Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts

Friday, February 17, 2017

Anything does happen over Koffee

Each and every time it airs, it becomes the buzz of the town. Who has he invited? What’s going to set the gossip mills running this time? Who said what and what not? From the lavish sets and garish silver shoes to the excessive display of haute couture, the show never lets you down. Be it a prime time slot on one of the country’s most popular channels or making the crème de la crème of the Hindi film industry clear their diaries for him, Karan Johar sure knows how to get things done.

Koffee with Karan (KWK) is a talk show known for the gossip and revelations and controversial statements made by the celebrities that make the page 3 presstitutes moan in orgasmic delight. The news ink never seems to dry out printing one gossip after another and keypads get punched effortlessly to dish out the meatiest of the scandals, because whether we like it or not, that is what sells. A lot.

But that’s not just what makes the show sizzle and swirl and has tongues salivating and wagging for more. No doubt, gossip matters, but what seems to nudge the adrenalin levels a notch higher are the innumerous implicit but most of the time explicit sexual innuendoes. It’s as if the show just can’t do without them.

When the season began, I was one of those looking forward to watch. In anticipation I must add. The previous seasons had been a fun watch and frankly we all like gossip, we belong to a species which thrives on being curious about everything that does not matter to them. My happiness however was rather short lived.

While candour is obviously not meant to be USP of the show, the wit and presence of mind Shahrukh Khan and Twinkle Khanna displayed in the initial episodes made me wonder if KWK had finally evolved.  It didn’t take long for my bubble to go burst.

Source: www.ndtv.com
Couple of episodes down, Ranbir Kapoor and Ranvir Singh made an appearance on the sets.  Every single sentence spoken was punctuated with some or the other reference to sex or porn or lust... I could go on. If that wasn’t enough, we were subject to ‘lush vicious’, whatever that means. Wait a minute, it doesn’t mean anything, because the word doesn’t exist! If the cheap sex jokes were not enough, the mediocrity of the spoken word could make one cringe. It sold. The audience lapped it up and seemed to beg for more. Nothing else can explain the consistency with which the trend continued across most of the later episodes or the TRPs that shoot through the roof.
If sexual talk isn’t the in thing this winter, it probably serves as a wonderful cover up for the dumbness most of the celebrities put on public display. With IQs threatening to go below their shoe sizes and making statements that are about as dumb as a box of raisins, the one thing all of the actors seem to get are sexual references. Be it a tiny pinky hair dryer which according to Alia Bhat, vibrates (!!) to gay hand gestures (really Ranbir?) and the all-important questions on phone sex and the mile high club, it’s all what celebrity lives seem to be about. If none of this is enough, implicit references to KJo’s sexual preferences bring out the snickers. Gay banter. It can’t get any more old school than that, can it?

It all boils down to an easy to miss remark Aamir Khan makes in one of the episodes, “Koffee with Karan pe aaye hai, kuch to bolna hi padega”

Why can’t the show be about intelligent conversations, a peek into celebrity lives albeit revealing but minus the cheap carnal references? To get to know the celebrities as who they are and not the dumb sex maniacs they get portrayed to be?

Ranbir Kapoor made the only sensible statement in the otherwise ridiculous episode, that its high time KWK moves on as far as his relationship with Deepika Padukone is concerned.


If you ask me, it is high time KWK just moves on.

Friday, October 04, 2013

The Facebook Show

Courtesy: www.theclipartillustration.com


Some days I am happy and gay,
Some days I am sad and vague,
Whatever the feeling may be…
A common ground they find with me,
What used to be a call to my bestie
Is now a vent out on Facebook…
For the Millenial in me
  




In today’s world, social media has quickly risen up on most priority lists. If Twitter is the news breaking platform, Facebook has found a permanent residence in most households. Days don’t start without a religious log in to Facebook nor do we sleep a wink without checking our news feed at night. Business travels don’t start without the customary “check in” while vacations are truly not complete if they are not announced on the network. Happiness, Anger, Frustrations, Celebrations, all sorts of achievements...everything finds its way on to this book… hell even a random picture of the neighbour’s dog.

Despite today’s hectic schedules and the busy lives we all crib about, there always seems to be some time left over for this new friend, the one that seems to have taken priority over all others.  Let me correct that; the one that has taken priority but also given us the opportunity to stay connected with friends, family and acquaintances. However there is this nagging feeling I get each time my news feed loads; has that thin line that separates the real from the virtual blurred? Has our dependency on this technology phenomenon reached a point of no return? I oscillate between being irritated and amused each time I come across instances which strengthen this feeling, especially when I see these-

Breakfast Menus: I am really glad you had a healthy breakfast but seriously what am I going to do with knowing whether you had a Parantha or Dosa to start your day with?

The latest weather channel in town: Climate changes. In India it is either hot or cold or raining somewhere or the other. As global warming is setting up home with us, those changes are sudden but definitely not shocking are they? So someone please help me understand why one should go gaga if it suddenly starts raining somewhere? If you are watching the rains from your window go fix yourself some chai and pakoras. Getting soaked in the rains are you? - grab an umbrella or simply enjoy the drench… Oh wait a minute I shouldn’t have said that, that’s another topic to put up isn’t it? Silly me!

Thinking out loud: Yes, Archimedes probably did that when he made his “mass”ive discovery and I am sure it must have been the most exhilarating moment for him; but you know what? He did not go around sending cryptic thoughts out to all, waiting for everyone to inquire what he meant. No one would be happier than me were you truly to have your Archimedean moment, but till then please spare us the rumination… please?

(Dis)respecting privacy: However open one might be on Facebook, there are aspects that everyone prefers keeping private and personal… always; if only that was as easy to understand. Sigh.
Rather than embarrassing them in public, the concerned person willing, do put in all your efforts to get well versed with their personal lives but over private messages, mails or maybe those long forgotten phone calls? “Live and Let live” is too much to ask for these days anyways.

It is that time of the month: No kidding! And pray what honors did we do to be made privy to this information? Should we be cooking you a favorite meal? Take you shopping for those bare essentials or wait a minute are you just warning us about those mood swings? Gawd, the suspense!

Emotional outbursts: Awwwwww…It’s your wedding anniversary! Congratulations! But err… umm… could you keep those lovey-dovey notes/ballads/poetries and re-runs of classic English/Hindi love songs between you two love birds? Let love continue to be in the air and not get poured all over Facebook? Once again congratulations J

The list goes on but you know what is endless? – The “likes” these statuses generate.  People find the time even during a crisis (read illness/surgeries/accidents… even death) to update these on their pages and the likes continue to shower regardless of what the message is.

We have begun to document every single moment of our day to day life, every single thought that crosses our mind, every single activity we do...Have we begun to lead an alternate life? One that is built on impulse most of the time? Is that thin line between reality and the virtual world disappearing? Has Facebook become the new Truman Show?

Too many questions to ponder over but maybe I should do that some other day… it is now time for my customary afternoon log in to Facebook.
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