SKS review of two episodes

 

 

Sach Ka Samna Review

 In a conservative country like India which loves family entertainers, comes a very intense and different reality show hosted by the charismatic Rajeev Khandelwal, widely believed to be one of the most talented newcomers in Bollywood today.

Its hard for a concept like Sach Ka Saamna to receive universal acceptance in a country like India as its certainly not something that you'd be comfortable watching with your grandparents or even parents. It also isn't a show to be watched with kids, hence its aired late night from 10:30 to 11 PM, which is just about perfect for an "Adults" show.

The format of Sach Ka Samna

Following are the 6 levels, numbers of questions and prize money.

Level 1 - 6 questions - Rs 1,00,000 Level 2 - 5 questions - Rs 5,00,000 Level 3 - 4 questions - Rs 10,00,000 Level 4 - 3 questions - Rs 25,00,000 Level 5 - 2 questions - Rs 50,00,000
• Level 6 - 1 question - Rs 1,00,00,000

Before the show, contestants will be hooked onto a polygraph machine and will be asked about 50 questions, the results of which will not be disclosed. During the actual show, from 50 already answered questions, 21 are selected and asked again. With each level the questions get tougher and more personal. If answered honestly and according to the polygraph results, next question will be asked. After passing each level the contestant has the option to take the money and go home. He / she cannot quit once the question is asked and will end up loosing all money, irrespective of the level i.e if the answer turns out to be False!

If he or she manages to answer all questions correctly, they win Rs 1,00,00,000 (1 crore)!!

Sach Ka Samna Review

The show opened very well, with Rajeev Khandelwal brilliant as the host, he's simple and straight foward. Friendlier interactions with the contestant and a bit more warmth would be ideal but the 'Aamir' star is only gonna get better and more comfortable. The sets are good while the background music just doesn't go with the overall feel and intensity of the show.

My gut feeling after watching two episodes is, Sach Ka Samna will be moderately successful. It will work with the younger generation, but the "shock value" of some questions asked, could be too hard to digest for the slightly older generation. It might just end up as a show, ahead of its time.

Personally though I loved it for several reasons. Firstly, every human being has secrets, dark secrets which always remain in their own closets. It certainly takes a lot of courage to reveal those in public. As mentioned above the questions have a "shock value" and even though I have watched and loved "Moment of Truth" the US original show with the exact same format, its a different experience watching an 'Indian' on the hot seat.

Some feel the questions are too offensive and could break relationships. Indeed it could, but from a contestant point-of-view, IF they decide to forgive, forget and move on from the past, the show could help them build stronger and better relationships.

For the viewers, its hard not to get involved with a show like Sach Ka Samna, as it completely revolves around the contestant and their undisclosed secrets. The suspense, emotions, joy, fear.. can be felt. Not to forget, you could easily relate to some of the questions on the show.

Having said that, Sach Ka Samna isn't flawless

1) With a false answer, all money is lost, irrespective of the level the contestant is in. The first season of Moment of Truth had a similar rule, but was withdrawn in the following seasons. Wonder why Star decided to stick to the original format. Its hurts to see a contestant go all the way to level 3, answer one question wrong (atleast according to the polygraph test) and go back home empty-handed.

2) Is the Polygraph test fool-proof? Say an answer to a question is neither yes or a no, somewhere in between, what then? I guess, somewhere in between or even an iota of doubt is considered as a LIE, which is unfortunate as the contestant could be 99.9% confident of the answer and yet loose.

Not just loose money but could severly affect relationships permanently. Like yesterday, a contestant on the show, Smitha, was asked "Would you sleep with another man if your husband would never find out" She said NO. The answer turned out to be false and Smitha immediate reaction was "rubbish". It was quite embarassing for her, her husband and her family. To add salt to her wounds, she lost all money won too. Maybe she wasn't entirely confident, when asked "Did you cheat your husband in the past" she did say, YES.

Overall, a great show which certainly deserves a must-watch rating. Barring a few flaws in the format and the background music, everything is just perfect. I go with 4 on 5 stars for Rajeev Khandelwal's Sach Ka Samna..

Rating: Drop in your views on the show below in the comments section