Saroj Khan's Rude remarks

By Subhash K Jha

Imagine calling a female contestant manly!

It looks like the inaugural episode of Star One's prized premium product Nach Baliye will have more fireworks than the channel bargained for.

Fiery as ever, judge Saroj Khan lets out a nasty salvo at poor contestant Shweta Kawatre (the vampish Bahu in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki) who didn't know what hit her when Khan commented on her lack of femininity and grace in her dance steps.

"Your movements are not lady-like," Saroj is supposed to have said to poor Shweta in her most imperious Urdu, thereby reducing the poor contestant and her husband tv-star Maanav Govil, not to mention the other contestants, to a few seconds of desperate anxiety before regaining their composure.

On being asked about Ms Khan's shockingly improper comment a spokesperson of Star One said, "These things happen. Saroj-ji's comment when taken in the right Hindi-Urdu spirit doesn't really sound that mean or rude. It's only when you translate her words into Hindi do the words sound like a comment of Shweta's lack of femininity."

Interestingly the judges on the rival dance show Nach Baliye are far less belligerent in their observations. Says Shilpa Shetty, "We don't want to make the contestants unhappy or make viewers interested in our show by being rude to the contestants. I don't want to comment on any other show or its purpose. But On Jhalak Dikhla Jaa we just want to have fun."

A Star One spokesperson has the last word. "It's rather sad when a show is talked more for its judges than its contestants. We don't want that to happen to Nach Baliye 2."