Let Me Entertain You!

It’s been a while since I came back to my blog (Rabayl thank you for reminding I had one). Some how the month of May has usually been very eventful for me, I fell in love for the first time in May (or may be it was second time no no fifth I guess, well not important), I broke my neck in May, did my first ever hunger strike in May etc. and now had interesting interaction on TV in May.

As it is my obsession with TV can never end and having a few spicy things happen here and there keep me fueled enough to watch more TV. Couple of days backs my friend Faisal and I got into a discussion regarding media responsibility and how so many people are out there to change the face of our country and not make money, and the impact of pointing of the fingers. As it happens I unknowingly sent an emotional email thinking it will only go to him but it went to his whole mailing list and to top that he replied to that email on his show “Ankahi” on live national TV saying that he is washing his “Damman” (clothes could be the closest translation I could come up with) and since it is very dirty it will take time to clean, well I do my laundry at home but that’s just me.

Moving on this was not as exciting as the other adventure I had with TV, soon after the first anniversary of May 12 and the break up of Zardari Sharif (I love the way how GEO puts it) and further price hike the jazba of doing something came back but as always I got stuck on the same old point “do what?” I am doing charity (as much as I can afford may be more), I am trying to convey messages of positivity and good to young and old, I am stretching my physical financial capacity but nothing seems to be fulfilling. So I went into an analysis and realized that in recent history of our country three things took the nation by storm (and I mean not the positive storm like “Sarmad has taken the world by storm” this storm is like the one in Burma these days). Those three are terrorism, lawyers and media. Since the first two are consolidated in the third one more like the first two are bullets and the third is the gun. So to better understand things I started to again watch all the talk shows without any bias. While I was about digest the bombs another bomb fell on me.

There is a show called “Begum Nawazish Ali” now just to give you a background from the day one I had a principle difference against the show so I never watched it, lost respect of those who came as guests etc. I am not saying I am right or wrong it was just a personal difference. To my luck due to a team commitment and for promoting something I was to be a guest on that show I tried to say no but couldn’t be a spoiled sport at the last minute. So I consulted one of my teachers who is a 40 something Irish dude and he said that “have supper with the devil if it helps your cause”. So with that justification in mind I went.

I won’t get into the details of how it started or what I said or did not say on the show, however, when I left Karachi and was on a plane back home, I realized that I have finally found that one honest show in Pakistani media. Why do I say that? The host is not a woman but dresses like one AND THE AUDIENCE KNOWS THAT. The host is vulgar AND THE AUDIENCE KNOWS THAT. The host is asking direct nonsense questions AND THE AUDIENCE KNOWS THAT. The host is not making any claims to change the world but only claiming to entertain AND HE IS DOING THAT AND AUDIENCE KNOWS THAT. The social contribution or passing of valuable information is only by chance or a wind fall effect AND AUDIENCE EXPECTS THAT. The host is there to make money for the entertainment he provides AND HE IS DOING THAT AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT.

During such confused state of affairs in our media I found it be most transparent show, whilst while watching any other talk show may it be a women targeted morning show or political show or any other at the end one cannot help but be confused what this messiah exactly wants. Vanity comes across but is not accepted, all the discussion at the end of the day either ends up in cheap entertainment or boring nothings. What ever good comes out of those is only by chance and a wind fall effect. No wonder Begum is one of the most popular shows in Pakistan and India (my differences prevail).

Not being judgmental but in a business where you wear make up is called show business and show business is at its best when it is entertaining. And may be our audience is not as stupid as we might think of them to be. Its just that only Begum had the courage.