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Lessons in chemistry

Mona Singh and Karan Oberoi may not have spoken about their relationship publicly, but it was hard to miss the chemistry they shared at the Indian Telly Awards on Sunday night.

Karan was on stage with Shilpa Saklani to hand over trophy to the Best Popular Actress — as soon as he opened the envelope, his face split into a broad grin, and his eyes lit up.

"This is for someone really special to me," said an emotional Karan, as Mona walked on stage and hugged him, before accepting her trophy from him.

New Year special
Screen On & Off

Lots of names, from Abhishek Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan to Sachin Tendulkar, have been floated as to who would slip into the hot seat for the New Year's special on Kaun Banega Crorepati .

Well, the wait is over. Five Nach Baliye couples — the popular dance show on STAR One — would sit for Fastest Finger First (FFF) from which two will make it to the hot seats to face quizmaster Amitabh Bachchan.

The five couples have been randomly chosen mainly on the basis of availability on the day of the episode shoot. So the participants are Varun Badola and Rajeshwari Sachdev, Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar, Rohit and Mansi Joshi Roy, Manish Goyal and Poonam Goyal, and Apurva Agnihotri and Shilpa Saklani.

The one who wins the FFF will get to choose his partner for the quiz and he or she may not be his or her spouse. The prize money will obviously go to charity.

As for the normal KBC, with just three days left — till Wednesday — for phone-ins, there is now a real rush among callers with the fastest fingers.

Telly Awards: Behind the scenes
By: Shaheen Parkar
November 29, 2005

MAA'S NIGHT OUT: Mona Singh with her mother Awards signal both accolades and brickbats. The Indian Telly Awards 2005, organised by indiantelevision.com on Sunday, was low on starry turnout, with quite a few eyebrows raised at certain winners. Apart from the usual naach-gaana routine, which you will see on Sony when it telecasts the event, here's a dekko from the sidelines… Ekta and her lockets When Ekta Kapoor walked in, we wondered what on earth was she holding on to. Tightly clasped in her hand were a bunch of coloured threads and lockets. Was the Balaji czarina wearing spirituality on her palm now? Not exactly. KALI GETS GROOVING: Rucha Gujrathi did a Kajra Re We checked; the reason behind this was a slight skin allergy on Ekta's neck. Obviously, she could not wear the chains around her neck, nor could she leave home without them — especially for an awards function. What better way than carry it along and keep people wondering what's in your palm? Car seva Post the ceremony, as we made our way out through the crowd and gawkers, we spotted Karan Oberoi (Jassi's Raghu) stomping up and down the road. We did not have to wonder why. Just a few steps away was Mona Singh, with her parents. Obviously, they were waiting for their car, and Karan was trying to help locate the driver. In between, he even posed with passersby who wanted keepsake snapshots with Jassi and her parents. A complete family album, eh? DOESN'T LOOK SO MEAN HERE: Tassnim Sheikh did a Tumhari Adaaon Pe Total support Telly couple Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan entered the venue just in time, before their names were announced for their awards. While Hiten bagged the Best Male Supporting Actor award, Gauri won for Best Female Supporting Actor. Supporting on-screen, off-screen as well at the awards — what is called complete support. CAN'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM: Ekta holds her lockets Sister act When Juhi Parmar's name was announced as Best Actress (Critical Category), everyone wondered why she looked a tad different in a red dress. Turned out it was Juhi's sister who was going up the dais to collect the award — the actress was in The Maldives. Has the acting bug bitten the sister too? And to give away this award was Narayani Shastri! If this does not ring a bell, we will make it resonate — the two actresses share common feelings for a certain Anuj Saxena! HAVE YOU SEEN JASSI? Karan Oberoi and Shveta Salve Watch out for this Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki. This SaharaOne soap from the Rajshris may not be top of the popularity charts, but was awarded a Special Commendation prize as the soap to watch out for in the days to come. Sooraj Barjatya's sister Kavita, the brain behind the show, was ecstatic and made the entire technical crew come up on the dais to share the honour. THINK PINK: Pallavi Kulkarni and Riva Bubber Missing in action Tulsi, Mihir, Parvati, Anurag, Prerna, Nikki, Abhimanyu…. The starry firmament was not exactly sparkling sans the big stars of the small screen. Only Poojas No film stars were present except for the two Poojas —— Pooja Bedi and Pooja Batra. The former's presence is justifiable – she anchors a telly show. But what was Batra doing there? Unless she is looking at the small screen as an option. UNIQUE JODI: Abhijeet Sawant and Sunil Pal For keeps? Kamalika Guha Thakurta gave away the Best Production House award to Balaji Telefilms and there was no one to receive the award. No one came up on the stage to collect it either. Finally, she announced that she herself would keep it and pass it on — which she did, as soon as Ekta arrived. shaheen@mid-day.com

The winners Best Child Artiste (Female): Chinky Jaiswal (Bhoomi of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) Best Child Artiste (Male): Yash (Jackie of Instant Khichdi) Best News Anchor: Dibang (NDTV India) Best Anchor: Amitabh Bachchan (KBC 2) Best Actor in a Comic Role (Female): Supriya Pathak (Hansa of Instant Khichdi) Best Actor in a Comic Role (Male): Rajesh Kumar (Rosesh of Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai) Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Gauri Pradhan (Nandini of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Hiten Tejwani (Karan of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) Best Television Personality: Rajeev Khandelwal Best Actor in a Negative Role (Female): Jointly shared by Rakshanda Khan (Mallika of Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin) and Urvashi Dholakia (Komolika of Kasautii Zindagi Kay) Best Actor in a Negative Role (Male): Akashdeep Saigal (Ansh of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) Best Fresh New Face (Female): Mona Wasu (Miilee) Best Fresh New Face (Male): Iqbal Khan (Angad of Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai) Best Actor (Female): Mona Singh (Jassi) Best Actor Critic (Female): Juhi Parmar (Kumkum) Best Actor (Male): Apurva Agnihotri (Armaan of Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin) Best Actor critic (Male): Pawan Shankar (Siddhanth) Best Ensemble: Sarrkkar Best Daily Serial: Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin Best Weekly Serial: Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Best Continuing TV Programme: Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi Best Reality Show: Indian Idol Best Game Show: Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 Best TV Programme: Indian Idol Best On Screen Couple of The Year: Ejaz Khan and Anita Hasanandani (Kavya and Anjali of Kavyanjali) TV Style Icon of the year: Shabir Ahluwalia (Male), Aamna Shariff (Female) Lifetime Contribution award: B R Chopra Best Entertainment Channel: Star Plus Best Hindi Movie Channe: Zee Cinema Best Hindi News Channel: Aaj Tak Best English News Channel: NDTV 24x7 Special Commendations: Woh Rehne Wali Mehlon Ki Special Commendation: Geo TV for fostering Indo-Pak relations through television Best Production House: Balaji Telefilms

Mona Darling!

Prakriti Prasad / New Delhi December 02, 2005



Indiagames is hoping to leverage actor Mona Singh's popularity into a win-win download.

She can't thank Sony Television enough. Mona Singh, aka Jassi, alias Jessica, on Sony TV's popular soap Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, is enjoying not just her new-found looks but, just as importantly, her freedom to be herself.

Where earlier she had to shun the press (the Sony team had reportedly put her up at a secret hotel with security guards so that the media wouldn't hound her), now she's free to rule the hearts of men in whichever avtaar she pleases.

And men, particularly in the north, do find Mona Singh attractive, says the research team of Indiagames, a leading global mobile content publisher, that is planning a unique fan site on the actor.

"Our research has revealed that Mona is a popular icon with young men, and the majority of users of value-added services on mobile phones are males," points out Vishal Gundal, CEO of Indiagames.

Indiagames, which had earlier signed up celebrities like noodlestrap beauty Mandira Bedi and cricketer Zaheer Khan, intends to use Mona "differently". So, look out for exclusive "Mona Singh Zones" and a "Mona Singh Club" and have fun downloading content based on her.

Ever since the ugly, brainy duckling Jassi transformed into a femme fatale on the soap, all manner of endorsement and film offers have been pouring in for the Pune-bred model-turned-actor.

So, while she had the Rs 100-crore vision care company Bausch & Lomb queuing up to leverage Jassi's transformation (to convey the message that opting for lenses could mean the transition from Plain Jane to a stunner), soft drinks major Coca Cola too wasted no time signing her on for an endorsement. But it was Godrej, the home lifestyle brand, that has roped her in as its new brand ambassador.

Even as Mona juggles between shooting for the popular soap, her new endorsement projects and public appearances, Indiagames hopes she'll find time to interact with her fans on the exclusive "Mona Singh Club" that they are creating. There will be video messages from her that can be downloaded and played on handsets.

The "Mona on Mobile Blog" chat module will allow her fans to ask questions which she will respond to on a weekly basis. The development team is already creating content comprising wallpapers, screensavers, images, and themes based around her. If the the ringtones and caller tunes will be from Mona's favourite songs, the mobile games will be based on her favourite sport or game. Audio messages and inspirational quotes from her will also be available on handsets.

"It's a fun product on her lifestyle, her likes and dislikes, or bits of information like her shooting schedule, or shooting locations," says Indiagames' CEO. But isn't that taking Mona Singh's (or Jassi's, or Jessica's) popularity too far? Gundal doesn't think so. India has a dearth of icons, he says, and Mona Singh, among them, is an enigma that India-games is hoping to unravel for its audiences.

But will the mystery translate into megabucks for the company? You'll hold the answer in your hands before long.

Jassi, soon on big screen!

December 06, 2005 15:54 IST

Mona Singh, or Jassi, has won millions of hearts with her honest-girl-next-door role in the hit television serial Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin.

The actress chatted with rediff.com readers on December 5, and seemed to have as good a time as her fans did asking her their questions.

For those who missed the chat, here's the transcript.

Mona Singh : Hello, This is Mona Singh here. Waiting for your questions.

Poonam_verma10 : is ths a wronge information to us that jassi is going to chat with us
Mona Singh : No its not the wrong information. I am here with you guys, please start sending your questions.

sid : hy mona,u really look beautiful.r u doing any movies
Mona Singh : Thank you. After my glasses I have actually started looking good...haha Yes I am doing movies and you will soon know about it.

Akshay : Jassi why don't you come to Singapore, Its a nice place & lot of Indians here
Mona Singh : Well I have been to Singapore and I know its a beautiful place. In fact the entire team of Jassi was shooting there last year.

girl : MONA, WHY ARE YOU LATE?
Mona Singh : Sorry for being late. Was busy shooting with Armaan Sir.

vish : monaji no probs we know the traffic condition on mumbai as we get late daily for our offices...lolz
Mona Singh : Thanks for understanding that but I have never reached Gulmohar late.

Sara : The channel hyped Armaan-Jassi marriage but cheated & betrayed the fans & viewers by showing Armaan getting married to Mallika. When the news got leaked you appeared on Saas Bahu Saazish (Star News) and calmed down the fans by saying Armaan is definitely getting married to Jassi and not Mallika. Was this only a cheap publicity gimmick or were you too not aware of what the channel intended to do?
Mona Singh : Yes Sara I was definitely not aware of the fact that Armaan was marrying Mallika but I can promise you one thing very soon the two of us are gonna be together.

Hema : How close are you with shilpa, Apurvas wife..It was very nice to see the warm hug you shared with her on awards day..!!
Mona Singh : Shilpa and I are very good friends and it was nice receiving the award from her.

sagar : my self sagar , i am ur big fan
Mona Singh : myself Jassi. Thank you for being my fan.

sashi : Hi Mona, how do you describe the transformation from oridinary gal to popular actress on TV ??
Mona Singh : Its a beautiful journey. Lot of hard work, sweats, tears and smiles.

saritha : HI MONA! HOW DID U HAPPEN TO WORK ON JASSI? HAD U BEEN PLANNING TO WORK ON SERIALS OR DID IT JUST HAPPEN?
Mona Singh : I always wanted to act. I had auditioned for Jassi and I got the role.

tyagi,aman : hi, jassi singh or Mona Walia how r u
Mona Singh : This is Mona Singh/Jassi Walia. I am fine. You tell me.

mike37 : whats yr favourite dish and cuisine?
Mona Singh : Only Punjabi food cooked by Bebe.

arif : Are you getting any offers from Bollywood......I would really like to see you With MR. SHAHRUKH KHAN :)
Mona Singh : Yes I am getting offers. Just pray for me so that I get to work with Shahrukh.

romilachitturi : Jassi i want to tell you one thing is u look good with Raghav not with Armaan...what do you think about this?
Mona Singh : Jassi can look good only with Armaan. What say?

Ankush : Hi mona, Congrats on receiving the award !!! just wanted to ask that nowadays you seem to have put on some weight (which is looking absolutely good !) ... is that with the story demanding it ?
Mona Singh : No not at all. The story is demanding me to lose weight.

Sara : Nowadays, there is a lot written about Karan Oberoi and you. Mid-day says he followed you to Goa. Are you serious about him? Should we consider your'll as the next telly couple?
Mona Singh : Well, Karan and I are just very good friends. No telly couple happening here.

luchi : Hi Mona, How did it feel to look ugly on screen?
Mona Singh : Got so much love from you all that I felt beautiful.

sunilkumar : jassi, are you going to marry armaan suri in u're today's episode
Mona Singh : Not today but very soon.

sujay : hi jasssiiii ..... jiiiiiiii.... kasisay hain apppp..........
Mona Singh : Hum theek hai...aap batao

Ankush : Did u put on weight for the story as u are looking more a "woman" than a "just out of college girl" now
Mona Singh : Yes I guess sarees did the thing for me.

Padi : assalam ailaikum wa rahmutulla wah barakattu
Mona Singh : Satsriakal

mahimaa : Would u answer my question.. Jassi.. i'ld definetly like to meet u... Can u do something for it..????
Mona Singh : Yeah sure. Come to our shoot in Powai.

Anurag Arora : HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT UR COSTARS IN jjkn
Mona Singh : Its great to work with all of them. We are like a huge family and its party time every day when we are together.

Padi : Mona u can take all my sona
Mona Singh : Dont need Sona...I have got a sister called Sona...hahah

pady : hows it working for a daily soap?
Mona Singh : Very tiring, very hectic, no personal life. That's all I can say about a daily soap.

lanceklusener : Jassi! Don't you think the Indian shows have become a show-off? People use English for know reason, mixing with Hindi. Don't you think people of Mumbai have become too Americanized?
Mona Singh : I dont think so. We all usually speak in English also and using that in Hindi serials is not a show-off.

Hema : dO YOU GO TO aPURVAS HOUSE AND HE TO YOUR HOUSE FOR DINNER ETC..? HOW IS IT OFF SCREEN..WOULD LOVE TO KNOW MORW ABOUT YOU AND APURVA..
Mona Singh : Yes we do meet each other even after pack up. It feels great to have friends like Apurva. We usually sit at Baristas or go for dinner to Urban Tadka.

sashi : This might be obivious questions to many starts but every experience might be different.... so how did u feel on ur first shot ??
Mona Singh : First shot -- nervous, kept forgetting all my lines. I only was thinking of Babaji.

dia : and mona...do u have a fan club??? and is it possible for us fans to write to u and stuff...i saw ur dad and mom at the telly awards....boy!!!they must be really proud!!
Mona Singh : Please write to me using the following link. And yes my parents are really proud of having a daughter like Jassi. http://www.setindia.com/jassipal/jassi_login.php

cutelovelygirl : Hi Mona, We all wanna no abt the chemistry between u and Apoorva, Abhijeet Sawant and Karna Oberoi?
Mona Singh : All good friends....no chemistry.

star : You have enjoyed success. your earlier look was better. now Jassi is boring. TRP is down. Only Story and Extensive Marketing Stratery can make a serial like Jassi Heat. Sony Spent crores in Advertisement. What do you have to say?
Mona Singh : Forward this question to Sony.

MandarK : Can u cook food at all ..??
Mona Singh : Yes....wanted to be a chef. Well I have cooked for nearly 30 people at once with five different courses.

Sym1 : Hi Mona I'm also a serial Actor and GREAT FAN of you. Don't you think that people will always remember you as Jassi after couple of years. Any will compare your each and every new serial with jassi (Arun Govil and other Actor and Actresses have had the same problem). Don't you think that you need to have improvisation and special thinking for you future. (Because I believe that people will remember you as Great Actress Mona) Plz REPLY
Mona Singh : Jassi has been the biggest show for me and I wont mind even if after 20 years people remember me as Jassi. But as an actor I definitely would do something totally different from Jassi once the show gets over.

hemant : acting or direction what accordng to you is tough?
Mona Singh : Both in their own way

kish_bhandage : hi jassi here is kishor (27)_reports says that after your ad of no.1 soap of godrej the sale of this product has gone high how do you feel
Mona Singh : I use the same soap. I feel great

guru98 : THIS IS NOT A CHAT, JUST A WASTE, NO REPLIES...
Mona Singh : Have been answering too many questions..so maybe I missed yours. Sorry

CHOTU : Didi, I understand that you are getting so many questions.But, I left everything to come for this chat and you havent replied even one of my questions. especially, Iam from same city..atleast say hi chotu before you leave..didi plzzz
Mona Singh : Hi Chotu, we both share the same pet name..

Ruchi4mJalandhar : Hi mona, reply once at least
Mona Singh : Hi Ruchi. how are you?

Abhilekh : Hi Mona. Are you open to films in the future and will you be ready to expose in films which are so much a part of cinema today?
Mona Singh : Open to films and open to be covered.

nitinlucky : Where are you from ??Your native?
Mona Singh : I am from Pune, but native place Delhi.

Ruma : you look great in sarees.
Mona Singh : Thank you.

MandyK : Jassi Do u have a boyfriend please let us know honestly ??
Mona Singh : No time for boyfriend..only busy working.

TAOMAS : Can I marry you
Mona Singh : Send me your bio-data with a photograph to Jassi Pal Club.Here is the link: http://www.setindia.com/jassipal/jassi_login.php

rohan : why not bollywood or try luck in tollywood?
Mona Singh : Right now only in serials.

vithal : hi how are you you are looking so nice & sexythough i am in love with you
Mona Singh : I love you too.

reachdeb : Hi Mona? What is ur aim in life; both professional and social?
Mona Singh : Aim in life to be happy and successful and a better human being.

azmikhn : what u think abt life means how 1 should live lifa
Mona Singh : Live life like a king!

jameel : give me reply mona i am waiting! i missed my date to chat with u
Mona Singh : You missed your date...how sweet! Tell me more about you.

maddy : where r u .pls reply soon.
Mona Singh : At an internet cafe..

aseem : Hi Mona when will u complete your role in Jassi..........U are loved plz from everywhere It is Pride to u n challange also...
Mona Singh : My role in Jassi will get over soon I guess. Thanks for all your love.

indiarama@rediffmail.com : hi Mona... i am a big fan of karan oberoi... are u going around with him?
Mona Singh : I will tell him that you are his fan. We both are great friends.

straightforward : i know u must be buzzed by so many people and that might deviate u from my question what i asked u anyways undoubtedly u l b the star of today and gonna be star of future. god bless u
Mona Singh : Thank you so much. Feels great to be loved by people like you.

akhilesh : hi Mona, I am ful inspired by role in Jassi, she is one of my Role Model. Wish you sucess in other roles also
Mona Singh : Thank you so much.

Mona Singh : It was nice chatting with all of you, hope you all too had a good time

Indiagames pacts with Electronic Arts, signs Mona Singh

Indiagames has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Electronic Arts, the world's leading interactive entertainment company, that will bring EA's roster of mobile games to consumers across multiple mobile carriers in India.

The EA games range will be kicked off with the release of EA Sports FIFA 06 this year. The games initially released will include Need for Speed Underground 2, Need for Speed Most Wanted, NBA LIVE 06, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06, EA SPORTS FIFA 06, FIFA STREET 2, Madden NFL 06, SimCity and The Sims 2, a media release says.

Says Jon Niermann, president and managing director, EA Asia Publishing, "Indiagames is a key partner for us as we expand our business from packaged goods to mobile content in the burgeoning Indian marketplace They have a strong technological infrastructure and share our passion for delivering top quality entertainment."

Indiagames CEO Vishal Gondal is excited not just with this prospect. It has also signed up Mona Singh to provide users 'Mona on Mobile.'

Says Gondal, "We want to provide clean-fun and ethical content for mobile phone users. The content will be very varied, unlike content that is currently available. We are planning to have exclusive "Mona Singh Zones" with carriers and users can join the Mona Singh Club and have fun downloading content based on her."

Home> Pune> Tele Express Monday , December 12, 2005


TELE EXPRESS


Nano cut

With mobisodes hitting the tiny screen, the future of TV is on the mobile

Sulakshana Gupta

Pune, December 11: WHEN the three-hour movie gave way to the half-hour television serial, audiences lapped it up. The shrinkage continues with the recent launch of mobisodes, 30 second to one minute video clips that spin off from a popular TV show and play on demand for the cellphone user.

The mystery-thriller Lost has just completed its first season in India, but in the US, the Emmy award-winner has already announced the Lost Video Diaries, mobisodes featuring individual plots with peripheral characters from the show.



The episodes, each several minutes long, will be shot in Hawaii independent of the TV series. But Lost isn't the first to cut a long story short. Last year, Fox tried its own cell series 24: Conspiracy, inspired by the Kiefer Sutherland hit.

Back home, channels are catching up with their own mobile mini-series.

After the success of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Star One launched a series of one-minute gags on mobile. Deepak Sehgal, VP content and communication, Star TV, says that there's always demand for new kinds of content.

''The Laughter Challenge lent itself easily to the short format and is a great way for fans to relive funny moments from the show anytime,'' he says.

The five jokes while amusing, grow stale after several reruns. But MTV has taken on the task of releasing fresh mobisodes every day, all based on their new youth-centric serial, Pyaar Vyaar and All That. Vikram Raizada, VP, Marketing, MTV explains, ''It's an experiment that's worked internationally and makes sense when trying to keep pace with the youth.'' The 20-second clips are meant to highlight the events of the day.

The format works best with serials that are episodic in nature. The infinite plots of daily soaps make sorry candidates for mobile interactivity.

But a show like Hum Paanch with weekly storylines just about makes the cut. Zee is currently working on assembling humorous moments from the show into mobisodes. They're also considering relaunching some vintage projects like Banegi Apni Baat on mobile. ''The main constraint right now is technological, only GPRS phones can download them,'' says Neil Chakravarti, VP, Convergence, Zee.

Instead of rushing into the market they're keen to develop content that's more compelling than a mere promo.

Most mobisodes revolve around a show, but Mona Singh may become the first TV actor to star in a mobile series featuring her as the protagonist.

Developed by Indiagames, Mona on Mobile currently offers assorted wallpapers, blogs and games. ''We're also finalising a series of scripts and situations for 30-second mobisodes.

One example is a story where Mona is an ordinary woman by day, but transforms into a superhero after the sun sets,'' explains Vishal Gondal, CEO, Indiagames.For kiddie specialist Hungama TV, it will be a natural progression from Hungaming, a cellular gaming zone that has just launched. Soon, TRP driver Hero will jump media with smaller storylines. ''Mobisodes help generate interest by providing a sampling of our most popular shows,'' says Siddharth Kapur, senior VP, marketing, Hungama TV.

Sony refuses to be left behind and plans to release mobisodes based on Indian Idol, Ek Ladki Anjaani Si and Deal Ya No Deal. Tarun Katial, business head, Sony, says that he can't give too much away because of legalities but stresses that ''the mobisodes are definitely on the agenda in the coming weeks.''

Tele on the go has spurred interest, but there are ample technical roadblocks like insufficient bandwidth. In the future, every cellphone will be equipped with two tuners—one for voice data and the other for streaming mobile TV. Until the next mini-revolution, the small teasers currently available will have to suffice.

Touch-me-nots

TELLY VISION

Abhilasha Ojha / New Delhi December 17, 2005



Playback singer Sonu Nigam was busy molesting a girl last week when I switched on the telly. While I gaped in horror, the poor girl looked at Nigam's anorexic hand that edged close to her, squeaked like a mouse, cringed her entire body into a tiny little bundle, clasped her hands tightly, squealed again, looked at him, sniffled between her sobs and finally croaked, "Nahin, nahin (No, no)! Please don't do this to me! You can't do this to me!"

On Indian television's popular reality show Indian Idol, Nigam obviously looked inspired by Aman Varma — sorry, that was hard to resist — who was caught on camera not very long ago in a disastrous casting couch episode.

It was only after watching the episode closely that I realised that the show's judges - Anu Malik, director/choreographer Farah Khan and Nigam - were selecting a handful of candidates for the next league of the programme.

The deal was simple. "Whoever we touch," music director Malik said in his trademark nasal tone, "will not make it to Indian Idol." As the judges walked in slow motion on stage, the aspirants stood still, muttering prayers, breathing unevenly and looking like they'd just encountered ghosts.

That's why our little-girl-in-shocking-pink shook violently, hoping that the singer would fail to touch her.

I could have suggested a better game. Participants should have jumped off the stage, run around the auditorium, stuck out their thumbs, sniggered and said, "Catch me if you can." See, that would be fun.

Unfortunately, by the time 11 Indian MPs wanted to run, it was too late. A certain news channel had caught them red-handed as they accepted cash for asking specific questions in Parliament.

Viewers were treated to blurred images of politicians — overweight in most cases — accepting money from undercover reporters. But my point is, how on earth do these reporters manage to sneak in their cameras and escape that horrendous beeping security machine that guards run all over your body with bored expressions? Anyone willing to investigate this?

Or will anyone investigate why Jassi's friend Nandu on Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin decided to borrow the Jaaved Jaafri look from Salaam Namaste?

He held a cigar, wore a cowboy hat - which hid his tiny, mouse-sized face - and mimicked Jaffri. Next we saw love-lost boy Armaan buying jewellery for Jassi for the nth time after they kissed and made up after their nth break up.

The serial, having lost its original storyline, is now increasingly been used as a means to advertise everything from clothes to jewellery to holiday destinations and fashion shows.

So the latest adventure was Armaan buying a diamond ring for his beloved while a salesgirl cooed, "Our diamonds are the best, our jewellery is a mark of authenticity, our jewellery is..." Oh, forget it.

Armaan aka Apoorva Agnihotri was in a much better avataar when I saw him swinging with his wife Shilpa aka Ganga of Kyunki Saas Bhi... on Nach Baliye, a fantastic programme featuring 10 couples of the Indian small screen that unfortunately came to an end on Thursday.

What made this programme special was the fact that one saw small screen icons battling and trying to outdo each other as they sizzled on the dance floor.

Now that's the sort of thing I like watching on my telly. Ecjhacktly.