Shabana ji to accompany Javed sahib on Indian Idol

For the past couple of months Shabana ji's husband, the writer Javed Akhtar, has been serving as a judge on the television series Indian Idol 3. I have not been following the show - as much as I would love to practice my Hindi-Urdu comprehension by listening to Javed sahib speak all day long, I have to place some limits on the amount of time I spend on things filmi, and a performance contest like II3, even with Javed sahib's formidable presence, just doesn't have enough to hook me.

Toss Shabana ji into the mix, though, and you bet I'll be watching.

I learned yesterday that this week Shabana ji will sit alongside her husband as a guest judge. The show is airing tonight, tomorrow, and the next day in India and on certain satellite channels. I don't have direct access to it myself, but the show's official website seems pretty generous with posting clips, and there may be other on-line sources as well. When I find the best ways to watch the episode, I'll be back to let you know.