The 90’s blokes would definitely remember the days when we used complete the tuition classes and rush back to our homes to treat ourselves to Shaktimaan, Shaka Laka Boom-Boom, Son Pari, Hatim, Takeshi’s Castle, etc. Sooner the television industry evolved and we were greeted to shows such as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Big Boss, Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul, Boogie Woogie, etc. The Indian audience was so much involved in the reality shows back then like they themselves or their closed one was actually a part of it. We remember defending why Amit Sana deserved to Indian Idol title more than Abhijeet Sawant and how public saved Qazi Tauqeer each time in the eliminations. A few years back, we can without a doubt say that everything that what we saw was so much interesting and unpredictable you just can’t afford to miss any episode. What nostalgia! Gone are those days and talent.
As the television industry progressed and evolved to the change in the taste of the viewers, the competition among channels skyrocketed eventually leading to degradation of the content. We were just bracing ourselves against the ever-shitty daily soaps when the reality shows embarked to stink too. The shows became not so real but each second was now scripted in order to keep the viewer gazed to their screens. We’ve made a list of most of the shows which are or once were our favourites.
- India’s Got Talent – 50% talent. 50% Bullshit.
- Khatron Ke Khiladi – Or, I would do anything for the money.
- Roadies – The first few seasons were too good but once Raghu left the scene, the show tripped.
- Splitsvilla – The show of and for the brats.
- Kaun Banega Crorepati – where everyone feels they can at least score ?320,000.
- Big Boss – The most scripted show to ever exist.
- Various reality dance shows – At first, it was a thing for 18-35-year olds. Then dancing realities for the kids and now their moms. Sooner or later, a new dance show for the entire family.
- Emotional Atyachaar – The Bindass show of the Bindass channel.
Now you must be wondering if by mistake we missed mentioning Indian Idol here or was it deliberate. We didn’t mention it above as today we’ll be sharing the dark side of the show with you in the later stage of this article. So, basically, in a nutshell, it is the fight for the TRP among the channels. But what actually is TRP, how it is calculated and why channels would go to any extent to be the top? We’ll clear the air for you. TRP stands for Television Rating Point, is the tool which tells us which programme or a channel is viewed most or that specifies the acceptance of the TV channel or programme. It depicts as to how many times a particular channel or a programme is being viewed. This allows the investors and the advertisers to comprehend to the mood of the audience or the viewers. Analysing the TRP of any channel or programme, the advertisers decide as to when & where to display their advertisements and the investors decide how much money should be invested. TRP is a renowned parameter for a television. Now coming to the question, how it is calculated? TRP is ascertained by two Indian agencies that go by the name INTAM and DART. INTAM refers to Indian Television Audience Measurement. Previously, when the TV shows were only aired on Doordarshan, DART or Doordarshan Audience Research Team used to validate the TV ratings. As of now, DART does exist and calculates the viewing pattern of the rural people. Their way of calculating TRP was to choose a random audience and take a survey about various TV channels and programmes.
BARC or The Broadcast Audience Research Council has released their list of India’s to ten popular television programmes for the first week of August 2019. Let’s take a look at the list:
- Kundali Bhagya
- Kumkum Bhagya
- Yeh Rishta Kya Keh Lata Hai
- Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
- Nach Baliye 9
- Tujhse Hai Raabta
- Kasuati Zindagi Kay
- Yeh Rishtey Hai Pyar Ke
- Superstar Singer
- The Kapil Sharma Show
We won’t shy away to exclaiming that roughly 90% of the ongoing TV programmes are either scripted, pre-planned, fake and pre-defined. You can almost observe and point what all acts and dialogues are prewritten. You name it – Indian Idol, Big Boss, Splitsvilla or any other singing reality show. The contestants exited from various shows have used the internet as a means to express and rage. Indian Idol, one of the most popular TV shows to ever air on Indian Television is often criticised over the internet for concentrating more on participant’s personal lives that the actual talent. We must agree to the fact that the show majorly is driven by how much a contestant has suffered. Instead of identifying talent, the producers are keener in identifying the money or the TRP. What worries us is the fact how much the young contestants below the age of 15 are impacted mentally as they’re not familiar to deal with things around them.
Nishant Kaushik, a participant who auditioned Indian Idol in the year 2012 took the internet by storm by tweeting the actual reality of the show. He tweeted, “it is a perfect platform to destroy your dreams as opposed to its common perception as a breeding ground for talent”. The long queues for the audition had some dedicated aspirants, while some were there just to try their luck. With no sufficient water amenities, food stalls and toilets at the venue. You have to spend almost 24 hours with no sleep just to get mocked during the audition. And sometimes, you’re even sent back without an audition. You can’t even imagine any worse way to break someone’s heart and dream at the same moment. The final list of contestants is pre-decided and sometimes a new artist is brought to the scene who has not been seen before by any fellow contestants. Indeed, so heart-wrenching!
However, for those who dislike the Indian TV shows just like us and follow the international one’s more, be prepared to be amazed buddy. Here is the list of most fake and real international TV shows:
Fake:
- 90 Day Fiancé
- Amish Mafia
- Storage Wars
- Match Maker
- Pawn Queens
- Love Island
- Divorce Court
- Alaskan Bush People
Eventually, the common thread between all of them is a pre-defined script. The actors are even coached as to how to behave, act, react and perform to different parts of the episode.
Real:
- Cops
- Deadliest Catch
- The Amazing Race
- Say Yes to the Dress
- Diesel Brothers
- Myth Busters
- Hoarders
To our surprise, there are still programmes that are being shown as they unfold. Talent is preserved, recognized and appreciated. But nevertheless, people will find out a way to make money out of everything around us.
