By Rohit Misra
Some of the first reality TV shows like ‘Survivor’ and ‘The Amazing Race’ promoted courage and teamwork, and gave you a taste of real life competition. But this whole spirit got lost as more and more shows started appealing to our depraved instincts. It became more about deceit, politics, and using other people as a means to an end. Reality TV came into existence showing people rise to great heights while trying to overcome great challenges, but slowly it became more about people stooping awfully low just to win some money.
Overcoming your fears is a great concept for reality TV, but there are certain things that civilised people should remain afraid of. When people start eating live insects as tasks on television, one cannot help being concerned about the human race. Insects eat other insects because they have to, some humans, however, choose to do so. Haven’t we reached a point in our evolution where we can afford to be benevolent and compassionate towards other creatures? Ironically, the insects that are fit to be eaten are only those that would never hurt humans.
In India, Reality TV shows do not go as far as to show people eating insects, because frankly we haven’t sunk that low yet – though we are trying our best to get there. By plagiarising tried and tested western concepts in every single one of our ventures, we have lost our chance at making reality TV in India what it could have been. Being unable to match the technical aspect of the original shows, the producers solely rely on cheap thrills to entertain the audiences.
Bringing out the worst in people is easy, and it makes for good viewing, too. India TV depends upon the same for its very existence. There is nothing wrong with it – cheap thrills are still thrills. And I have to admit; it is fun watching people being mean to each other. But the real challenge lies in bringing out the best in people. A true artist would use reality TV to highlight the beautiful things in life. I guess the kind of show you make depends upon whether you think of yourself as an artist or a businessman.
You may get a few laughs watching ‘Roadies’ but it will never bring tears to your eyes – unless you cry when bored. You will never look at life differently after watching an episode of ‘Is Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao’. And if you ever come across the show ‘Dadagiri’ on Bindaas while channel surfing, change the channel immediately, because not even God can protect you from the horrors they would inflict upon your senses. The truth is that if we can watch the original programs, why would we watch the rip-offs which have the same flaws, but offer nothing new?
Reality TV should focus on the nicer things in life. Right now the theme is – achieve your objective by any means possible. These shows would be much more interesting if they had themes such as courage, sacrifice, love, overcoming tough odds. I believe it is the ascent of man from the animal kingdom that Reality TV should celebrate, rather than his occasional descent into the same.
Some of the first reality TV shows like ‘Survivor’ and ‘The Amazing Race’ promoted courage and teamwork, and gave you a taste of real life competition. But this whole spirit got lost as more and more shows started appealing to our depraved instincts. It became more about deceit, politics, and using other people as a means to an end. Reality TV came into existence showing people rise to great heights while trying to overcome great challenges, but slowly it became more about people stooping awfully low just to win some money.
Overcoming your fears is a great concept for reality TV, but there are certain things that civilised people should remain afraid of. When people start eating live insects as tasks on television, one cannot help being concerned about the human race. Insects eat other insects because they have to, some humans, however, choose to do so. Haven’t we reached a point in our evolution where we can afford to be benevolent and compassionate towards other creatures? Ironically, the insects that are fit to be eaten are only those that would never hurt humans.
In India, Reality TV shows do not go as far as to show people eating insects, because frankly we haven’t sunk that low yet – though we are trying our best to get there. By plagiarising tried and tested western concepts in every single one of our ventures, we have lost our chance at making reality TV in India what it could have been. Being unable to match the technical aspect of the original shows, the producers solely rely on cheap thrills to entertain the audiences.
Bringing out the worst in people is easy, and it makes for good viewing, too. India TV depends upon the same for its very existence. There is nothing wrong with it – cheap thrills are still thrills. And I have to admit; it is fun watching people being mean to each other. But the real challenge lies in bringing out the best in people. A true artist would use reality TV to highlight the beautiful things in life. I guess the kind of show you make depends upon whether you think of yourself as an artist or a businessman.
You may get a few laughs watching ‘Roadies’ but it will never bring tears to your eyes – unless you cry when bored. You will never look at life differently after watching an episode of ‘Is Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao’. And if you ever come across the show ‘Dadagiri’ on Bindaas while channel surfing, change the channel immediately, because not even God can protect you from the horrors they would inflict upon your senses. The truth is that if we can watch the original programs, why would we watch the rip-offs which have the same flaws, but offer nothing new?
Reality TV should focus on the nicer things in life. Right now the theme is – achieve your objective by any means possible. These shows would be much more interesting if they had themes such as courage, sacrifice, love, overcoming tough odds. I believe it is the ascent of man from the animal kingdom that Reality TV should celebrate, rather than his occasional descent into the same.
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