Nach Baliye 3 is a winner

The first thing that strikes you about Nach Baliye 3 (Star Plus) is that the judges - who shape the destiny of a show like this - are composed differently than any of the other shows I've seen.

For one, two of the three are women - both of whom can dance most of the contestants under the table. This gives them both credibility and power. They further enhance this by refraining from giggling and trying to swoon over hunky dancers - an instant respect-loser if there ever was one.

Yes, there is David Dhawan on the podium as well and he does get to - rather inexplicably - sit in the middle. But like you and me, he knows he shouldn't be there and he tries to be really nice about it by keeping things moving along.

So who are these two judges? One of them is Isha Koppikar - who for some reason I can't pinpoint, I dig in spades. Isha is a starlet purveyor of carnal item numbers like "Khalaas" and occasional high profile minor-lead roles as in Don: The Chase Begins where she kept up with Priyanka Chopra effectively despite a rather dowdy dress during a key cabaret routine. Often playing Ms. Nice on the show, she recently wagged a rather stern finger at Pooja Bedi for daring to question her credentials.

The other one is Vaibhavi Merchant - who first appeared on the show with a solo kathak jig that morphed into Dhoom 2's "Crazy Kiya Re". But hey, anyone who puts herself on the line like that without any backup dancers initially to punch up the routine has my admiration. Vaibhavi comes across as someone who is one with her craft - she's constantly addressing the choreographers, always a nice touch. Once in a while, she'll exhibit diva-like behavior but often enough seems personable enough.

On to the hosts: what's a good host on these shows like? Yes, you have to look sharp and be amiable but its not enough. Primarily your job is to explain the show to the viewers and then get the hell out of the way. This seems to be surprisingly tricky - take one look at JDJ's annoying hosts (or the milquetoast Head on SRGMP for that matter) and you get the idea.

NB3 on the other hand has Hussain - who without the added pressure of trying to keep up with Mini Mathur on Indian Idol 3 - unfurls his ability to run a positive and often fun show. He co-hosts with his wife - Tina, who he sometimes can't seem to keep his hands off - and they have pretty good chemistry. You know this because they aren't trying to manufacture fake nok-jhok situations.

Finally, NB3 has Rakhi Sawant. She wisely gets less face time than she is used to - for the fairness of which the producers need to be congratulated. But when she does, I can't stop smiling. Often she'll say something genuinely funny but just as interesting are her efforts to manufacture drama, chato anya people and desperately try to win their approval. As always, combined with some modicum of talent and ambition, this is a potent combination for entertainment.

It wouldn't be unfair to say that Nach Baliye 3 is a better run show than Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. But is it more entertaining? That's hard to say simply because I've seen very little of NB3. For one, the contestants on NB3 appear to be much better dancers than just about anyone on JDJ. This - in my Mir Ranjan Negi-loving book - can be a bad thing.

Also:

• Megan feels that Rakhi's entry on NB is unfair, David Dhawan sucks up to Kasmira, celeb guest Farah will make Deepika dance on demand next week and describes Saroj Khan's graphic choreography
  



• Tania finds Tina too sleepy and the Pooja-Hanif pairing too tacky
  



• OzAngel reveals that Hanif and Pooja did JDJ last year and thinks Saroj Khan is a pain
  



• SkD raises the Krishna-Govinda connection. Her dad thinks Govinda was Dada Kondke's love child.



• Leera wonders what last year's judges Shilpa Shetty and Sanjay Leela Bhansali did on the show



• cow thinks Tina looks like a camel



• Sania loads up on coffee and gives us a darshak's skinny on NB



• Mind Rush thinks David Dhawan should be Jughead not Principal Weatherbee



• spruha1 reveals that the camel has been booted from NB



• Sidekick wishes Tina would be booted as Hussain's stylist and anticipates a Farah-Vaibhavi Dancing Queen showdown next week



• Joules wants shirtless jackets banned on men and mentions the Saroj Khan-Vaibhavi cold war



• anu g believes Tina is only gone for the elimination episodes, relates this anecdote about Farah Khan judging Ajay Jadeja on JDJ-past and digs up this rumored between Vaibhavi and Sanjay Leela Bhansali