Cues are given as to when and how much to shout for each contestant; event managers goad, ev en implore the audience, to raise banners, wave placards (handed to them before the show) and scream and whis tle every time the camera pans in for a close-up. A restless family with a kid in tow playing the perfect fan for more than 12 hours implores an audience manager to be allowed to go, but are restrained as it would break the crowd continuity on camera. And if that wasn't enough, you have middle-aged 'fans' worshipping cutouts of finalists NC Karunya and Sandeep Acharya at the gate, complete with an aarti. That's from the backstage of Saturday night's Indian Idol 2 finals from City Studio.
Two young boys, 19 and 21, yet to prove their mettle, courting crazy hysteria hitherto reserved for an Amitabh Bachchan or an MGR in the Indian fan space! Either some fans took the 'idol' bit too literally or it was a case of the too-dramatic-to-be-true staged to assure TRP bonanzas.
Welcome to the era of reality shows where the line between 'reel' and 'real' is increasingly blurred by so-called poignant moments of drama that are often carefully rehearsed rather than spontaneous reactions. Reality shows have not only taken up time slots earlier occupied by soaps, but also leave no stone unturned in equalling the drama effect.
It's a well-choreographed act, often helmed by an event or audience manager. "A 15minute audience session is held prior to the event on how to react to cues, when to clap, when to raise those 'I love soand-so' posters, etc," informs an audience manager.
Says losing Idol finalist NC Karunya, "The bottomline may be singing, but for the show, packaging and drama are equally important."
The brief for success is to create maximum hungama and as an event manager says, "It starts with trying to rope in top stars as guest judges. Big names like an Abhishek Bachchan or Aishwarya Rai or any actor in the news (Kajol, whose Fanaa is to be released soon, was a celebrity guest at the Idol finals) is a preferred draw, though eventually one has to do with whichever star is free." How to stage a reality show Court controversy: Squabbling judges and regional rows are big hits Rags-to-riches route: Stories of struggle work on the emotion al Indian audience Guru is great: Much reverence is shown to elders. Later, contest ants even pan them S P O N TA N E O U S S H OW O R S TAG E D S P E C TAC L E ?
Shiv Shakti
