Cheaters

In our own discreet lives we are all ‘peeping toms’, there is nothing that gives us more satisfaction that scooping up juicy gossip about our neighbour, colleague or our least favourite relative. We sincerely follow scams and scandals that revolve around film stars, cricketers and anyone else in the limelight. We simply enjoy watching people falter in front of a gazillion cameras.

On the other hand we also feel a sense of self pride when television puts ordinary boys like Abhijeet Sawant in the spotlight, changing their lives, careers, addresses and bank balances forever. Our eyes well up with tears whist watching a small town boy dreaming big and achieving it all despite the odds. Tales of Rags to riches, heroic deeds and heart wrenching stories never fail to move us.

Reality TV has obviously understood this contrast and has reeled out hours of entertainment that floods our television screens, taking up a huge chunk of our viewing time. There have been a zillion reality shows based on despicable, degraded voyeurism. Temptation Island was one such show where 14 couples who have vowed to each other to remain together till death do them apart. The stay on the island lasts longer than the vow.

In the name of reality television channels and shows get away with anything, there have been shows on cheating partners, swapping wives, betraying lovers, and one such show is Cheaters (its not telecast in India yet). Among the huge clutter this show definitely takes the cake. The show follows couples closely till their ugly separation, atleast that’s what the case is most of the times. It’s got every element of a bollywood flick – drama, action, comedy, emotion, and melodrama; it’s even got a villan. The only things missing are probably the typical song and dance sequences. The plot is quite simple, you let loose the cheaters team on your spouse. Cheaters with their hidden cameras monitor their every move. And bang! Guess whose bed you found him/her in? Anyone from his beer buddy, to his secretary. The footage is aired as it is; nothing is edited, right from the humiliation, the deceit, the sadness to the break up! Nothing is removed.

I refuse to accept this show as reality. Who, in their right mind would ever want the whole world to know they are being cheated? And how do we know this whole thing is not being staged. Who would want to watch such a show? Obviously I am wrong, much to my shock and surprise a lot of people watch the show with avid interest. The show has a strong viewership.

Watching cheaters is probably like watching a Saas Bahu saga where the drama unfolds slowly, the tension increases with every passing minute, we edge closer and closer to the seat until it all comes to a nail biting finale. We soak-in every detail and discuss it over the phone, in trains and across balconies.

The debate is endless for what is right or wrong, good or bad is extremely subjective. The censor board in India has been raging a war on what can be aired and what cannot be since time immemorial, and nothing really concrete has ever been churned out.

Is India ready to accept a concept like cheaters? I don’t know. The closest we have come to aping the west is with a show called Big Boss. It’s a replica of a UK based reality show Big Brother, the difference being, we have celebrities.

Only time will tell if we are willing to go any length in the name of entertainment. Until then I guess peeping and creeping can carry on, all in the name of good entertainment.

Babudom 24x7

Country's youngest channel - Lok Sabha Television (LSTV) has failed to take on the Indian audience by a storm. Well I am not surprised, a 24-hour channel whose programming content revolves around the Lok Sabha speeches that have a knack of having a somnolent effect pretty much speaks volumes.

The brainchild behind the 10-day-old channel, speaker Somnath Chatterjee said it was aimed at bringing some order into proceedings, which frequently got unruly. If not news worthy this channel will definitely be a source of entertainment - unadulterated altercations the Babudom frequently engages in would be hilarious to watch. I don’t think our politicians care too much, despite the glaring presence of the media they would still go ahead unabashedly and pick their nose or spit on the aisle or hit someone. It would take more than a television channel to bring about some decorum in the proceedings.

How many people are watching? It is early days, television viewers are being tickled by slick options that are now available to them - K sagas, reality drama, music, nature, news, history, action and more. Would something like Lok Sabha squabble that is a standing joke of the country ever be able to rake TRPs?

The channel is wholly owned by the Lok Sabha secretariat, and is available freely on cable networks. Only public sector units are allowed to sponsor programmes or advertise on the channel.

LSTV has not undertaken a rigorous marketing & promotional campaign due to constrained budgets however, when a footage of the proceedings is sold to private channel, they are not allowed to tamper with the contents therefore company logos on the screens will be aired on private stations too.

One could watch what the politician voted by him/her is doing at the Lok Sabha and may want to differ his choice the next time over.

Come to think of it I would rather watch a news channel which will give a comprehensive account of the proceedings of the Lok Sabha amongst others than watch LSTV that is wholly dedicated to Babudom. I could do without watching someone pluck a few hairs off Lalu's ear, which by the way, needs a trim.

Cheers

Dhivya

The first phase of the Indian reality Television

The reality shows are fast becoming a reality on Indian television. As the number of channels increase by the day, there is a need for constant innovation. Reality TV programming is emerging as an answer to this need. No wonder, they are now an integral part of most of the TV channels' programming strategy.

The genre of ‘reality shows’ can be broadly divided into three main categories. In the first, the viewer and the camera are passive observers following people going about their daily personal and professional activities. This style of filming is often referred to as "fly on the wall". The famous 'Big Brother' series work on this concept.In the second type, hidden cameras are rolling when random passers-by encounter a staged situation. The reactions of the passers-by can be funny to watch, but they also reveal the truths about human conditioning. The very watchable MTV Bakra is an example of this category. In the third type, the so-called "reality game shows", participants are filmed intensively in an enclosed environment while competing to win a prize; Kaun Banega Crorepati being an example.

Back in 80’s MTv aired a revolutionary show called ‘The Real world’ which made celebrities out of ordinary young Americans thrown together in an apartment, getting along, getting frisky, racial tensions, a fantastic mix of high emotions and drama, until it turned sour and lost its originality and its audience by the late 90’s. But what it did was, sow the seeds for an idea, which is being regurgitated at the speed of light today, by media moguls and networks hungry for success.

In India the success of Indian Idol marked the turning point of reality television. Abijeet sawant the winner of the Indian idol must be thanking the reality genre. The show that was a direct rip off from the American Idol has changed his personality, fortunes, address and bank balance. He's moved into a five-bedroom flat in posh Vile Parle and is an icon of sorts for millions of Indians. His album ‘Aapka Abijeet’ sold about 5 million copies. The album was pitted against Nigam's Chanda Kee Doli at the recent MTV Immies and won hands down in the best album category. The reach of Indian Idol was unbelievable.

After the massive success of Star’s ‘Kaun Banega Crorpati’ Star plus has launched the second run of the show. On the first day of its launched it raked a TRP of over 19.0.

When it comes to production costs these shows are a huge money guzzler Karun Prabhakar, director operations at Siddharth Basu-owned Synergy which produced KBC, says: "A reality show can cost above Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) - an amount a channel spends for a year of programming."

However, even a meticulously crafted financial plan can fall flat on its face if the creative concept goes wrong. A hugely successful KBC or an Indian Idol cannot rub off the failures of the Govinda-anchored Jeeto Chappar Phad Ke (Sony) and Madhuri Dixit’s much publicized matchmaking show Kahin na Kahin Koi Hay (Sony) from the small screen. So, caution is the key word for any new show.

Today there are a host of shows searching and reaching to younger generation. What makes the lure of reality television so irresistible? “It makes make young people like me famous” explains Rooprekha Banerjee winner of the recently aired Fame Gurukul. An opportunity to work with big names in the industry, big bucks and tones of other freebies are a part of the lucrative package.

For those who seek adventure there is the MTv Roadies 3 and those who think they are going to be the next super model of India there is Channel V get gorgeous 3. Phenomena of Reality TV has taken the Indians by a storm there are shows that test your intelligence, skill, humor aptitude, talent or merely your physique.

But not everyone believes in the success of reality TV. For some, it's no more than a marketing gimmick to attract TRP ratings and generate revenue through SMSes and phone calls that cost nearly Rs 6 and Rs2.50 respectively, from which 40 per cent goes to channels and the rest goes to the service providers (in this case, Airtel and Hutch). Music channels have a minuscule share in the TRP pie, the reality programmes has helped them push the TRPs of the channel, bag popularity and carve a niche for themselves. A good example is Bakra, which is now synonymous with MTV. Shows like ‘Nacha Baliye’ and ‘the great Indian Laughter challenge’ have done wonders to the TRPs of Star one it has help push the TRPs of Star One from an average of 0.4 to over 4.0.

For so far, successful Indian reality-programming has been more or less only about recognising abilities — not about despicable, degraded voyeurism: cheating on partners (Temptation Island), betraying competitors (Survivor), hitching on to eligible millionaires (Joe Millionaire), swapping spouses (Wife Swap). This is the first stage of the life cycle of Indian reality genre as the audiences mature more formats of reality will finds its way into the tube.

Sources: Agencyfaqs, Amrita Sarkar SIMC