It’s horrible, this trial by fire! The ladies of repute now stampeded into the realm of disrepute. Ostensibly, alleged the damsels in distress, to feed the frenzy, both political and communal, let loose by right and left, by political as well as the filmy.

In Mumbai, the conflagration has spread like the California wildfires and there’s a political slugfest between the winning MVA and the losing BJP. Not to forget the role of mainstream television news media in the muck-rack – the ‘TRP War’ between the lapdog ‘Godi’ media and that media disparagingly called ‘Lutyen’s media.’ Mumbai and Delhi dragged into the melee because the lapdog barks from Mumbai Meri Shaan and Lutyen’s is entrenched deep in Dilli Meri Jaan!

Of course, Delhi is not cringing where Mumbai is trying hard to get over the bad spell and come to a decision on ‘Who is Big Boss?’, which is no reality show but reality! The Shiv Sena and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray are up against a loud-speaking maverick TV news anchor whose small-screen antics are such that memes are being made on/of them, and TRP records are being set and reset every week.

The acid this media-baron-cum-news-anchor carries in his mouth-trap cannot be buttoned down. He spits venom and the poison has no antidote. There’s also something cannibalistic in the media war going on between maverick and his older rival, a TV news-anchor with a ‘we’re vultures’ acclaim.

The TRP war between the two TRP-scavengers is vicious and no-holds barred. Previous friendship has no déjà vu value in the battle for TRP. And it’s like two snakes have shed skin and come across each other. They want to skin each other alive. The ‘we’re vultures’ anchor sits in Delhi while the maverick risks his scalp in Mumbai.

From all accounts, maverick, who seldom steps out of the safety of his office stronghold in downtown Mumbai, has more enemies in the maximum city than the smooth-talking ‘news vulture’ has friends in the National Capital Region, Delhi. What’s going for the maverick is that the greenhorn Chief Minister in Mumbai cannot seem to get ahold of his ‘cool-in-the-face-of-provocation.’

‘UT’ it appears cannot help himself from carrying out vendettas against his enemies, of whom there are plenty. From Jhansi Ki Rani Manikarnika Kangana Ranauat to the Bharatiya Janata Party, smarting because old ally UT’s Shiv Sena chose to team up with Sonia Gandhi and Congress over Narendra Modi and BJP to form the MVA government.

Last, but not any less vicious, UT is in the eye of the fish maverick is aiming for and it’s important that the Chief Minister takes a pause and stopped flexing his muscles. Beating up a Navy veteran for Whatsapp-forwarding a cartoon lampooning UT is foolish and stupid display of power, also poor optics!

It made #UddhavThackerayResign to trend on Twitter and the cry gathered storm in the streets. There were calls for imposition of President’s Rule in Maharashtra and that’s gonna make Bollywood stars break ranks in sheer fright and panic, fall like hailstones. Actor Rhea Chakraborty will breakdown in jail even as three other young Bollywood beauties will be taken to the cleaners by lapdog maverick.

‘UT’ alias Uddhav Thackeray should not panic. He should listen to NCP chief Sharad Pawar and see to it that he is not stampeded into committing mistakes. UT’s Achilles heel is his son AUT who after an initial bout of belligerence has gone silent, ‘AUT’ must carry on like that.

The point being made is that with Covid-19 taking a toll and allegations of rave parties, Bollywood and Kollywood are hurting like a bad cut. In Bengaluru, a starlet broke down and begged to be allowed to “go home” while another round-eyed innocent spiked her urine sample with mineral water to fool the drug test.

All the while, the Global Times –mouthpiece of Chinese Communist Party – kept yammering and blithering & blathering of what will happen to the Indian Army in frigid Ladakh if President Xi Jinping sat on a spinning top and chose not to put a halt to the revolution!
(IPA Service)