It’s been a week of new shows and annual shows showcasing a makeover. The weekend marked endings and a beginning. Monday night too signaled a beginning.

Saturday night was the finale for Big Boss. On Sunday night, Star Plus dazzled with the Star Screen Awards. Colors bid adieu to Comedy Nights with Kapil, with Akshay Kumar as the celebrity guest; while AXN premiered a new show Billions. On Monday night Colors premiered Krishnadasi. On Tuesday, unanimously channels telecast Doordarshan’s footage of the Republic Day Parade.

This year’s Star Screen Awards was marked production finesse and acts; but the down slide was Kapil Sharma co-hosting the show with Karan Johar. He was still in the Comedy Nights mode and will simply have to work out his technique. Hence it singed a perfectly orchestrated show! Akshay Kumar’s and Varun Dhawan’s aerial acts were a display of co-ordination and thrills by both actors. Neither act was meant to be just edge of the seat excitement, they were visually arresting; but also conveyed a message of nationalism. As both actors made their descent celebrity mouths opened wide with OMGs! Ranveer Singh is clearly a crowd favourite as he zoomed in by car and then ran around the venue to dance on the multiple stages. The event organizers and the A/V team of Star Screen Awards spared no quarter in setting up what just might be this year’s finest awards outing.

Once again, the national broadcaster Doordarshan was impressive with its coverage of the Republic Day Parade, which was telecast across channels. The camera work raised its own bar from last year, one or two of the anchors even gushed over DD’s camera team during the commentary. DD has been rising to the occasion in more ways than one. On Saturday nights, DD does a late night telecast of films – both off-beat and commercial fare.
Two new series marked this week. First is Billions Season 1 on AXN which premiered in the US a few weeks back. It promises to be an engrossing watch. Its success has now led to a second season.

Colors has continued its trail for socially relevant content with Krishnadasi, a remake of a Tamil serial – Krishnadasi which was telecast on Sun TV, is based on a book written by Indra Soundarajan. If Udaan deals with the vagaries of bonded labour and tyrannical feudalism; Krishnadasi is a reflection for the wrongs perpetrated to the women devotees of Lord Krishna; who go through the ceremony of marrying Lord Krishna.

Set in rural Maharashtra, Krishnavalli is a small village where the practiced is very prevalent under the hawk eye of Abbasaheb, a self appointed ruler. We live in the 21st century amidst technological advances and progress. But in Krishnavalli, one can’t overlook the blatant practice of the devadasi system. The action of the series is taut from the word go. As it describes the harsh realities and truths of the religious devdasi custom in a remote village of Krishnavali and the lives of devadasis. Already marked by superlative performances, Krishnadasi is well worth a look.
Two new shows, two good shows. The year has started well.