Is the real essence of Reality shows intact? - Weekly Analysis

The anxiety among the viewers is rising as the finale draws closer. The tension is palpable as they wait with bated breath to find out if their favorite is still in the show or turns out to be the unlucky one. This week was no exception, as all contestants in the three reality shows, gave their best to impress the audience with their superb performances and even the eliminated candidates Toshi, Ankita and Harpreet left a deep impact in the heart of viewers with their parting numbers. With Ankita’s elimination, the dream to see a girl Indian Idol now stands shattered. It is not only viewers who have their favorites, but also the judges, who show favoritism in the show. If Mauli is overtly hyped in SRGMP, then the hype for Ishmeet in SVOI is not behind, and there are few awesome contestants like Poonam and Mussarat of SRGMP from the current remaining lot, who never get the needed attention. The question of consistency in the performance of some popular participants is also rising for few contestants like Raja of SRGMP, Abhaas of SVOI etc... Overall this weekend was a sumptuous treat for all the music lovers.

These days the reality shows come packaged with extra frills in the form of drama, dance and makeovers, to make the shows more appealing to the viewers. While they appeal to the viewers, yet for music lovers the appeal of hearing true talent remains unfulfilled, as these extra frills get more priority than the actual singing. It was really disappointing to see SRGMP and SVOI give more importance to the celebrity guests than the contestants. The performance by Daler Mehendi, the question-answer session with Lalooji in SRGMP was simply unnecessary, making the show longer than needed and was probably the reason for the loss of impact of performances by contestants. SVOI was not far behind, with dance and fun environment created by the Chak De team and that left a question on the minds of the viewers as to if they were actually watching a musical reality talent hunt show or viewing a celebrity concert or a film promo entertainer. The makeover seems to be the focus of all the three reality shows and especially the hairdos take top priority. Now, what has a “good hair do” got to do with good rendition or for that matter with a musical reality show?

Just like the viewers are trying not to accept the opinion of the others, the judges too are not ready to accept the point of view of their fellow judges. One judge pointing out the mistakes and another hammering that view, has become a regular feature of these shows. In Indian Idol, as a routine feature from Annu Malek, this time Javed Akhtar got the stick from him for giving some advice to Emon. Seems like more than the contestants, its Annu Malek who is getting more hurt for the comments. Same goes in SVOI too, where Lalit tried to point out few mistakes of Abhilasha leading to his disparity with Alka as according to her, they were just small mistakes which did not need to be pointed out. The question now arises - If you can put forth your views, why not the other judges?? Also if the mistakes are not pointed out, then how will these contestants improve??

Though it is always a treat to listen to the contestants, the extra frills as well as the disparity is taking the upper hand in the reality shows, which is actually disturbing the essence of songs sung by the contestants and diluting its impact in the mind of the viewers. Hope the channel houses realize this and concentrate more on the “Gayaki” of participants, instead of the “Nautanki”. Also the eliminations this week raise the same age old question again – Should choosing the best singer from these shows be left entirely on the public?

Author: Barnali

P.S. The opinions expressed in here is strictly those of the author. So for more information please contact the author only.