On Indian television, nothing sells like reality shows. They not only break the monotony of drama series, but also serve as the perfect tool to satisfy voyeurism and, for some others, the irrepressible temptation to get their 60 seconds of fame. Though various shows have various formats, some of them have had their fair share of controversies and their credibility has occasionally been questioned with allegations that they are not as real as they claim to be - they are often premeditated and well rehearsed to grab more eyeballs and, in turn, higher TRPs.
An industry source says, "Most reality shows are rigged and the contestants are told what to do. Production houses go to any extent to get the maximum TRPs for their shows. Sadly, there's no element of reality. Everything is stage-managed."
hitlist recalls some reality shows that have often reeked of pretension and orchestrated drama...
Telly actors Megha Gupta and Naman Shaw teamed up for the fourth season of Nach Baliye and managed to win the runners-up title. The hit jodi, which seemed to be madly in love while performing together on stage, parted ways soon after the show. Later, rumours rolled out that the duo had faked their relationship to participate in the celeb reality show as Megha was then apparently involved with a director.
True or false?
Celebs like Mallika Sherawat and Rakhi Sawant found 'prospective partners' on national television, courtesy The Bachelorette India - Mere Khayalon Ki Mallika and Rakhi Ka Swayamvar.
Though they never made it to the altar, the show opened the doors for many grooms to-be to gain instant fame. Ratan Rajput, best known as Laali from the TV serial Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, featured in Swayamvar season 3, and got engaged to Delhi boy Abhinav Sharma, with the promise to marry later, but later called off the relationship. Of all three contestants, who have appeared in the Swayamvar series, Rahul Mahajan got married to contestant Dimpy Ganguly, though they separated just a year later.
Fake bites
Emotional Atyachaar, a reality TV show based on the theme of testing the loyalty and infidelity of relationship partners, was much criticised for alleged orchestrated drama. Some of the participants claimed that they had been paid by the channel to appear on the show. The portrayal of incidents and the dialogues caught the attention of the Broadcasting Content Complaints Commission, an industry watchdog. The channel was ordered it to run an apology every two hours for four consecutive days for airing 'questionable content'. Emotional Atyachaar was reportedly based on Cheaters, a US show that started in 2000. Two years later, in an expose, several participants claimed that they were paid $400 to act in the show.
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