| Show cause: The jury's out on the judges |
Done for the sake of TRPs or otherwise, harsh comments made by celebrities acting as judges for talent shows can be quite a nightmare for the contestants.
You've seen it all - the happiness and the tears, and of course the high drama that talent hunt shows on television have now become. And adding masala to the on-screen madness are the judges, the so-called mentors of these contestants, with their slew of caustic remarks.
While there have been speculations that most of the rudeness and remarks are a mere gimmick to up the TRPs, the judges seem to be unperturbed. But shouldn't they be drawing a line between being critical of a contestant's abilities, and outright condemnation, to make sure they don't over step it every now and then?
"Judges have nothing personal against contestants. They may be deemed harsh because they don't mince words when giving their opinion. Singing or dancing is not everyone's forte. If their comments are taken in the right spirit, they won't appear harsh," reasons Karunya, runner up, Indian Idol 2.
Antara Mitra, also a participant in the same show, however doesn't seem to agree. "Talent shows are primarily created to increase a channel's TRPs and at times judges get blunt just to add that extra bit of spice to the show. But that doesn't mean that their irritation is not genuine , especially when a favourite contestant falls below their expectations."
Singer Anoushka Manchanda, the girl who made it big after becoming a 'pop star' through Channel V's Kiska Band Bajega couldn't agree more.
"A stern jury makes the show interesting. However, it's always better if the judges are gentler. That's more encouraging. Even I was scolded at the end for being cocky, but I guess it's all a part of the contest," she says.
But Anoushka's mentor Sandeep Chowta has a different opinion. "The judges' behaviour depends on the contestants' temperament.
At times the contestants tend to retaliate which would annoy any judge and force them to lose their cool. As judges, we're quite vulnerable because we are criticised for being harsh and even condemned for our selections.
But developing faith in certain contestants is inevitable and when they don't meet the expectation of the jury, they are naturally disparaged."
Mention stern judges, and Simon Cowl of American Idol comes to mind. So are our judges too trying to emulate these shows?
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