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Forget song and dance, reality show now getting more personal. Maa Exchange, a new show on Sony Entertainment Television, starting tonight at 9 and every Wednesday a Thursday thereafter, will see two housewives from disparate socio-ec nomic backgrounds and cultural mindsets being swapped and made to run each other's households for a week, setting their own rules and managing the family members. 
    The celebs, who've participated in this show, have had quite an experience! Says celebrity mother Pooja Bedi, who was swapped with comedian Rajiv Nigam's wife Anuradha, "It was a learning experience in what to do and what not t do. It was the biggest shock to me a was fighting for her rights as a woman at her house with Rajiv, her she was fighting against me. Despit her digs at me, I am proud at the wa my children handled themselves wi courtesy and politeness." Rajiv Nig did have skirmishes with Pooja, bu would be all right by evening. Rega his wife Anuradha, he has a differe as he reveals, "My wife had a bad e ence and felt Pooja is fake. Her dau was well-trained to act in this show 
    TV actor Sudesh Berry's wife 
exchanged places with actress Apa Mehta and for them it was a pleasa experience. "Though my 22-year-old felt a bit awkward in the beginning, rest of my family jelled with Apara," says Sudesh. This show challenges the basic belief that each woman is the best homemaker and makes her question her indispensability in her home situation. Talking about the show, Ajit Thakur, EVP and Business Head, Sony Entertainment Television, said, "We expect this show to become a harbinger of societal change. It will be a vehicle of discovery and learning through a unique experience never before seen on Indian television for every member of the family. Maa Exchange, an adaptation of the internationally acclaimed Wife Swap, is very relevant for Indian society where the woman (and a mother) is at the heart of the family and often does not get the recognition which is due to her. Through the show we are hoping to offer our viewers high quality, engaging content which will make them think."

   

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The new promos of Sony's Maa Exchange for a change seems to be cool, with no major arguments or bad mouthing happening.. It looks as though the two celebrity wives Juhi ParmarShroff and Gauri Tonk had a spendid time in their new homes.. 

Surprised? Have a fun read!!!

How has the whole experience been in Maa Exhange?
Gauri: The experience has been nice, and I learned to be patient in situations where you are away from family, that too when you are emotionally under stress. I am a complete family person and this is the first time in my thirty years that I am being away from my family, completely cut off without even talking to them. Even though there had been problems initially, everything went well later.

Juhi: The experience was nice and challenging because you are in a different place with different people.

You have already done Pati Patni Aur Woh where you had a similar experience of taking care of kids; how was the atmosphere different here?
Juhi: Pati Patni Aur Woh was a completely different show. In that show the kid entered in the family and we had to take care of the child, and as the show moved kids of varying ages were brought in. And I had to take care of the kid along with Sachin. But here I had to take care of the family and the kid all by myself. And there is no family support for me here. Pati Patni Aur Woh was all about the child whereas Maa Exchange is about the family. This show tells us what happens to the house when the house maker goes out of the family.

What were your expectations from the show?
Gauri: When the show was offered to me, first I asked Pari whether she would be fine with it. When she nodded for the show I asked aayi and Yash and they both were cool with it. But then I did not know whose house I was sent to. I came to know of it, only when I entered the house. Then when I realized that it was Juhi's house, the first thought that crossed my mind was she was not a mother yet. But then when I saw soft toys in one of the rooms, I thought there must be a kid in the house. But then later I came to know that there was Juhi's sister in the house.

Juhi: When the offer came to me, even I was shocked and asked them why me, because I am not yet a mother . But then they explained the concept and told me that thro' us, they will show the motherhood of both the contestants. For example, they wanted me to react in the same way in which I would do, when I become a mother in future. Likewise how Gauri would take care of her daughter when she grows up because Heena is like my daughter.  As far as the expectations are concerned, I went with a neutral state of mind and I did not know Gauri and Yash personally.

How is your relation now?
Juhi: we have a great cordial relation with each other now and recently after the show she called me up and wished me for my anniversary. And I think we became winners as we had a very cordial relation off camera as well.

How was it managing Gauri's kid?
Juhi: Pari is the most wonderful and well behaved girl and she is a great kid. Her naani used to pack her bags for school for which I asked her to do herself because I explained that since she is a grown up girl now, she should do it by herself, like keeping the books and taking care of the timetable etc. These are small responsibilities which makes a difference.

Now that you have experience in nurturing kids, when are you planning to move into a family?
This is one question that I confront always now, but I would like to make it clear that I have no plans at the moment because now we are in a state where Sachin and I take care of each other.

How easy or tough was it for each of you to decide because Gauri was going to spend more time with Sachin and Yash was going to spend more time with Juhi?
Gauri: We have been together since ten years including the years we were seeing each other and its been eight years since we are married, and the trust is very strong. If it was a newly married couple then the matter would have been different(laughs).

Juhi: We have a chill out family there and the family did not have any issues in taking up the show including me. And also we do all the work together.

What were the matters you discussed in the face off round?
Gauri: In the face off session, I just pointed out the need to bring in a routine in their  family, because if they are planning to have a baby, they will have to start their preparation now. Since I have the experience of being a home maker myself, I could explain it to them. Even though they know that they can take care of the child, there have to be some preparations in the beginning.

Juhi: Actually in face off session, the discussion went off to some other level because it ended up in a different way from where we had actually started off.

What were the issues that people could not adjust with?
Gauri: They had a little problem with the routine that I had set up because they were not used to it. Heena initially had problems and she fell ill too. So I was a bit concerned about her because if she is not comfortable with it then I cannot force her being a sister. But then later on we both got along very well, and I asked her to do Hip Hop classes and painting too for which she had initially said no. I also asked Sachin to try painting which he also did finally. And they both were really great and made good paintings as well.

Juhi: I got really positive vibes from the family and I encouraged Yash to do more of comedy because he really has the comic sense in him. I also made him promise to perform in Comedy Circus once. He also paints very well for which I asked him to have an exhibition of his works. 

What have you learnt from the show?
Gauri: I was really scared of dogs, but now I do not have a problem because there is a pet dog in Juhi's house. And now when I go to my friend's place I do not ask people to close their pet dogs in a different room.

Reporter and Author: Saranya Valsarajan