisting that your wife wear the black leather matte finished Coach saddle style bag with every outfit, including her beachwear, you need help.

Take the bag to your local pub (or bar), stand in the centre of the establishment and announce that the patrons are a bunch of Nancy Boys in need of a good thrashing and you are just the man who can do it. Their immediate reaction will force you to drop the bag in order to defend yourself from a good beating. Before you know it your new found mates will be beating you senseless and bloody. When the room goes dark, you will be on the road to recovery. After the drubbing is finished, and your fetish cured, offer to buy every chap a pint and begin to bond again with manly men as God intended.

However, if you succeed in not only surviving the ordeal, but also in defeating your opponents, you do not need to be cured as you have succeeded in holding the bag like a man. Buy a round for good measure.

Conclusion

The path to holding a handbag like a man is long and winding, like this conclusion. Many may be tempted to give up, and continue to hold a handbag like they are girly-girls. But, the end result is worth it. Those who hold their handbags like men will stride on to wars, and get the women. Do you want the women? Yes? Then practice hard and train fiercely, because in the end, all the hardships and trials you face on the way to holding your handbag like a man will be worth it.