Let the truth prevail

Two new reality shows on Indian television slug it out in a bid to get noticed.

This might read like an extension of Telly Vision, my fortnightly television column that appears on this page, but last week, in particular, has been spectacular for most TV buffs, especially for those who enjoy the reality genre. Actually, the past few weeks have seen a bouquet of shows which have ensured that Indian audiences sit glued to their TV sets. There’s Rakhi Ka Swayamvar on NDTV Imagine, a show where our desi Jade Goody, Rakhi Sawant, is hell-bent on getting married with a little help from reality television. My personal guess is that she’ll probably end up garlanding one of the participants in the finale but there won’t be an “actual” wedding.

Other shows like India’s Got Talent (Colors) and Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega (Sony) proved that there was, perhaps, a tilt towards shows beyond the regular song-and-dance routine. But I’m personally not a sucker for shows where people walk on fire, put candles on different parts of their bodies for a dance and shove burning coals in the corners of their eyelids.

But the biggest shows for reality TV 2009 are Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao (Sony, Monday to Thursday, 10 pm; Friday, 10.30 pm) and Sach Ka Saamna (Star Plus, Monday to Friday, 10.30 pm). Both debuted last week and have been adapted from international formats. Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao is the desi version of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here and Sach Ka Saamna is the Indian adaptation of The Moment of Truth.

While Sony — one thought — had a winner with Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao, Star Plus was taking a huge risk with Sach Ka Samna. The cost of such shows (per season) is pegged at Rs 100 crore and both the channels, it was clear, needed a trump card. Sony, despite its other offerings, definitely needs a giant push to come back to the top of the rating charts, and Star, regardless of its successful soaps, did need another Kaun Banega Crorepati moment. In other words, these two new shows were critical for both these channels respectively.

After just a week of being on air, the verdict is finally out and TRPs suggest that Sach Ka Saamna is leading while Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao is, unfortunately, trailing way behind. Much before the shows had started, my vote would have gone to Sony’s new show. The promotional videos were fabulous and the thought of small screen celebrities giving up stilettos for sneakers, branded outfits for track pants and ganjees, and a luxurious life for nights spent in tents and hammocks in a Malaysian jungle, was delightful. Not just that, serenading maggots, eels, snakes and other reptiles and living on a diet of soya milk was not something that could be managed easily.

Star’s Sach Ka Saamna, meanwhile, was a big gamble. Is Indian society ready to let their deepest, darkest secrets come tumbling out of the closet? Media experts didn’t think so and many others thought that Sach Ka Saamna would never manage to pull it off. But at this moment in time, Star is having the last laugh.

My own vote goes to Sach Ka Saamna too. Why? It’s simple. The show is a new concept for Indian audiences. Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao, on the other hand, is a delightful combination of Bigg Boss and Khatron Ke Khiladi, something that audiences have already seen last year on Colors. Sach Ka Saamna gets real people like you and me to share their secrets. So, a middle-aged woman sitting in the hot seat is no diamond-dripping, controversy queen from Bollywood who is used to her life being an open book. The lady on the Sach Ka Saamna hot seat is just a simple person whose life, one would imagine, begins and ends with her household. In shows like Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao, the kick is to see celebs up close and personal — but we’ve already seen them do all that and more. In Sach Ka Saamna, however, you worry about the consequences of the truth spoken by the woman long after the episode is over. You know that somewhere you identify with her and her situation. You know it could well be you in that hot seat. And you feel bad that despite all the truthful answers, she, a mother of two teenagers gives, she still walks away without earning a penny on the show.

What also aids the show tremendously is the presence of Rajeev Khandelwal as the interlocutor, who must make these everyday people come forth with the truth about their lives on air. Khandelwal, an actor who, after a long stint on TV, got critical acclaim for his role in Aamir last year, will soon be seen in two other films including Peter Gaya Kaam Se (a UTV SpotBoy production) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Chenab Gandhi alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan.

For now, let the truth prevail on Indian television.