Cry some more

TELLY VISION

Reality shows and news channels love weeping to hog TRPs.

It’s been an old story, the use of television to showcase tears and jubilation. But the regularity with which emotions are wringed in front of television cameras for everyone to see is mindboggling. So there are shows like Bigg Boss which thrive on how people wake up, sleep, talk, put their feet up, wag a finger when they get angry, abuse, cry, laugh, scream and shock everyone around them.

Then there are shows which till yesterday were straightforward music-and-dance shows which offered a platform for promising talent. A glimpse of it was Sa Re Ga Ma (no, the Pa ,hadn’t got added then) that began in mid-90s with singer Sonu Nigam as its anchor. In fact, the only gossip that emerged those days was of Nigam diving so often at the feet of senior musicians that Zee TV (the channel on which the show continues to be aired) requested sponsorship from Iodex!

Those were the days when there were fewer mobile phones. Those were the days when the cost of one call from mobiles cost Rs 11 per minute. And no, the SMS lingo didn’t exist in those days. But when mobile phone companies offered lucrative deals (pictures of sadhus wielding mobile phones encapsulated the Great Indian Change), call rates fell and the SMS culture began, Indian television decided to change.

The change couldn’t have taken place overnight but shows on television began begging for public votes that viewers could cast through their “valuable” SMS or by simple dialing some godforsaken number from their precious landline/ Airtel/ Vodaphone/ Reliance/ Idea phones. Facilitating this move was the scramble of reality shows; especially the song-and-dance shows (barring Boogie Woogie, on Sony TV, that hasn’t changed its original format) which jostled to get to the top position, hoping to find viewers, sponsors, TRPs and votes through calls and SMSes. And I guess that’s how interspersing such shows with a lot of “tamasha” began. So you had — and continue to have — judges walking out, participants and their parents wiping tears, film stars getting kissed by fans on shows and contestants often stage-acting to promote products.

No wonder Bigg Boss has managed to firmly plant its feet in the second season too where fans wait for contestants to vent their frustrations on the show. Though I’m over with the days of religiously casting my SMS votes, I’m sure people still cast their votes from different parts of the country. All said and done, the idea of “voting”, besides bringing fat wads of money to subscribers and channels, must be an indication as to how well, or how badly, a show is faring.

The TRP fever doesn’t stop with general entertainment channels alone, gripping also the news channels. A colleague had once written a fabulous story for Business Standard Weekend on how most news channels find maximum advertisements while airing dumb stories on haunted houses, flying snakes, wandering spirits and what have you. No wonder Hindi news channel IBN 7 recently had Shweta Mahajan, former wife of Rahul Mahajan, talk about her friendship, marriage and the subsequent divorce with her former husband. Though ably anchored, it was dull, with Shweta not divulging any more details than those already known. But I’m sure it attracted a fair share of TRPs because viewers simply adore tears.

I’m getting ready with tissues already; expect that my pick will be watching 10-year-old Bindi Irwin tonight on Animal Planet where she pays tribute to her father, the legendary crocodile hunter Steve Irwin. There will be rare footage, including previous videos, showing little Bindi assisting her father in some of his unique wildlife experiences. As a little host she’ll be perfect and in this case, her tears — and ours — will be for real.