Loudly Lalita

Simply Salma

Nightly Neeta

Healthy Helen

Weatherly Hills

No one knows Anuradha Menon. But everyone loves Lola Kutty. The Channel [V] resident “beauty on duty” — bespectacled and Kanjeevaram sporting who loves saying “May I haouve your yedention pleez?” — has achieved cult status among today’s yuppie generation. And with good reason. For even a single arch of Lola’s eyebrow can spark a laugh riot.

“I was on my way to the gym to shed off some flab brought on by the festive season’s gastronomic indulgence, but I have been kidnapped and asked to answer your questions,” guffaws Lola, turning the interview on its head.

A penchant for acting and dramatics at an early age is what drove Anuradha towards the performing arts and before she knew it, she became Lola Kutty. “People come up to me on the roads and ask me to behave and start talking like Lola right there and then. Recently, I went for a friend’s wedding and he insisted that I should speak to his bride in my ‘Lola way’ and so I went ‘Thenk you verrry mechh.’ It’s really nice to see how popular Lola has become,” says Anuradha, laughing out loud.

At present, Anuradha is having a blast anchoring [V] Bollytin — a half-hour special on Bollywood tidbits airing every Friday at 7.30pm — where viewers are treated to not one, but six Lolas — all played by Anuradha of course. “Lola is on a break. So her siblings, who are sextuplets, are now getting their chance in the spotlight,” smiles Anuradha. So if Weatherly Hills is the show’s “weatherwoman”, then Nightly Neeta is the one who has been entrusted with the task of reporting Page 3 gossip — all with a twist.

“The main news presenter is Simply Salma — a serious newsreader who brooks no nonsense. While all the other avatars are imaginary, Simply Salma is the only character which has been modelled on a real-life person, the legendary Salma Sultan of Doordarshan,” smiles Anuradha.

The Bollytin babes

Loudly Lalita: She ‘breaks’ news. A loud character in more ways than one. She wears khadi kurtas and carries a jhola. She’s an activist to the core.

Healthy Helen: She was rejected from the army on grounds of fitness. So she decides to fight the battle of bulge with a vengeance by giving “health” tips on the show.

Weatherly Hills: Delicate and ladylike, prim and propah. She acts like an airhostess, but all she does is talk about the weather.

Nightly Neeta: Her dress sense is scary. She covers Page 3 parties and thinks that everyone in Bollywood knows her. She takes her pet striped cheetah with her wherever she goes.

Simply Salma: Stoic and reserved. She dresses traditionally with a matching flower in her hair. Remember Salma Sultan?