When TV turned unconvincingly real!

Shivangi Singh

The year 2009 saw Ekta Kapoor’s ‘K’ serial and celebrity game shows taking a back seat and a splurge of reality shows on the lines of what they have in the US. All of a sudden the Idiot Box turned outrageous and adventurous - sometimes shaking the very ethos of the Indian society. Questions that shook India Rajeev Khandelwal’s daring questions in ‘Sach Ka Samna’ (based on The Moment of Truth) left most Indians shaken. Topics that were a taboo for the Indian society were openly discussed with contestants. Participants were asked questions related to adultery, lies, sexual scandals and other transgressions, which people indulge in and like to keep as their dark secret. Their answer was tested on the basis of a polygraph test. There was a great uproar against the show as it reportedly led to bitter quarrels, break-ups and suicide in families. Now, there are reports that a second season of `Sach Ka Samna` is in the pipeline, but the I&B ministry has handed down a warning, asking for greater restraint by the producers of the show. Coy Rakhi and her ardent suitors! When Rakhi Sawant first appeared on ‘Rakhi Ka Swayamvar’, everyone was taken aback. The bold and hot ‘item girl’ had vanished behind the demure bride-to-be persona as she batted her false eyelashes in front of her suitors. At one point of time the melodramatic show was said to be fixed, when a suitor Ather Parvez claimed that he was asked by the channel to keep his ‘married’ status under cover till a certain date. Finally, Elesh Parujanwala (fortunately or unfortunately) won the show, but viewers have certainly been taken for a ride, because the duo is not on cordial terms. In Season 2 of the show, it is controversial Rahul Mahajan’s turn to go on with the sham of looking for a fake bride, though he is promising to keep his promise. Plotting and treachery in the ‘Bigg’ house ‘Bigg Boss 3’ got bigger and better with Amitabh Bachchan acting as a pop philosopher and contestants ready to go physical at the slightest pretext. Small-time actors and unemployed celebrities like Kamaal Khan, Rohit Verma, Vindu and Raju Shrivastav, entertained the viewers with their constant bickering and quarrels, while love-birds Pravesh and Claudia carried on with their affair. On one hand, Shamita Shetty expressed anxiety about sister Shilpa’s wedding and on the other Bhakhtyar cried for his evicted wife Tanaaz. A mad-house of super-egoistic celebrities, Bigg Boss 3, provided the perfect dose of fun. Ekta Kapoor’s romance with ‘K’ ends The much-hyped romance between Tele-queen Ekta Kapoor and the alphabet ‘K’ ended with the disastrous fate of her ‘K’ serials, which ended one by one. Ekta finally got over her obsession with the alphabet, which is evident from the fact that her latest serial is named ‘Bairi Piya’. Simultaneously, there had been a visible shift in the loyalty of TV viewers, as they managed to kick off their addiction of watching ‘Saas-Bahu’ soaps, which refused to end and offered nothing but unconvincing twists and turns. Ekta was also in news for asking 200 youngsters, who auditioned for a new show, to show off their kissing abilities in one-of-its-kind ‘kiss audition’. Borrowed baby always whines ‘Pati, Patni Aur Woh’, based on the hit serial ‘Baby Borrowers’, showed what parenthood is all about. The five young, rich and famous couples chosen for the reality show tasted the real life even before starting a family. The couples also included Rakhi Sawant and Elesh Parujanwala, whose strained relationship became evident in the show. These couples went through the challenging, frustrating but rewarding experience of parenthood. Salman’s ‘Dum’ lost its power ‘Dus Ka Dum 2’ once again saw Salman Khan playing the perfect host, as he entertained everyone with his Yankee accent. But the show was criticized because it mostly had Bollywood celebrities as participants. The celebrities used the big-ticket reality show as a platform to market their upcoming projects. The prominent celebrities included the Kapoor sisters – Kareena and Karisma, Mika and Daler Mehndi, child artists Darsheel Safary, Tanay Chheda and Azharuddin, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Mallika Sherawat. ‘Road’ to ‘Splitsville’ In its seventh year now, the popular show ‘Roadies’ is turning not only too intense, but also controversial. The brain behind the show, Raghu Ram was given a hasty exit for reasons unknown and Irrfan Khan joined the ‘deadliest and wildest ever’ show. Just a while back, ‘Roadies’ ran into controversy, when a sex-tape featuring a look-alike of Tamanna (a contestant) was made public. MTV was in trouble again when contestants of ‘Splitsville2’ claimed that there have been exchanges of sexual favors between contestants and many people in the production team to get undue advantages in the contest in return. Brave Anushka impresses ‘Khiladi’ Akshay ‘Khiladi’ Akshay Kumar had a gala time with his 13 hot contestants in ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi Level 2’. Model Jesse Randhawa was expected to be the clear-cut winner of the show, but luck failed her at the last moment and ex-Viva girl Anushka Manchanda came out trumps. Announcing the winner, Akshay said that the second season of the show had everything in double, right from grisliness to excitement. Gods turn into cartoons to please little ones The gods were back on Indian television - no longer in the staid, overdressed avatars but as funky cartoons. The gods played ice-hockey and travelled on snowboards and jazzy bicycles when not fighting the evil forces. Leading the kids pack was ‘Chhota Bheem’, ‘Little Krishna’, ‘Bal Ganesh’ and ‘Bal Hanuman’. Gone are the days of ‘Tom and Jerry’ and ‘Popeye’, for here come our ‘desi’ gods to rule the hearts of kids! Mona Wasu turns Jungle Queen It was a sight worth watching when well-known faces on TV performed deadly stunts and struggled to survive in Malaysia`s largest tropical rain forest. The show, ‘Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao’, is an adaptation of ‘I`m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!’. TV actress Mona Wasu of ‘Mili’ and ‘Radhaa Ki Betiyaan Kuch Kar Dikhayengi’ fame went on to win the show. The lady walked the red carpet, sat on a grand red throne and was crowned the `Jungle Queen` by first runner-up, actor Chetan Hansraj. Pop singer Anaida bagged the second runner-up position. Marriage became a big business Marriage became a big business on TV with (TRPs) going high during shaadi episodes even in serials. The grandeur, magnificence and the ‘nach-gana’ offered in the ‘shaadi’ episodes caught the fancy of everyday viewers. Seeing the trend, reality shows like ‘Vivah’, ‘Perfect Bride’ and now ‘Rahul Ka Swayamwar’ have come up. These shows are gaining popularity and one feels that the institution of marriage is too commercialized and almost becoming a joke. The top soaps that ruled 2009 They may have made you laugh or cry, but for sure provided pure entertainment throughout the year. Here is a list of top daily soaps according to a survey by Indiantelevision.com: · Uttaran · Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai · Chhoti Bahu · Na Aana Is Des Laado · Balika Vadhu · Pavitra Rishta · Bidayi · Bairi Piya · Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo · Jhansi Ki Rani