Posted:
Idol for the Idles: Is there a life beyond reality shows?
Sumita Chatterjee
Wednesday, June 27, 2007:
"Everything is easy if you are famous," said 16-year-old Vidya Ranganathan.
After sending some six SMSs, she got selected for the Indian Idol 3 auditions in Delhi. But alas, Vidya could not make it to the second round. However, this didn't stop her from dreaming big.
She believes that she is destined to become a famous singer. Vidya worships A R Rehman and hopes to work with him someday, she won't even mind dropping out of school for that cause.
Well, Vidya is just one example, there are thousands or even more youngsters like her who only aim to become famous in life. Nine to five jobs do not attract the youngsters any more.
They believe that a decent job can provide them with all the luxuries of life but not fame. Generation Next wants to get recognised. They want to be in the limelight.
Starry heights
There was a time when to be a celebrity, you needed to consult your family soothsayer and wear the right rings to emit the right vibes. It is not so difficult any more. Thanks to Reality TV! One day you're a nobody and one stint with reality TV grants you a celebrity-like status. Strange isn't it?
The excitement, the drama and the recognition is enough to attract the youngsters, who themselves have grown up idolising stars like Shahrukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar.
Teenagers are so beguiled by false dreams of instant fame on reality TV that almost one in 10 would abandon their education if they had the chance to appear on television.
The rise of reality TV is creating more and more casualties. Take this: For Indian Idol 3 auditions more than 50,000 youngsters turned up for auditions in Delhi.
It all started in 1995 with Sa Re Ga Ma on Zee TV – which saw the launch of singers like Shreya Ghosal and Kunal Ganjawala. Since then, the action has just gotten bigger and bigger.
This paved way for many such shows like Popstars on Channel V, Indian Idol and Fame Gurukul on Sony TV, MTV Roadies, Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj, Star Voice of India on Star Plus and many more.
The umpteen reality TV shows on air offers instant fame. With it the arc lights on, a designer wardrobe, promise of big money and a dream career comes complimentary.
In big cities, these wannabes are more or less ignored, but in small places they are worshipped like filmstars. Recently Vineet Jain, the runner-up of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa was mobbed by his fans in Lucknow. And if rumors are to be believed even his parents are invited to inaugurate showrooms of and on.
Shortlived fame
But the question is, that have these talent hunt shows been able to spot any spectacular talent?
Where have Abhijeet Sawant, Ruprekha Banerjee and Qazi Touquir disappeared? What happened to Viva and Asma from Popstars? Debojit Sarkar, Sandeep Acharya, Aditi Sharma, Sarvar Ahuja have all vanished into thin air, why?
We don't have an answer to these questions and the fact is that we actually do not care. We know that if one Abhijeet Sawant goes then there are thousands more waiting to take his place.
Does this mean that 15 minutes of fame is what the youngsters are targeting at? You participate in a reality show, people vote for you, you become a household name, news channels run after you and your find yourself in the main stories of the leading channels and newspapers. And then what?
You start your journey to your city of dreams, Mumbai hoping that everything will be served in a silver plate to you. You will have people queued-up at your doorstep to sign you on. But your dreams soon crash, when you realise that the ride isn't pleasant at all.
Dejected enough you repent, but it is too late by then. Youngsters must understand that no matter how many shows you win or don't win education IS important. In case something goes wrong education will always be there to guide you.
If making money is the reason a young person wants to be famous, then by staying on in education they can increase their future earning power by gaining these essential qualifications. It will give them a range of options to choose from.
Well, the only difference is that it will require little bit of hard work. Remember some wise man once said, "Success and money aren't always easy to get!"
After sending some six SMSs, she got selected for the Indian Idol 3 auditions in Delhi. But alas, Vidya could not make it to the second round. However, this didn't stop her from dreaming big.
She believes that she is destined to become a famous singer. Vidya worships A R Rehman and hopes to work with him someday, she won't even mind dropping out of school for that cause.
Well, Vidya is just one example, there are thousands or even more youngsters like her who only aim to become famous in life. Nine to five jobs do not attract the youngsters any more.
They believe that a decent job can provide them with all the luxuries of life but not fame. Generation Next wants to get recognised. They want to be in the limelight.
Starry heights
There was a time when to be a celebrity, you needed to consult your family soothsayer and wear the right rings to emit the right vibes. It is not so difficult any more. Thanks to Reality TV! One day you're a nobody and one stint with reality TV grants you a celebrity-like status. Strange isn't it?
The excitement, the drama and the recognition is enough to attract the youngsters, who themselves have grown up idolising stars like Shahrukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar.
Teenagers are so beguiled by false dreams of instant fame on reality TV that almost one in 10 would abandon their education if they had the chance to appear on television.
The rise of reality TV is creating more and more casualties. Take this: For Indian Idol 3 auditions more than 50,000 youngsters turned up for auditions in Delhi.
It all started in 1995 with Sa Re Ga Ma on Zee TV – which saw the launch of singers like Shreya Ghosal and Kunal Ganjawala. Since then, the action has just gotten bigger and bigger.
This paved way for many such shows like Popstars on Channel V, Indian Idol and Fame Gurukul on Sony TV, MTV Roadies, Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj, Star Voice of India on Star Plus and many more.
The umpteen reality TV shows on air offers instant fame. With it the arc lights on, a designer wardrobe, promise of big money and a dream career comes complimentary.
In big cities, these wannabes are more or less ignored, but in small places they are worshipped like filmstars. Recently Vineet Jain, the runner-up of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa was mobbed by his fans in Lucknow. And if rumors are to be believed even his parents are invited to inaugurate showrooms of and on.
Shortlived fame
But the question is, that have these talent hunt shows been able to spot any spectacular talent?
Where have Abhijeet Sawant, Ruprekha Banerjee and Qazi Touquir disappeared? What happened to Viva and Asma from Popstars? Debojit Sarkar, Sandeep Acharya, Aditi Sharma, Sarvar Ahuja have all vanished into thin air, why?
We don't have an answer to these questions and the fact is that we actually do not care. We know that if one Abhijeet Sawant goes then there are thousands more waiting to take his place.
Does this mean that 15 minutes of fame is what the youngsters are targeting at? You participate in a reality show, people vote for you, you become a household name, news channels run after you and your find yourself in the main stories of the leading channels and newspapers. And then what?
You start your journey to your city of dreams, Mumbai hoping that everything will be served in a silver plate to you. You will have people queued-up at your doorstep to sign you on. But your dreams soon crash, when you realise that the ride isn't pleasant at all.
Dejected enough you repent, but it is too late by then. Youngsters must understand that no matter how many shows you win or don't win education IS important. In case something goes wrong education will always be there to guide you.
If making money is the reason a young person wants to be famous, then by staying on in education they can increase their future earning power by gaining these essential qualifications. It will give them a range of options to choose from.
Well, the only difference is that it will require little bit of hard work. Remember some wise man once said, "Success and money aren't always easy to get!"
Source:http://www.ndtv.com/debate/showdebate.asp?show=1&story_i d=266&template=&category=Entertainment&archive=y es
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