Small Screen

This dance competition has become more fierce and demanding in its second season. No one is insulted and sent back. Everyone, from a bhavai dancer to a local disco dancer, are allowed to participate. And the judges select the best out of these. The most outstanding dancers make it to the next round. The show mixes drama with tears of joy and displeasure making it a must-watch show on the weekend.

What we like
All the dancers are very good.
The judges don’t humiliate anyone.
The host, Jay Bhanushali, is warm.

Don’t like
Sometimes, you don’t get enough dancing from contestants.
Most of them look and even agree that they are professional dancers and not raw talent, which is what the show is meant for in the first place.

Star One

Laughter Ke Phatke
Time: Monday to Friday, 10 pm
Cast: Jennifer Winget and others

Whoever created this show must get some ‘phatke’ from the audience. The show looks like a poor copy of Sony’s Comedy Circus. An actor and comedian are paired to create humour and in the process, compete with other such teams. Wow! Now that’s an original concept! Sana and Alina Wadivala (Alina was a contestant on Bigg Boss 2) have no work except to sit in a corner and laugh at just any random joke. Jennifer Winget is wasted in a show that’s a complete waste of time.

What we like
Nothing!!!

Don’t like
The concept is not original.
The jokes are poor.
The show is simply boring.

Star Plus

Music Ka Maha Muqabla
Time: Saturday-Sunday, 9 pm
Cast: Six teams lead by six singers

The show at the outset could be confused for a concert. The format resembles a dance reality show that’s on air currently. Six teams combat each other musically in three different rounds. The contestants for the most part are ex-contestants from several other musical reality shows barring six of them who have been selected from ‘auditions’. The drama has already begun with Mika Singh and Shaan fighting over petty matters. They make it seem like the show is the end of the world for them, which everyone knows it isn’t. It’s good to see old faces back but not for too long. 

What we like
Singers from previous reality shows are back.
The show begins like a musical concert, which is entertaining.

Don’t like
The drama looks scripted.
The host can do with less talking.

Sab Tv

Sajan Re Jhooth Mat Bolo
Time: 9 pm, Monday to Thursday
Cast: Sumeet Raghavan, Apara Mehta, Tiku Talsania and a host of other actors

This show could remind you of Hrishikesh Mukherji’s films in which, funny lies would create humour. But that worked then. The producers of this show didn’t realise that such a plot might not work today. Sumeet Raghavan, as an employee of a company where no one is allowed to speak a lie, is appealing without going overboard. Tiku Talsania, his boss, is so impressed with him that he decides to wed his niece with him. The hitch is that Raghavan doesn’t have a family and has been lying about having one all along. So a family is ‘arranged’ for. From this point on, the overacting begins. The clothes are too jazzy and the show doesn’t really tickle except moments where you find Sumeet Raghavan and Swapnil Joshi interacting with each other.

What we like
Sumeet Raghavan and Swapnil Joshi do their bit to keep the show funny.
The concept is very old-world but likeable.

Don’t like
Jazzy clothes are a turn off.
Most of the actors ham.
The lines aren’t that funny.

Sony Entertainment

Jeet Jayenge Hum
Time: 9.30 pm
Cast: Sana Sheikh, Akhilendra Mishra and a bangle factory

Suman lives in some fictitious ‘pur’ or ‘nagar’ in Uttar Pradesh. The story revolves around a bangle factory in this place where kids are bought from the local market and made to work as bonded labourers. It’s a realistic plot but the execution dampens it. Some scenes such as the way children get sold in the mandi are hard to believe. The way Suman’s siblings behave is also superficial. You can relate a bit with the parents. Akhilendra Mishra as the tyrant hams his way through the serial. The family is too perfect and too sweet. It’s a good attempt that could have been better.

What we like

The plot of the show surrounding bonded labour.
Wai, presented as UP, is well shot.
The dialogues are decent.

Don’t like
RJ Sana Sheikh makes her debut. She sounds great but needs to learn the ropes of acting.
Akhilendra Mishra hams in his portions.
The family is too sugar-kissed to be real.

UTV Bindaas

Emotional Atyachar
Time: Friday-Saturday, 7 pm
Cast: Angad Bedi and cheating couples

This is a show for all those voyeurs out there even though you can’t really decide if the cheating couples on the show are really a couple that broke off or actors. But the show makes its impact. It is fun to watch how the crew actually helps a girl discover, that her lover of four years was cheating on her all along. The spy camera footage and the usage of songs from Dev D make for a good 45-minute show. The overall package is fantastic. The concept is killer. Angad Bedi is a cool host though he has nothing much to do.

What we like
The concept that helps a person determine if his or her partner is cheating.
The spy videos and baits used to catch the partners.
The way the show uses the Dev D chartbuster Emosanal Atyachaar.
It is entertaining.

Don’t like
Angad Bedi has too less to do.

M Tv

Splitsvilla 3
Time: Saturday-Sunday, 7 pm
Cast: Couples, singles and two hosts

Once again, young couples fight against the man and woman snatchers on the other side. The language, the attitude of the show and even the content is run-of-the-mill with the same old kind of fights. The language, aiming to be zingy and cool, borders on being abusive. The only good thing is the location, Phuket, which according to a colleague, resembles Goa. The show has nothing to keep a first-timer hooked to it.

What we like
The location.

Don’t like
The abusive language.
The attitude of the show.