With falling TRP numbers, India Today and its sister channel AajTak are in a state of fix. While two ‘ace’ journalists associated with the channel, namely, Rajdeep Sardesai and Rahul Kanwal had earlier targeted Republic TV for sensationalism, India Today group is now doing exactly what they targetted Republic TV for. Aajtak indulged in magnificent sensationalism today as Deepika Padukone made her way to be questioned by the NCB.
Aaj Tak reporter awed with ‘simplicity’ of Deepika Padukone
On Saturday, Aaj Tak journalists sensationalised the coverage of Deepika Padukone’s arrival to NCW office. At the very onset, the Aaj Tak reporter said, “Humara camera se nahi bach payegi Deepika Padukone (She cannot escape our camera).” The reporter then points out irrelevant details such as her face mask and her simple clothes. He said, “Deepika yaha se entry ki hai NCW daftar ke andar. Mask pehni hui thi aur kafi sadgi thi. Sadgi vala dress that (Deepika has entered NCW office from this entry point. She looked simplistic and had a mask on. She wore plain clothes.)”
At this point, it becomes imperative to ask about the relevance of her mask or ‘simple attire’ to the drug-trafficking case. He claimed, “Deepika idhaar aayi hai chipta chupata. jaisa khyaas lagaya jaa raha tha ki vo apna ghar mein nahin hai. Aisa bataya jaa raha hai ki hotel mein hai. Jaisa hi pohochi hai Aaj Tak ke camera ne kaid kiya hai (Deepika came in a hideous manner to the NCW office. It was assumed that she was not at home and staying at hotel. But, as she reached, our cameras captured her.)”
#DeepikaPadukone| कैमरे की नज़रों से बचते हुए NCB गेस्ट हाउस में दाखिल हुईं दीपिका पादुकोण@swetasinghat, @arvindojha, @anjanaomkashyap
— AajTak (@aajtak) September 26, 2020
Live: https://t.co/fOz5QPkk43 pic.twitter.com/aCvBgNd1wz
He also pointed out how her car was parked, following her arrival. The Aaj Tak reporter added several such non-essential information to claim that the coverage was exclusive, even though the same was covered by other news channels.
Aaj Tak anchor shares trivia about the bond between Deepika and her husband
His co-journalist, Sweta Singh informed that Deepika’s car was accompanied by Ranveer Singh’s car and it took a different direction after reaching the entrance gate of the NCW office. In a bizarre claim, she stated, “Jo Ranveer Singh chahata that ki saath saath raha, saath saath toh nahin reh paya par jaha tak saath mein reh sakta tha (While Ranveer Singh wanted to remain in vicinity of Deepika, he couldn’t in the end. However, he managed till where it was possible.)”
Doublespeak on Deepika Padukone’s summon by NCW
Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, and Rakul Preet Singh were summoned by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday in a Bollywood-drug nexus case. India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai alleged that the government was using Deepika Padukone as a distraction from major issues like the Farmers Bill. Rajdeep Sardesai took to Twitter to hint that Deepika Padukone’s summons by the Narcotics Bureau on September 25 was somehow connected to the farmer’s protest.
But amusingly, while on one side the India Today journalists were seen casting aspersions on the government for using the actor to distract the public’s attention from the larger issues and whining about the unnecessary media coverage being given to Deepika Padukone’s summon, their own journalists were stationed in Goa, covering Deepika Padukone’s minute-by-minute update. Senior journalists from India Today were even seen chasing cars, trying to cover Deepika’s journey from her hotel to the airport.
