A year of real heroes: The prolonged dramatics of soap operas didn't really work this year. At least like they did in the previous few years. As reality shows entered the living rooms of millions of homes, it was difficult to miss the impact of Abhijeet Sawant, Qazi Touqeer, Ruprekha and Rex D'Souza.
While shows like 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge', 'Indian Idol' and 'Fame Gurukul' turned middle-class Indians into icons, the TV celebrity show 'Nach Baliye' came up trumps. It was indeed a win-win situation —what with the couch potatoes getting bored of the endless saas-bahu sagas.
For the channels, the going was great and they bankrolled the success of the idols they so judiciously harnessed.
Face of the future: Abhijeet Sawant, the country's first 'Indian Idol', says that their show worked because it touched a reality base. "It had drama, and a lot of emotional punches. Perhaps, it was treated like a real story. The success can also be attributed to the fact that it was for the masses." Sawant sees a great future for reality programming.
So does Touqeer, as he puts it, "Besides being dramatic, which we Indians like in either television or cinema, reality shows give innumerable youngsters hope and most importantly, a road to tread on towards their goal. So, as long as people desire success, such shows which lend hope; will work."
Ruprekha has her own emotional reasons. "For me, the future of reality programming matters because I want the rest of us to have that platform, which these shows provide."
MORE IN STORE: While more than six reality shows played on various channels this year, Nikhil Alva, CEO, Miditech (the makers of 'Indian Idol') says that it's just the tip of the iceberg. "We are planning four new reality shows for next year, all on grand scales," he says. But won't the concept get jaded with so much repetition? "There is variety and that will make it stand out. There are different ideas and styles to be tapped in that format. So viewers will not get bored so soon, for sure. Reality stories are as strong as drama and fiction."
s_ayaz@dnaindia.net
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