Apr 24, 2004 05:09 PM
3466 Views
(Updated Apr 24, 2004 08:44 PM)
So you thought puppet shows are meant only for kids or people with an underdeveloped sense of humour? Did you disdainfully dismiss the exploits of these stringed actors as fit only for the consumption of those rural folk unexposed to more superior forms of entertainment?
If so, think again. NDTV’s “Double Take”is sure to shake you out of this conviction, without you even noticing it. Originally designed as a 5 minute program telecast at the end of each half hour bulletin, the timing was extended to make it a complete 30-minute show due to the tremendous popularity it gained. On the Hindi channel of NDTV, this program is titled “Gustakhi Maaf”
The show is designed on BBC’s satirical puppet show “Spitting Image” which was extremely popular during the 1980s. This program had seen many world leaders getting their images brutally shattered by the antics of their respective clay clones.
In the Indian version, the setting is that of a TV news studio and all the actors are clay puppets. Prem Taneja, a bushy eye browed TV anchor with a receding hairline is at his wits end trying to get some semblance of rationality into his question answer sessions. His guests range from noisy politicians, world leaders, and rabid socialites to other celebrities like cricketers and film stars. The question answer session or a topic discussion is usually the forum for expression.
The satire in the show is based on:
# the blatant hypocrisy of the guests,
# their tendency to give tangential replies to queries and
# their discomfiture at being cornered into tricky situations.
Eventually, politicians are taken apart rather mercilessly through the proceedings. A redeeming feature on this program is that it tends to depict both sides of the war zone as being equally zany.
Puppetry:
The puppets are almost life-like and can give Madame Tussaud a run for her money. Even the eye movements are true-to-form and have clearly been designed after close observation of the principals. For e.g. just watch Pervez Musharraf’s puppet clone – the eye movements are just perfect.
The voice dubbing too is near perfect. Some of the best puppets are that of Musharraf, Uma Bharati, Kapil Sibal, Pramod Mahajan, Madanlal Khurana, Sushama Swaraj and Mohd. Azharuddin.
Present context:
In the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, “Double Take” faces fierce competition from similar shows like that of Dhartipakad of Sahara Samay, Jaspal Bhatti on Zee News, Jaaved Jaaferi on Aaj Tak, Shekhar Suman on Star News etc. While each of these have their individual satirical content and identity, Double Take scores (in my opinion) on the following counts:
# Absence of any known personality conducting the proceedings
# Life-like puppetry
# Almost close-to-perfection voice dubbing
# An interview or discussion format, which permits remarkable flexibility in the depiction of situations and ideas.
