Audience, you fools!
No, we are not saying that, merely echoing the sentiments of the channel and the participants of Nach Baliye, the 'reality-based' dance show in the eye of the storm. Yesterday this newspaper had reported that the Thane Cyber Crime Cell had found Shweta Kwatra and Manav Gohil, one of the ten celebrity couples on the show, to have bought 200 SIM cards from a BPL dealer in Andheri, and distributed to people so they would send multiple SMSes in their favour on their show.
When asked whether the channel will take any action against Manav and Shweta, Star Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair not only condoned the couple saying he was sorry for them-— "they have done nothing wrong" — he even offered them consolation: "in any competitive show, there is an amount of canvassing… I think we are being unfair here," he said. (Read his full interview on page 3).
But Mr Nair is being specious here. Canvassing is when you put up posters, advertise, organise rallies, appeal to people to vote for you. Buying hundreds of SIM cards just so that you can circumvent the channel's rule of not accepting more than 20 SMSes from one number, is rigging.
Ironically while Sameer Nair was rushing to defend his stars, Manav Gohil had himself told this newspaper that he considers "buying SIM cards to bolster votes a demeaning act. I would not stoop to such a level…I don't go begging for votes, neither do I use people's phone to vote for myself," he had said, though it all turned out to be untrue eventually.
Reality-based talent shows by their very nature play upon audience's emotions. We laugh, we cry, we gnash our teeth; we invest emotion, energy, time and our money (at Rs 3 an SMS, you bet!) all so that we get a real sense of decision-making. With a flick of our cell phone, we decide fates, kaun jeeta, kaun hara. But now it emerges that any participant with bucks in the bank can buy SIM cards and vote themselves to victory. Talent be damned.
Cricket
