S.R.Seshu
‘Extra Jabardasth’, a show in E-Tv Telugu, is popular for its unlimited wit and creative comedy skits to entertain the fun-starved Telugus. Extra Jabardasth, the extended version of the Jabardasth since October 2014, has provided a fantastic forum for extraordinary budding artists like Sreenu, Sudhir, Ramprasad, Chandra and others. The unlimited comedy entertainer, as the organisers claim, figures in the top ten popular programmes in Telugu TV industry.
Away from the beaten track of film-clip based dull and drab programmes, Extra Jabardasth, is indeed a mega hit on the idiot box. A small time film star Rashmi Gautam anchors the programme while cool Nagababu and firebrand Roja act as judges. The anchor is not blessed with gift of gab but attracts eyeballs of men folk with her seductive dresses. She is so innocent and sportive that she takes the double meaning potshots from comedians with ease and smile. Indeed Rashmi adds her bit of flavour to the show.
She was rumoured to have fallen in love with one of the comedians, Sudigali Sudhir, initially and now a video is making rounds about her alleged affair with her co-actor of Guntur Talkies movie, Siddhu. It is her headache!
The moot point is, Extra Jabardasth has crossed all limits of decency and slipped into vulgarity and misogynism and male chauvinism in recent times. No show is being telecast without showering filthy abuses against women apart from showing them in poor light. Many a time, the wives in skits (played by men!) either want to elope with another man or enjoy an extramarital relation with husbands’ friends or strangers! No single skit gives due respect to women. Double meaning dialogues and lewd gestures are very common here.
To the surprise of civilized souls, Nagababu, brother of Mega Star Chiranjeevi, always relishes ugly jokes cracked against women. He laughs his heart out when an actor delivers a dialogue against his female counterpart. Roja sides with woman in the skits but she too doesn’t feel bad for some of the highly uncivilized and misogynistic satires. It is very sad, ma’am.
‘Punch dialogue’ and ‘auto punch’ are some of the oft-repeated words they use to show their happiness! In the latest episode telecast on July 8, 2016 with some repetitions, there is a skit titled ‘Aasti mooredu..Aasha baaredu’ by the wonderful trio-Sudhir, Sreenu and Ramprasad. The conversation between Sreenu and Ramprasad about their grand parents’ extramarital affairs in exchange of properties and assets is highly salacious. The paramours are dubbed as “Kaat raaju” (for male) and “Kaat Raani” (for female) while an unwanted character appears on the stage only to booze. In another skit in the same episode, a woman explains her husband’s physical weakness (‘lopam’ in Telugu) to every tom, dick and harry and finally elopes with a male by hoodwinking him.
It doesn’t mean that the show is useless. Some of the skits are highly creative and the performance of the comedians is praiseworthy. They needed a pat on their back for the live skits, which are not easy at all. The only rightful forum for budding actors, Extra Jabardasth, should go on without a break but we only wish that an element of DECENCY should be brought in to make it more funny to entertain Telugu families.
