Love Sick?

Even as they called Cupid stupid, they went on to emulate him in every way possible. It was MTV Loveline live at The Country Club on Sunday. Only, they had the same two singers at hand, and the important fact that was that Malaika didn't make an appearance.

For the uninitiated, MTV Loveline is a program aired by the channel, which acts as the agony aunt (or uncle) to many a lovelorn audience. On a promotional strategy, they did very much the same here at Hyderabad - only, this was live and the poor audience didn't have their anonymity.

Quite naturally then, the questions put to MTV VJs Cyrus Broacha and Nafisa Ali were not really any of those challenging ones that we get on the telly. Yet in his own corny, unstoppable way, Cyrus did manage to break a couple of hearts.

Performances by qawwali-singer Altaf Raja and the pop artiste Anamika were to be the side-shows for the evening, and they stayed just there - in the sidelines. 'Hum To Thehre Pardesi' by Raja and 'Koi Karta Hoga Mera Intezaar' by Anamika were the only songs bearable, and that because they were the first. The rest were purely pedestrian ware, and the only 'intezaar' anybody was doing was to the assault on the eardrums to end.

Nafisa with her long legs and Cyrus with his unrestrained wit were much more preferable. Thankfully the complete show was over within the hour, just like in the telly. Only all the commercials were about MTV, and nothing like the bizarre ones that come on the tube.

Apart from sitting in the open air next to your valentine, and chance moments of good humor - like the time a gentleman asked his problem in chaste Telegu, and Cyrus, unfazed, replied that he understood completely that the problem with the guy was he loved everybody - one was always better off with the TV, where at least you could switch the channel.