"Reel"ity World

Friday nights are the most blessed and blissful moments of my life, where I, stomach full of my mother’s lavish cooking, watch the TV, never able to make a definite choice of the program to watch, a daunting chore I must say. As I was channel surfing at the rate of 60 cpm (channels per minute), I caught a glimpse of something familiar, a game we played as kids. The Barjatiya filmmakers, being the emissary for throwing the game called antakshari into limelight, the producers from Zee television being responsible for furthering the popularity of the game show, Star One, now takes a plunge into the same delightful ocean of sur, taal and lye. But, I was totally proved wrong by this show, where the stakes are presented in such sky high zeniths that the participants cry on losing points, when Anu kapoor looks down at them with such disparagement, which disgusts me. The game no longer seemed like a game to me, it had long ceased being enjoyable or gratifying. It had turned monstrous. While I tolerated all of the weeping, sniffing, and disdainful looks, another drama was staged. After seeing “kumkum” [pardon me…as my knowledge of the soap stars is of the size of a pea] argue with anu kapoor, I could have shot myself dead saying “Now I have seen everything”. Their argument was totally baseless, which went from Anu Kapoor criticizing the younger generation for lack of originality, to the Indian behaviour at India’s elimination at the World Cup, to boldly claiming that the GenX lacks in nationalist fervor. That was the last straw which bowled Kumkum over, who simply stormed out of the show, with a very pursuing Gajji [the poor director of the show]. And the participants did what they are best at; they cried.

I wonder what was the need to televise this? When people meet, they tend to differ in their opinions and it’s definitely not a rule to like and to be liked by everyone on the face of the earth. So, clash of mindset is a natural phenomenon. Then why blow it out of proportion? The media has an instant coffee answer to this; It’s reality TV. But, somehow, they fail to grasp the point that we have a lot of reality in our home and at our work places, that we would prefer to live in utopia atleast on the TV sets. What’s all this hoopla of reality TV?? For starters define “reality”? Is it something that the media showcases for us, which they want us to believe or is it something which is varied and totally person dependant? This antakshari drama, I feel could be a rehearsed and a very calculative ploy, simply for the TRP graphs to look like skyscrapers on the final analysis sheet!!

It’s not that I’m having a go only at antakshari and that I’m being rashly judgemental about the media. Utube is cluttered with videos of Shilpa Shetty’s humungous victory in the Big Brother television show. The newspapers had endless words spilling out for her, negative and positive but yes definitely promoting her popularity internationally. Well, yes. I have watched the videos too, to actually know what all the fuss was about. That victory has been Shilpa’s claim to fame, big money to her and a whole lot gossip which has kept the Indian housewives and grandmothers in UK alive. I had once heard, that to keep people closeted together, forced into proximity can prove to be an interesting study of human psychology. I assumed it would be a lab experiment done within the walls of The Harvard University. Little did I know that a camera would capture the drama into reel.

The Indian adaptation “Big Boss”, was equally threatening and menacing, with the inmates gnawing at each other and finally when getting evicted, uttering a falsehood “I have learnt a lot”, meaning when she gets out of there she’ll have to face my wrath, baby”. We are not interested in exposing this weird side to human nature, an untamed beast let loose. What is the winner of such shows getting paid for? For sustaining racism or for performing a calculative amount of bitching? Are we garlanding them for flinging mud at others faces and claiming that theirs is cleaner?

Music competitions like Gurukul, Indian Idol, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa are not the ones to lag behind. I agree that the platform is excellent for singers and fresh voices. It was these platforms which produced the likes of Sunidhi Chuhan and Shreya Ghosal. These shows claim that they are not just music contest but are reality shows, where the “aam janata” is required to cast their precious votes, through phone or sms. While voting, we are divided into hundreds of Indias; each India with a preference of state, religion or linguistic feelings. It is the caste, the looks, the region and the sympathy that are the criteria for the votes to pour in. The main ingredient of talent is missing in the viewer’s choice, which makes the final curry insipid.

TV anchors come to your very living room to play tambola with you, they also come to examine your toilets and test your detergent. Somehow, people don’t seem to mind this at all. It’s their 10-15 min claim to fame. It’s like “Lights, Camera, action” for them, being seen on TV, with stupidly grinning faces!!

Tomorrow if you have a camera fitted in your bathrooms don’t be surprised. Welcome to “Reelity World”