They came, we saw and they conquered. They came again; we saw again and suddenly everyone seems bored. Sequels of talent hunt shows have not grabbed as many eyeballs and even broadcasters aren't denying the obvious. "There is an element of fatigue with interactive talent hunt shows.
The truth is that novelty cannot be revived, but you can try and recreate the same excitement and emotion in the subsequent season," says Anupama Mandloi, vice president (programming), Sony. Ironically, Indian Idol I, which turned out to be India's biggest and most successful reality show, is now one of the biggest victims. "Indian Idol was the first ever reality show and people were obviously curious.
That element of excitement is lost in the second part," asserts anchor Mini Mathur. "Initially, the contestants were raw and were literally groomed from scratch on the show. Today, they have attitude; they act as if they are Indian Idols already. The innocence of the previous participants is clearly missed."
Most agree that no matter how successful the initial version, newer elements need to be incorporated to make the sequel work. "When Great Indian Laughter Challenge was launched, it clicked. But if one continues with the same format in the second part, it will become very tiresome for the audience," agrees Shailja Kejriwal, senior creative director, Star TV.
Kejriwal adds that it is essential to maintain an adequate time gap between the two parts. "Especially reality shows involving singers have become almost claustrophobic for viewers. There are so many independent shows, and to add to it there are sequels," she says.
For some, it is the lack of talent itself that is responsible for the sequels not measuring up.
Says singer Ila Arun, who hosted both Fame Gurukul and Celebrity Fame Gurukul, "The concept of 'Gurukul' itself was destroyed by bringing in celebrities. Regular contestants were so much more talented than these celebrities who came and smudged the flavour of the show."
However Ila still feels that if Fame Gurukul comes up with a sequel with regular people, it might still work. "We must not fiddle with the format of the show," she adds.
u_divya@dnaindia.net
Marathi TV
