| Fifteen minutes of fame |
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| Is there life after instant celebrityhood on television? Winners and celebrities bare it all |
Everyone wants to be a celebrity. Well, almost. And it's no longer tough to get a toehold to the ladder. Consider this: at the last Indian Idol 2auditions reportedly 50,000 turned up for auditions in Delhi. Nine crore SMS-es and calls came from would-be KBC2 contestants. In 1993, Zee's Antakshari offered the first glimpse of what reality television could be like. In 2000, KBC took the idea further. Rims of print space was dedicated to the first TV millionaire Harshvardhan Nawathe. And suddenly every one wanted to be a TV celebrity and there were platforms created too.
Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa moved out of studios to look for prospective singers, Sony bought the Endemol format to give Idol an Indian twist and hunted down singers for Fame Gurukul, MTV auditioned youngsters for an adventure show (MTV Roadies), a nationwide hunt was launched for a comedian (Laugher Challenge on Star One), besides talent shows (Boogie Woogie on Sony, Kaboom on Star Plus, Super Singer on Channel V) contests (Super Sale on Star One, Deal Ya No Deal on Sony, Kam Ya Zyada on Zee, Dial One on Sahara). Even kiddie channels promised fame. Remember Pogo Amazing Kids Hunt and Hungama Captains et al.
Anyone who knows anything about music, dance, had business ideas, wit or general knowledge has a chance at fifteen minutes of fame. From being part of faceless millions, a stint with one of the umpteen television shows on air offers instant fame with the arc lights firmly trained on them, a designer wardrobe, promise of big money and a dream career.
In a nation that worships celebrities, sending SMS-es, standing in long queues for an audition or making phone calls to participate in a show seems an easy route to instant fame. Abhijeet Sawant (Indian Idol) and Sandeep Acharya (Idol 2), Ruprekha Banerjee and Qazi Touquer (Fame Gurukul), Brajesh Dubey (KBC-2), Sunil Pal (The Great Indian Laughter Challenge), Debojit (Sa Re Ga Ma) and Rannvijay (MTV Roadies) may have been nobodies, but they inked their destiny to become headturners giving people watching these shows hope. Abhijeet Sawant says, "If it had not been for Indian Idol I would have been another neighbourhood boy from Mulund. Today I have lots of playback offers and am working on my second album. People recognise me on the street and I have a decent bank balance. You need luck, hard work and a great platform to be a celebrity." Srinagar school dropout Qazi Touqueer's life changed after the first round of Fame Gurukul auditions. His frizzy hair was tamed into a stylish mop and after a wardrobe makeover, alongwith Kolkata's Ruprekha Banerjee he won the contest by SMS-es. Touqueer says, "You have to connect to the audience first to become a celeb." The Great Laughter Challenge winner Sunil Pal had a shop until he won. "I used to do local functions but now I have even film offers. I don't think I'm a celeb, but life's better." The biggest turnaround happened to Patiala painter Ravinder Ravi who was edged out of Indian Idol but is a celebrity and even has an album. Says he, "Humility is the key to fame." Indian Idol judge Anu Malik says, "That elusive X factor makes faceless people turn heads. You also need screen presence and luck." Singer Shaan who hosted Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma and Ek Main Aur Ek Tu says, "Confidence takes you places." But instant fame may not be everlasting as show participants tend to return to their "normal lives" once the show's over, says Ajay Vidya-sagar, executive vice-president (Marketing), Star TV. "To be a celeb you need talent, luck, and have to be at the right place at the right time."Now BCCI has announced TV show Cricket Star India to find the best young cricketer in India, wherein young cricketers can apply on-line and by post. And you thought being famous was only about applying greasepaint?
Anupamaa
