Recently, the host of Brazilian crime show, Canal Livre, and state legislator Wallace Souza was arrested on suspicion of commissioning at least five of the murders to boost the TRP of his show and prove his claim that Brazil’s Amazon region is awash in violent crime. Police also have accused Souza of drug trafficking.
Singer Mika Singh pulled down co-contestant Jay Bhanushali’s pants in the show Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachchao, leading to much drama.
Former cricketer Vinod Kambli ruffled feathers when he criticised the BCCI and questioned the integrity of Sachin Tendulkar’s friendship.
The past few months have seen a flurry of activity on the TV front, as the telly churned out one controversy after another. The TV audience have been treated to moments of adrenaline rush while they watched celebs live among reptiles and dangerous beings in the jungle. They waited with bated breath to see which lucky guy will be the one to win Rakhi’s heart in her swayamvar. But all in all, the one thing that became clear was that television could go to any lengths to garner the much needed TRP.
While the case of Wallace Souza has shocked the world, closer home the Indian audience are not novices to TRP garnering strategies. ishQ Bector, a contestant in the reality show
Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachcao feels that the Mika and Jay episode, though eyebrow-raising, is definitely not scripted. “Mika is a crazy dude, I guess it’s in his nature to be a thorn, but he is damn entertaining. Apart from the Jay episode there was also the time when he tried getting fresh with Negar. That was priceless,” laughs Bector.
But unlike Iss Jungle... the show Sach Ka Saamna found opposition from every corner, from the first episode itself, thanks to Kambli’s outburst. The show transformed the telly into a 21 inch confessional, and people tuned in to watch ‘real’ drama unfold.
Contestant Bobby Darling who was a celebrity contestant on the show says she chose to sit on the hot seat to divulge details of her “misunderstood life.” “There’s nothing scripted on the show. A contestant is aware that details of his/her life will be made public. But such is the format. The show reunited me with my Dad,” says Bobby.
But television alone cannot be blamed for stooping to new lows for the much needed TRP. “We have to remember that the society in general has turned into a voyeuristic one,” says actor Eijaz Khan. “Today people love to see others in pain. How else can you explain such high TRP for such shows?” asks Khan. But he warns that the day might not far when a “Souza like episode could happen in India.”
As contestants of shows like Splitsvilla and Roadies have confirmed in the past that they can do anything to be in the limelight, channels seem to have no qualms exploiting the situation. Be it Shweta Tiwari and Negar Khan’s bold bathing scenes in Iss Jungle... or people confessing to extramarital affairs and murderous thoughts on TV, looks like anything is okay to grab eyeballs. That’s the reality of TV.
Text courtesy:TOI
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