Is cricket turning into a tamasha? B-Town

Cheerleaders rapped, Sreesanth slapped. B-Town reacts

The cheerleaders at the on-going Indian Premier League (IPL) matches have sparked a big debate all over the country. Opinion on the cheergirls — particularly their skimpy attires — is sharply divided.

Add to this Harbhajan Singh's alleged slap to S Sreesanth, who sobbed in public, after an IPL match, on Friday. Has cricket become a big tamasha? Read on what stars have to say...

Hema Malini

Yes, cricket has become a tamasha. The game's dignity is completely lost. Cricket, by itself, is so engrossing. Why does it suddenly need women to cheer on the players and the public? There's absolutely no need for such distractions.

The Indian public had no clue about such entertainment before this. And now there's slapping during the game. It is shocking.

Urmila Matondkar

I don't think cricket is turning into a tamasha at all. It's just that cricket has turned more exciting and bigger. As for the cheerleaders, I don't think they serve any purpose. We don't need to copy the West blindly.

Naseeruddin Shah

It's been heading towards that direction for a while. But hasn't everything become a tamasha? Look at the daily news.

Chitrangda Singh

It's more a tamasha than a sport. All I hear are numbers involved in the money-spinner. I miss the real sport — the real use of talent and the genuine intention of the sport. I'm afraid it's being played for the love of the money and not the game.

Celina Jaitly

No, cricket has not become a tamasha. It's everything that's happening at the IPL that is being turned into a tamasha. Sreesanth being slapped is very unfortunate. The spirit of sportsmanship which makes every sport noble is now going out of cricket. Sad.

Mahesh Bhatt

The triumph of entertainment and the death of cricket. In the desperate effort to entertain, our entire existence has become grotesque.

Sonu Sood

No, I don't think so. People in this country have a tendency to overreact. Cheerleaders add glamour to the sport. So why not treat it that way? Don't spectators enjoy the presence of these cheerleaders at football games abroad?

But here, there's bound to be a reaction to everything that's new. Sad. What happened to Sreesanth was not right. I agree cricket has become more of a tamasha, less of a sport lately. At least to me, it's no longer exciting.

Prakash Jha

Ha! Ha! Market pressures will turn everything into a tamasha. There's much more of it coming up.

Koena Mitra

The slapping on the field was an ugly situation not expected from a sportsman. But I'm sure this incident is just an isolated one. The Indian team has such unity; it's impossible for them to fight with one another.

As for the cheerleaders, they can't be dressed in sarees on the field. Come on! Some politicians are again wasting their time fighting a bogus issue.

Tusshar Kapoor

Everything is turned into media entertainment these days. With so many channels on the air the appetite, for controversy is insatiable.

Riya Sen

Cricket as a game has a huge credibility attached to it. Peculiar situations may arise. But nothing can take away its charm.