…Even though it was around 00:05 am, wasn’t able to sleep thanks to my nocturnal tendencies developed over a period of time (compulsory night shifts at SAIL & forced night shifts at IIMB being the equal culprits! ). So, just went around the window in the room and stood nearby gazing at the stars. The soothing instrumental songs and the cool breeze were making the atmosphere serene and gave me a good opportunity to mull over. Being a lazy ass, I pulled across a cane chair, 2 pillows and one cane stool just to rest my legs. For some weird reason, today my mind was wandering across TV channels and its programs and there is one new program which has been subject of constant chatter even before it was aired. Yes, m talking of Bigg Boss! (Imported version of Big Brother). Interestingly, only God knows what an extra “g” in big means…greatness, genuineness or just Gas ;)
Being a die-hard sceptic myself, I had never been a big fan of reality shows specially the ones involving small time actors. I had vague memories of 2-3 episodes of BB season-2 which just had lots of vulgar love & hate drama and fist-fights with choicest of abuses being used at the rate of 72 per minute. Anyways, the pre-aired drama about the “Pop Philosopher”, Mr Big B was enough for a mortal me to watch the opening episode at least. The show started, 13 participants announced and sent to a cosy-beautiful designer built place (Can’t refer this as “Home” as there is no-family living there, all are just workers) to spend their next three months.
Let me put some simple thoughts (questions). Is anybody of 13 participants a real celebrity! Most of them are un-successful bunch and using it as a platform to enhance their careers in bollywood (Claudia Ciesla already being an international name courtesy her Playboy fame can look towards Hollywood too). Last 3-4 episodes have just shown some petty ego-clashes, ugly advances of some “Desh-drohi” famed KRK and real nautanki of Rakhi’s mom. Don’t want to bore you with any further details of “cartoon-characters”. Fact is money is the only driver here, producer has invested crores with BigB getting a cool-126 crore for the deal as per reports, and the concerned channel “Colors” has to gain TRPs as there can’t be a bigger bet than BigB. The returns already been quantified, now there has to be a process to have high TRPs for 3 months and churn money for the channel. Hence, the crowd of un-successful jokers has been put in place with “ready scripts” being given to each one with “desired roles” clearly defined and supposedly the outcome too! But the curry can be made more tasty as the show progresses which depends on junta’s voting pattern which being a decisive factor in maintaining TRPs. Every participant being paid money to win as well as loose at the most opportune moment. One of them even categorically maintained that he was brought into the show just to spice up. Similarly, who knows Sherlyn and Claudia before? India is well-known for exporting spices for centuries, aren’t we ;)
Sparing you the horror of BB and not harping on the foreign origins of almost all the shows (Interestingly, the biggest reality show of the country is being managed by foreign hands only, Madam SG, pun totally intended ;) Lets focus on similar stuff fooling around on different channels. Two shows worth mentioning:
Sach Ka Saamna (Moment of Truth) – Attempts of moral policing by parliamentarians and orthodox fundamentalists helped the show un-necessarily, Ok concept but more swamis (Ramdev and AshaRam bapu) and politicians should be casted too! 1000% , all the polygraphs will fail, might break also actually :P Factually the participant go through the question set already in a closed room already once, and only some of those questions are repeated on being aired which isn’t the case with original version.
Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain? (Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?) - Can’t have expected a better host than SRK (but I always hate him for his over-confidence and show-offs….Why should he not be frisked ? Might blog later on about VVIP culture, sticking to reality as of now). Indian kids are undoubtedly smarter and the American version have dumbest of answers specially from blondes (atleast those on youtube. Read this – A contestant when being told that Hungary is a country, replies…”OMG, Hungary is a country!! I thought that its just the word hungry in english dictionary!! )
Fundamentally, entertainment is an industry and there are companies which have shareholders and investors who want returns and profit is the ultimate motive obviously trying to keep the creative aspect of the industry intact. There are many such shows today and there will be hundreds in future which will try to fake reality. Since, sometimes our personal lives are touched and impacted by such shows too. So, as viewers, we should not be fooled by absurd realities and just see as them as games BUT keeping the notion of reality away from our credulous minds, better to think them as “nautankis” ;)
The breeze going stronger by then, even my lappie had gone into sleep and I was actually half sleep thanks to the weather. But I can’t stop without thanking Mr. Robert Adler who invented TV remote. We still hold the veto power and its this power which governs the not-so-real television. Long Live The Remote :D
Posted by
Bachchan
