Not many reviews are available for Imagine Channel’s latest show Zor Ka Jhatka, which is the Indianized Wipeout series, so I’m taking the task of writing one.
I have been watching Wipeout on AXN on and off(2:15 pm weekdays) and trust me, I am bowled over. The games remind me a lot about Takeshi’s Castle on POGO(standing ovation), yet there was a certain twist to them. And, hence, my expectations kept doubling with every single day counting down to the premiere episode of ZKJ. Alas, the treat wasn’t worth it.
First of all, I had this inkling that SRK will definitely blab a lot during the show, but I also expected him to show up only a couple of times, whereas the rest of the programme would be occupied by other hosts. I even assumed that the role of the commentator would be allotted to someone else. But, I was in for a rude shock when SRK started talking non-sense with the arrival of the first participant, Commonwealth champion boxer Manoj Kumar. And the last straw was the cracking of jokes on the next contestant, beauty pageant winner Simran Kaur Mundi. I changed the channel to watch Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa on Sony(for Mom; I took my novel to another room and then chatted with a friend on the phone) within less than ten minutes of the start of ZKJ!
Here’s what went wrong and what should be rectified:
Has anyone of you ever seen even a single episode of the original Wipeout? Don’t you think the focus there is more on the game than on a superstar host(and do the western guys even have a superstar host?!?)? And, don’t you consider it sensible that our desi makers too should follow that rule?
OK, let’s say that SRK isn’t bad as a host, but why show him again and again in-between the game? Why not focus on the contestants instead? And why allow him to irritate us during that period with his bakwaas?
If SRK can’t shut up, then recruit Jaaved Jaafery(or someone like him, very difficult to find one indeed) to do the talking. Look at the heights where he took Takeshi’s Castle to! And that’s also because he preferred to only commentate and completely abstain from coming in front of the camera. That’s something SRK cannot afford to do even when you give him ten times the remuneration he’s paid now(which I’m sure already exceeds an eight-digit figure!).
My heart goes out to Saumya Tandon, the outdoor host who is facing Disguised Unemployment!
Nothing wrong with the games and the participants. But we do hope to see some aam janta contestants in the upcoming episodes(and I wonder, why’s Vindu here. Did he spent all of his one-crore fortune in one moment? Strange that most of the contestants were in-mates in the Bigg Boss House).
Will tune in a couple of days to check whether there are any improvements. Until then, Madhuri’s Latkas and Jhatkas will keep my family hooked(and Maa Exchange on Wednesdays and Thursdays!)!