Peeping up with the times
The launch of Bigg Boss brings with it a unique combination of reality and unscripted drama as 13 celebrities vie with each other to survive in the Bigg Boss house
Anil Thakraney
THE LIVE PEEP SHOW
Bigg Boss, the hottest reality show, hit Indian television screens over the weekend, and if all goes as planned, it will easily eclipse all other singing, dancing or boogeying acts we have so far been fed. After all, the show, known as The Big Brother to the rest of the world, has taken over 70 countries by storm, and there's no reason why it will not catch India's very fertile imagination. Bigg Boss involves 13 unrelated people living together in one house for 100 days, totally cut off from the rest of the world, as we watch their captive lives from inside our living rooms. The audience gets to decide who will get evicted out of the contest, on a weekly basis.
VOYEUR'S DELIGHT
The main reason the concept has taken off worldwide is because of its voyeuristic nature… it's like watching other people live their lives through a peephole, and in that sense the show satiates the 'Peeping Tom' urge that lies within all of us. Think of how hooked we get onto saas-bahu shows… well, this one is like a live saas-bahu version, so you can guess the potential it has in our desh. The bad news for all you voyeurs is that the show will definitely be heavily edited in India to account for offensive language and sexual advances by the inmates. This will have to be done by the producers to avoid bitter PILs that are sure to be fired by our self-appointed moral police force. Internationally, The Big Brother has been mired in ugly controversies that range from vote rigging to sexual assaults (in the Australian version, two male inmates tried to rape a young female participant) to attempted suicides (one participant in UK's version, Shahbaz Chaudhry, threatened to kill himself).
DULL CONTESTANTS
However, the biggest downer for Bigg Boss is in its choice of contestants… all the 13 participants are desperate wannabes looking for a quick chance to turn into mini celebs. In all fairness, perhaps Sony had no choice, they had to find 13 slightly known faces with no work to do for the next 100 days, lukhhas who would get excited at the idea of surrendering their private lives for some easy money and exposure. Methinks it might have been a better idea to cast unknown people to cut audience bias. I, for one, can't think of anyone who would want Rakhi Sawant progress beyond the first week. Also, most of these guys seem to lack that key ingredient called natural wit, which is critical to the show since there is no pre-written script and dialogues. From their intro gigs on the first episode, they all came across as total bores. Imagine putting up with a Deepak Parasher for three months, I can't bear him for three minutes. The only interesting move was to cast gender bender Bobby Darling, am keen to know if he/she chooses to crash in the ladies' or the men's bedroom.
One small tip for host Arshad Warsi: Bhai, please play Circuit on the show. Bole toh, only the street tapori number works for you, don't even try the cool, sophisticated act.
Happy peeping, people!
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=19&am p;sectname=Television&sess=418887116
comment:
p_commentcount