THE DIARY OF Z

Entertainment ke liye kuch bhi karega. That’s the reality show on Sony TV and not my clever one-liner. People from across India, from the rural hinterland to the more urbane metros come here to showcase their talent. The rider? You have to entertain the judges in under one minute. If you don’t grab their eyes and ears in the first 60 seconds, you are out. If you do, then you not only win a cash prize of Rs 10,000, but you could go to the final round where you could win Rs 5 lakh.

The judges are a good mix. Singer and music director Annu Malik and choreographer-film director Farah Khan. They not only balance the genders well, but also ensure a good mix. For example, in one of the more recent shows, there were some unique acts that left everyone spellbound. The question was whom to pick for the finals where they could walk away with the grand prize. They were to decide between a Bharatanatyam dancer who moved to modern beats and a magician who demonstrated his magical acts with such polished finesse that all other magic acts you’ve watched before pale in comparison. They were supposed to pick two acts and they had already picked one group of tinytots (aged five years and thereabouts) who enthralled everyone with their unique take on a folk dance (lavanee).

Guess, who they picked? The magician, ofcourse. After all, mix is as important as the performance.

Watch it and you will come away thoroughly entertained. Since I don’t watch TV that much barring news, reality shows like this and Dance India Dance do make you sit up and take notice. Since I am doing other things during prime time, I usually catch up with these programmes either latenights or early mornings and late afternoons. You can, too!

Njoy!

Here are some more luminaries who stood out during the course of my journalistic career spanning a little more than 12 years.

Karan Johar, filmmaker: This was at the launch of his film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. I asked him when he cried for the very first time in a cinema hall. “When Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn part ways in the film Roman Holiday,” said the 29-year-old filmmaker. “Now of course, I first think a lot, then cry and then laugh.”

Suneet Varma, designer: He exploded on to the Delhi fashion scene more than a decade ago with his show-stopping Greek collection that showcased, among other things, a brass nipple bustier. Several years later when he came to Bangalore, his eyes were at it again. But he clarified to me that he hasn’t trained his eyes on areas below the waist this time. Instead, he has decided to move his operations from the polluted capital (Delhi) to the salubrious Bangalore. Don’t know if he said it so he could be quoted, because he still hasn’t.

Madhuri Dixit, film actress: For answering all my questions with a deadpan expression; from whether she is planning to open a dotcom (that time every Bollywood type was hopping on to the cyber-wagon) to how much she charged for a live performance. Dixit showed no inflection, no nervous ticks, no display of emotion and no thousand-watt smile. Was it peeved professionalism at work? I would never know.

Celina Jaitley, model/film actress: When asked, what’s weird about fashion shows, she said, “In India, nobody comes to watch the clothes; everybody comes to see the models.” But what beat me was the following tete-a-tete:

Do you believe in spirits?

“Yes.”

Have you met one?

“Yes, when I was living in a haunted house in Ranikhet. It was a 300-year-old British bungalow.”

How did the spirit look like?

“It was a misty human form.”

Was it a person who was long dead?

“I don’t know. Never spoke to it.”

Rahul Dravid, cricketer: For shyly asking me not to give his phone number to anyone other than myself.

Ken Ghosh, filmmaker: For saying, “I am sure the casting couch exists, but I haven’t tried it.” After a pause, he continued: “It exists wherever a woman needs a job and money. It all boils down to the woman. Men like to hit on every woman but it’s really the way a woman responds to the man’s overtures. Eighty per cent of the time, it’s because of the way the woman responds to men. The remaining 20 per cent is rape.”

PC Sorcar Jr., magician: For saying, he will make the Vidhana Soudha disappear for a few minutes if he was given Rs 50 lakh.