Simi Selects India’s Most Desirable

When Simi Garewal launched her Simi Selects India’s Most Desirable,a clear departure from her heart-tugging Rendezvous sessions,I was all tuned in. After all,she was replacing a fun,catty,chatty show and then there were reams of print devoted to her all-new black-and-white wardrobe. Last but not the least,her first guest was the dishy Ranbir Kapoor. Alas,the episode left a lot to be desired.

Looking at Simi going all mushy and gooey over her star guest,I was reminded of Karz,in which an aged Kamini wore a wig,trying to hide her wrinkles with make-up,refusing to age gracefully and move with the times,while a young Rishi Kapoor wooed her. In the show,in a bid to connect with the cool studio audience (young girls and guys going ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ every time she exhorted them to root for her guest) and the youth at large,Simi,dressed in a strange black and silver ensemble looked great but went about the proceedings in a very juvenile,embarrassing manner. Add to that,Ranbir who had worn his heart on his sleeve and shown his wicked,fun streak on another chat show,projected a very shy,sincere,‘ideal’ boyfriend material side of his personality with the hostess giving him those ‘how can he be so good’ expressions. At one point,it even became a platform for Ranbir’s parents,especially mama Neetu Kapoor,to extol his virtues,as if it were a matrimonial show. She kept counting his positives,even as the star,known for his affairs and flings,kept shaking his head and saying,‘Forgive my mother,she loves me too much!’ Mrs Kapoor,hold your horses.

If that was not enough,the various segments like a tarot card reader’s ‘perfect’ predictions for his future and one where Simi played a bashful ‘Kiki’,a girl in love with Ranbir checking out his desirability quotient (whatever that was) was a hoot!

The only part I liked was when Ranbir played a guitar and won over some more fans…Since the show was about the most desirable,it would have been more fun to check out his ‘lust’ factor…probing questions about his flings,his bedroom secrets,fantasies etc. What we got was a boring ‘Oh,look at him,he is so good’ comment.

Last but not the least,I thought Simi tried too hard and it showed. One unsolicited advice: leave the young,peppy,yo-man number to others,stick to your tissue-wringing Rendezvous!

Verdict: **

Leaves a lot to be desired.