MUMBAI: Playing pranks comes naturally to most RJs on radio stations. Entire programmes have been spun on the ‘bakra’ theme, with neither celebrities nor lay people spared the brunt of the radio jockey’s mischief.
On All Fools’ Day, we take a step back to talk to some RJs to sneak a peek at what they may have in store for the day. And also get them to spill the beans on the times they themselves were at the receiving end of April Fool jokes.
Big FM Mumbai’s RJ Siddharth says the station is going to keep its shows social, fun themed and enjoyable in keeping with the spirit of the day. The station also has launched a unique initiative to coincide with 1 April – an awareness campaign called Banofoolproof, which is an awareness movement for consumers.
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Quizzed more, Siddharth admitted to having been fooled once himself. “I once got a mail signed by film actor Rekha, mentioning that she liked the way I praised her for Umrao Jaan. I was in such high spirits! But after a few hours, I got to know that it was a prank done by my colleague,’’ he sighed.
Fever Kolkata’s RJ Sayan is known for his quick hilarious wit. He said, “Doing something which is not special is special for me on April Fool’s day. Everyone is doing something or the other, so I do random things. I start my show by saying bye bye, I intentionally mention the wrong time on air to confuse people and I bluff like whatever thing. And, it comes spontaneously when I am aiming to trick people.’’
Oye FM Mumbai’s RJ Nitin has some tricks up his sleeve for the day too. “April Fool’s day is full of entertainment. I call people arbitrarily and start howling. Once I called on a number which I found at a railway station and started begging for a job saying that I am underprivileged and poor. I mostly focus on topics which are trending on social media and funny at the same time. The most important thing is the energy- ‘Pagal-fun-thi’ I call it!’’
RJ Bhavna from Radio Misty, which operates in the north east, claims she is a simple soul who stays away from pranks, usually. But there are days when she succumbs to the temptation and takes off on a show called ‘Bakraa’ which she does with a co-writer. “I haven’t pulled pranks on anyone, though I have got fooled a lot of times myself,” she laughs.
And then there’s RJ Meenakshi from My FM, Chandigarh. The face behind the great show ‘Salam Chandigarh’ is all set for April Fool’s day. When we asked her about the plan, she said, “I go Phoolan Devi on April Fool’s day and I am hosting a show called Topi and I will pick, call any celebrity and fool him/her and make him/her wear a Topi. Jazzy B is on my mind as of now who is a famous Punjabi singer.’’
All we can say is, watch out Jazzy B!
