As Mallika Sherawat enters the final leg of The Bachelorette India on life OK, posing as an innocent single girl-next-door, viewers will be disappointed to know that she was once married to Delhi-based pilot of Jet Airways Karan Singh Gill. like this, there are many facets to these so-called reality shows that tell you that not everything is as it appears. There are many fake elements to it. Deebashree Mohanty brings you the fakery behind these reality shows
When I was 23, someone close to me proposed marriage. Since I was not ready for a commitment, I politely refused, saying that we could be friends instead. He said: Ab kya TV par propose karunIJ Will you then be forced to accept this and we can get marriedIJ If it doesn’t work out, we can always part ways in the next couple of months. What sayIJ
— Chitrangada Singh, actress, to a tabloid in 2012
For many people, the relationship tamasha on TV is just that: A total farce. It is a concept so alien that it can never work in the Indian scheme of things. Reality shows which try to forge real relationships through TV only work towards garnering TRPs, fooling people to believe that a couple is really in love (or not in love whatever the case maybe) and hurting feelings of the people involved in this so-called “reality” show.
Take the case of Elesh Parujanwala. He has been fighting depression after that one stint he had with Swayamvar way back in 2009. “I was told that this is where my search for a bride will end. I am a simple person. I did not know how showbiz works. I thought it was a genuine concept and I wanted to try my luck out. To my utter surprise, I found everything scripted. At least Rakhi’s lines and activities were, for sure. But I was left astounded when Rakhi refused to acknowledge me at all after the show. She obviously knew that the Swayamvar was fake. She moved on immediately. It was my family and I who bore the brunt of this public humiliation of being ditched right after marriage,” he says. He had a great time on the show and made some great friends. But Sawant is not one of them.
Known to be a loudmouth, Sawant went on record saying that it was Elesh who deserted her. In an earlier interview to Sunday Pioneer, she maintained that she was always true to Elesh, it was he who was never her’s! But today, Sawant has a tough time even recalling who Parujanwala is. “He was a sweet guy. I had actually thought we could have a great life together. But that didn’t work out. We have both moved on. I don’t think it is fair to blame the show as the organisers had made it very clear to everyone (including the participants) that the show was only about me choosing my perfect guy. There was no guarantee that I would marry that guy in reality. It is foolish on Elesh’s part to think so,” Sawant, who is busy touring and signing cameo roles, tells you.
Ask her about how she feels about relationship shows and pat comes the reply: “They work very well globally. It is a fresh concept and our Indian players have handled that beautifully. But the audience should not be swayed by what they see. They are intelligent, they should know that something like a marriage cannot happen on a show! There are many more aspects to it. A show is just for entertainment,” she adds.
Viewers who take reality shows on face value, feel cheated if their favourite show turns out to be a fake. “Nach Baliye has always been about real couples dancing and sharing the chemistry. It was a novel idea and hence had a connect with the audience. Otherwise, there were so many other celeb-based reality shows. In Season 4, I was really into Naman and Megha and would vote for them religiously. I was very hurt and put off by the show when I realised that they were lying about being together. They had just come together so that they could make an entry into the show. That is cheating. I don’t know for sure if the channelwallahs knew about it and they were partners to the crime but even if they weren’t, it goes to show how careless they were while picking up prospective celebs,” 27-year-old Disha Mallik, says.
The producers of the show refused to comment on this issue but they did say that there is a very strict procedure of selecting candidates. If candidates are faking it, there is little that the channel can do, one of them said.
According to Naman Shaw, his case is entirely different and is being blown out of proportion. “Megha and I were dating at that time. We had not committed to each other but we were enjoying each other’s company. In fact, the show got us even closer. I had told her how I feel about her on air and I meant every word. But later, things didn’t work out and we had an amicable break off. I am still in touch with her,” Shaw says. Ask him how the break off happened within three months after Season 4 got over and he shakes off the query. “Things like this happen. If you are in the industry, you have to be game for all these ups and downs,” he adds.
For now, he is busy with his real-life girlfriend whose name he doesn’t want to disclose. “I will tell the world when the time comes,” he says.
Then there was an uproar when Emotional Atyachar went viral. The show, based on showing live, relationships breaking up due to infidelity, caught up like wildfire with the voyeuristic young generation which wanted to watch some real-life lovers’ tiffs. The show steadily climbed the ladder of success to become one of the top shows of its time.
later, it was discovered that most of the fights between “real” lovers were scripted and even the lead pair was fake, taken after a regular audition! The offender knew he was being watched.
“I was approached by the channel in 2010 to make an appearance on TV and act a part. I was very thrilled and took it up. The organisers then made me sign a confidentiality clause. I was told that I’d be given a ‘fake’ boyfriend on whom the show would conduct a loyalty test on camera. I had never seen this ‘boyfriend’ before. He had been picked from an audition of models. We were told to say that we’ve been in a steady relationship and the channel shot footage of us getting cosy to show us ‘in happy times’. later, they shot a few ‘candid camera’ sequences of this guy making out with the show’s ‘undercover agent’. He was aware that he was being filmed. There was make-up and rehearsed dialogues too. I was paid Rs 20,000 by the channel, half in cash and half through a cheque,” a 24-year-old Hyderabad-based student tells you on condition of anoynimity.
Her claim was backed by Delhi-based model Vibhor Choudhary who too was contacted by the channel to take part in this show. “They asked me to audition for Emotional Atyachar as a boyfriend. At first, I was quite eager to do the role. It was easy and less time consuming, I thought. But they offered me only Rs ,5000 for the role. That was way too little even for a cameo. I refused. I kept getting calls for their subsequent seasons but turned them down every time,” the 25 year-old says. Today, Choudhary has acted in many TV commercials, including the Cinthol advertisement. Choudhary says there were many other start-up models who were approached for the show.
There was one Sambhav Jain, a Delhi University student who was offered Rs 6,000 in 2010 to take up the role of the fake boyfriend. “I was quite embarrassed to do the role and get cosy with someone whom I didn’t know. First the organiser told me I was to work for free because the show was on a popular platform and that I was getting the exposure of my lifetime. But later they offered to pay me Rs 6,000. I did the episode,” Jain recalls.
There are many modeling agencies which also came out in the open saying that the channel approaches them to provide male models for this show but the programming director of EA on Bindaas defends his stance.
“All this talk is bogus. Many people say reality shows are scripted but that’s not true. Bindaas’ shows like Emotional Atyachar or Yeh Hai Aashiqui, focuses on understanding relationships and teaches our viewers how to deal with them. Through each real story, we want to bring out the relationship problems and discuss them in the open,” Shalini Seth, programming director, Bindass says. She adds that all these rumours about EA being fake were concocted by contestants who wanted to gain mileage from this popular show.
But what about the undercover agent for EA, Anish Khanna who confesses that everything was scripted, including how the girl would cry and slap her boyfriend. If the fakery in this show was not enough, there have been many other relationships-based serials, mostly direct lifts from international counterparts.
For TV analyst Charu Saksena, producers should tread this path carefully. “A relationship show is scary business and faking a relationship far more risky. The person behind this concept needs to be absolutely sure of what he is getting into before attempting such a show. In India, the audience is juvenile. They would like to believe what they see. They can barely separate drama from reality in soaps. When you tell them this is a reality show, they think there cannot be more to ‘reality’,” Saksena points out. She adds that while it may not always be possible to show facts on TV, one must be true to the essence of the show and not diverge so much from reality.
“The motto should never be to fool the audience,” she says. Pratik Seal, head of marketing, life OK, agrees. “Relationship-based reality shows have become more popular and grabbed eyeballs because people want to know what is happening in real people’s lives and relationships. Discussing relationships threadbare on such shows is passe. Society is changing and opening up to extend private boundaries. Many youngsters are coming out and talking about their relationships with their family. But in the name of reality, if the show is doing injustice by not doing what they claim to be doing, then they are setting a bad example. Also, making fake claims to get TRPs is a crime,” Seal says.
Another reality show that was under the scanner for faking its content was Ratan Ka Rishta which aired on Imagine TV in 2011. The show got a very thanda response to begin with and didn’t sizzle even during the culmination rounds. It was dubbed as being a complete fake-take on Ratan’s marriage. Although 26 year-old Ratan found her love in 26-year-old Abhinav Sharma, the couple broke off the minute the director said ‘pack up’.
“We were never meant to be together. To be fair, the channel had told us that the show will only be about Ratan picking one suitable match from many. They did not promise marriage or an engagement or anything of that sort. But what hurt was Ratan who distanced herself the minute it was curtains. She just cut me out as if I never happened. I agree we were not to wed, but can’t you be a little humanIJ She was a good actress. I give that to her,” Sharma says in an email from lucknow. He is yet to find a girl to marry but says it would definitely not be anyone from the entertainment industry.
"A relationship show is scary business. And faking a relationship is far more risky. The person behind this concept needs to be absolutely sure of what he is getting into before attempting such a show. In India, the audience is juvenile. it likes to believe what it sees. a viewer can barely separate the drama from reality in soaps. so When you tell them this is a reality show, they think there cannot be more to this reality".
Quote arrest
Reality shows have the potential to warp audience’s perception of what reality is. On top of that, if the show promises to be real but is fake, then there are problems galore. Indian viewers are not mature enough to understand the thin line between drama and real-life in a reality show. For them, if it is a reality show revolving around real people then there should be no scope for any scripting etc. But that is not how the glam industry works. There has got to be tweaks within a format even if it is a reality show. Bigg Boss is the perfect example of beautiful screenplay in a reality format. Other shows should learn from it
—Taran Adarsh
Trade analyst & film critic
You cannot have a show without editing and some sort of a pre-decided screenplay. I don't think even international formats have it. During my stint with Bigg Boss, I discussed my spat with Shweta Tiwari with the writers and they advised me how to go about it in front of the camera. But this scripting did not take anything away from the grudge we both shared on that show. I was still very angry with Shweta and so was she. But yes, 20 per cent of it was, in fact, given to us by way of notes which we followed
— Dolly Bindra
Contestant of Bigg Boss Season 4
We are still at a very nascent stage when it comes to producing real shows on ordinary people or even on celebrities. While the production units are prepared with necessary steps, the audience just doesn't accept it. I have heard so many people ask me if the voting stages of reality shows are fake. Viewers feel all that is farce and that the channel already decides who the winner is. The voting is not even calculated. That is untrue. I have been a part of a reality show and I can vouch for this system. My favourite reality show on TV is KBC but even that is 60 per cent scripted by a known writer from Bollywood. Does that take away from the show and Mr Bachchan's spontaneityIJ No
— Mahesh Bhatt
Producer-director
You can't compare Swayamvar with The Bachelorette India as the former promised that the protagonist would marry the winner. But The Bachelorette India is a dating show where there is no promise of marriage, only a search for the perfect partner.
The show is not made up. It is my life’s journey in search of a perfect romantic date. From fights and politics, to cut-throat competition and love, everything is real on this show. It’s my journey. My family, especially my father, will be part of the show along with other mentors. How can this be scriptedIJ I want to get into a serious relationship. I want to live like an ordinary person. I don’t want a celebrity’s life
— Mallika Sherawat
Actress