Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
The Bollywood circus
|
Reality shows are resurrecting careers and creating employment avenues for not just the aam janta but tinsel town dudes and divas desperate for a second chance
|
Photo: reuters
THE GREAT INDIAN REALITY SHOW Shilpa Shetty with former bete noire Jade Goody at the launch of Bigg Boss 2
A few days ago, model and actor Nethra Raghuraman, after winning the Rs. 50-lakh booty on the adventure reality show, “Fear Factor — Khatron Ke Khiladi”, admitted the show and the resultant win helped her overcome her financial crunch. More recently, Monica Bedi, gangster Abu Salem’s moll, free after serving time in a Hyderabad jail, became a part of “Bigg Boss 2” on Colors channel. Admitting that beggars can’t be choosers, she candidly said before being closeted for the show, “I don’t have a chhat (roof) over my head. I have to make something of my life, do something for my maa-baap, show people that I am not as bad as they think. The show is my best bet.”
Nethra wanted money, Monica needs both money and an image makeover. The quick-fix solution: a reality show, which translates into moolah, enhanced visibility and a battery of resultant rewards, depending on how you project yourself.
Take stock of star anchor Shilpa Shetty and other participants of “Bigg Boss 2”. Shilpa, with her all-but-over Bollywood career, garnered fame and glory post the UK reality show, “Big Brother”. Before she went into the house of “Big Brother”, her sole claim to fame was being Vijay Mallya’s arm candy. After “Big Brother”, Shilpa virtually became Bollywood’s brand ambassador abroad. The toast of British society, she attended a reception at the House of Commons and was even accorded a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II. Magazine covers, a documentary on her, a much-hyped yoga CD, commercial success of movies, endorsements, fashion shows, and now a once-a-week appearance as star anchor, Shilpa has her place under the sun.
The participants of “Bigg Boss 2” are a mixed bunch of celebrities and controversy-ridden newsmakers. Freshly-divorced Rahul Mahajan is there with another divorcee, Rakhi Vijayan, who had got married to Raveena Tandon’s brother after playing the perky, scatter-brained Sweety on Ekta Kapoor’s “Hum Paanch”. Model Zulfi Syed, whose resume as a Bollywood actor can be over in two lines is the hunk of the show.
Tune into any channel. More than the soaps, it is reality shows that hold centrestage now. It’s a Bollywood sitaaron ka mela what with stars, past and present, holding court as judges, anchors, contestants, depending on the format. Not just actors, but singers, music composers, directors, scriptwriters, choreographers, everyone except the spot boy.
The more the reality shows, the more the need for stars to spice up shows. As you chance upon yesteryears’ sensuality figure Zeenat Aman, Saif Ali Khan’s ex-wife Amrita Singh, Rahul Roy of “Aashiqui” fame, Manoj Satya Bajpai, Sonali Bendre, Raveena Tandon and a whole galaxy of others, your mind does an immediate flip-flop as recognition floods, “Hey, him/her too?”
Suneil Shetty, who is co-producing “Kaun Jeetega Bollywood Ka Ticket” with Ekta Kapoor, agrees that stars on reality shows bring magic and in return why should they mind the big bucks and better visibility on the small screen. “The small screen translates into big rewards, that’s the reality,” he avers.
The Great Indian Reality Show is becoming a happy hunting ground of those in desperate need of a second chance. They have become a shot at greater stardom for some, as in the case of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. They have also resurrected the careers of several celebrities, including Big B, when he was down in the dumps.
Chunky Panday, who started his Bollywood journey with Govinda in “Love 86”, remained in the limelight for a short while for his motor-mouth witticisms than the films in his kitty. Now, he’s obviously enjoying his stint as a judge on Star One’s “Zara Nachke Dikha”with Malaika Arora Khan. He agrees, “Reality shows are a great promotional platform. TV is a very strong medium and reaches a wider audience. Stars no longer think twice before giving the nod for an appearance on these shows.”
With Bollywood being a national craze, it’s an easy way to get the audience hooked to the nautankiand tamasha brought forth by the Bollywood brigade.
KOMAL VIJAY SINGH
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
|
