New BBC chat show on India's Radio One
Category: World Service
Date: 24.11.2006
The BBC is launching a first for India's FM scene with a new and exclusive Hindi-language chat show on its partner FM station, Radio One FM 94.3.From Sunday 26 November, Ek Mulaqat will bring lively and informative interviews with India's leading personalities to Radio One audiences across Delhi and Mumbai.Ek Mulaqat is a weekly show presented by BBC Hindi India Editor, Sanjeev Srivastava. He will tease out the passions, interests and views of some of India's most famous people, including politicians, artists, sports personalities and Bollywood stars, interspersed with the guest's all-time favourite songs.Politician and leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), LK Advani guests on the first Ek Mulaqat with a candid interview including his major influences and a heart-warming insight into his youth.Other guests in the coming weeks include the Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit; Union Minister for Agriculture, Sharad Pawar; and cricketer, Irfan Pathan.Sanjeev Srivastava says he is very excited to be launching a new programme for India's radio listeners: "The BBC specialises in bringing the story behind the news. In Ek Mulaqat our endeavour is to bring out the real persona of newsmakers as they open up and reveal their other, less public side, on this show."In his Ek Mulaqat interview, LK Advani will surprise the audience with an accurate voice imitation of a cricket commentator and will name Sachin Tendulkar as his favourite cricketer.LK Advani says: "When one speaks of cricket, the obvious name that comes to mind is Sachin. He has been an integral part of Indian cricket for such a long time - and that is, in itself, a remarkable achievement."There have been other batsmen who have done well and gained popularity but Sachin and our captain, who is known as The Wall, are both outstanding."LK Advani also shares with Ek Mulaqat his love for books and films. Speaking about younger actors, LK Advani praises Rani Mukherjee and Hrithik Roshan but says his all-time favourite actor is Amitabh Bachchan."There are several good artists but to be such an exceptional actor as to stay at the top for all this time? I can't think of another who can match up to him. There is no doubt Amitabh is a class by himself."LK Advani recalls going to see a movie with his uncle in Mumbai in 1957, after a gap of several years. He only agreed to go after reading a newspaper story about a film-goer at Mumbai's Strand Cinema who had died after watching a 3-D horror film."I turned and told my uncle - let's go and see this one today. So, after so many years, I went to see this horror film, moved only by this news item that this man had died."Speaking about books which have influenced his life, LK Advani remembers being greatly inspired by Indian epics such as The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. He recalls reading these in Sindhi, and later in English.Audiences across Delhi and Mumbai can listen to Ek Mulaqat at 12.00 IST every Sunday on Radio One FM 94.3 as well as on BBC Hindi service's shortwave radio broadcasts at 20.00 IST on the same day.
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