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Chief executive officer of Star Entertainment India Sameer Nair stresses in an interview to Subhash K Jha that Shweta Kwatra and Manav Gohil, the two contestants on their show Nach Baliye currently under a cloud for allegedly rigging SMS votes, have done no wrong by buying 200 pre-paid SIM cards and distributing them to friends and acquaintances in order to garner votes. Excerpts:
What's the truth about Manav Gohil and Shweta Kwatra feeding SMS votes for themselves on Nach Baliye?
I feel sorry for those two contestants. They've done nothing wrong. In any of these competitive shows, there's a certain amount of canvassing. We have our own in-built security measures to ensure no one misuses the voting system on Nach Baliye. For example, we allow no more than 20 votes from the same e-mail ID or phone number. Last year during Nach Baliye, Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar were running scrolls on cable systems from the interiors of Maharashtra. This is legitimate garnering of votes. This year Tenaaz and Bakhtyaar are distributing tee-shirts with their own pictures at traffic signals. As a matter of routine, all couples try in their own way to optimise their votes.
But buying so many SIM cards?
It's only routine to get your uncle, aunt and other relatives to vote for you. Because in any case, after 20 calls from the same number, we automatically stop taking votes. A contestant needs to buy two million SIM cards to make a difference. So I think we're being unfair to these two contestants. There's nothing wrong in getting your relatives and friends to vote for you. When on Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma, Debojit won, it was said he got votes from his home state Assam. When Abhijit Sawant won on Sony's Indian Idol, there was talk of Maharashtrian votes. When Sachin and Supriya won Nach Baliye last year, there was a feeling that Maharashtra was behind them in spite of their great performance. The contestants do play up their constituencies. Manav and Shweta's SIM cards going into the wrong hands is really not their fault.
Last year there was a similar controversy on Nach Baliye regarding Manish Goel and Poonam Narula.
It was exactly the same situation. They bought SIM cards and gave them to their friends and family. We're aware of this strategy. But as I said, we block the SIM card after 20 votes.
A few weeks ago, there was a mini-scandal when on Nach Baliye, it was alleged that Saroj Khan was asked to give one of the contestants Shweta Tiwari a 10, and that you asked for it.
Well… Shweta got eliminated. So her supposed friendship with me didn't help her. Seriously, this is too funny.
What's the truth about Manav Gohil and Shweta Kwatra feeding SMS votes for themselves on Nach Baliye?
I feel sorry for those two contestants. They've done nothing wrong. In any of these competitive shows, there's a certain amount of canvassing. We have our own in-built security measures to ensure no one misuses the voting system on Nach Baliye. For example, we allow no more than 20 votes from the same e-mail ID or phone number. Last year during Nach Baliye, Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar were running scrolls on cable systems from the interiors of Maharashtra. This is legitimate garnering of votes. This year Tenaaz and Bakhtyaar are distributing tee-shirts with their own pictures at traffic signals. As a matter of routine, all couples try in their own way to optimise their votes.
But buying so many SIM cards?
It's only routine to get your uncle, aunt and other relatives to vote for you. Because in any case, after 20 calls from the same number, we automatically stop taking votes. A contestant needs to buy two million SIM cards to make a difference. So I think we're being unfair to these two contestants. There's nothing wrong in getting your relatives and friends to vote for you. When on Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma, Debojit won, it was said he got votes from his home state Assam. When Abhijit Sawant won on Sony's Indian Idol, there was talk of Maharashtrian votes. When Sachin and Supriya won Nach Baliye last year, there was a feeling that Maharashtra was behind them in spite of their great performance. The contestants do play up their constituencies. Manav and Shweta's SIM cards going into the wrong hands is really not their fault.
Last year there was a similar controversy on Nach Baliye regarding Manish Goel and Poonam Narula.
It was exactly the same situation. They bought SIM cards and gave them to their friends and family. We're aware of this strategy. But as I said, we block the SIM card after 20 votes.
A few weeks ago, there was a mini-scandal when on Nach Baliye, it was alleged that Saroj Khan was asked to give one of the contestants Shweta Tiwari a 10, and that you asked for it.
Well… Shweta got eliminated. So her supposed friendship with me didn't help her. Seriously, this is too funny.
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