Reality shows, they seem to be everywhere! You tune to any channel during prime time peak hours and chances are that you will find a reality show begging to course its way through to your eyes. They range from majorly singing and dancing contests to other more physically demanding shows. The question however is how real ARE these reality shows? When you see highly respected music directors, singers, actors and other public figures fighting like a pack of wild dogs over an issue so trivial that it makes you say "puhleeezee", it also makes you think over how authentic are these shows and these 'emotions' that these celebrities put on display with such panache. Are these real feelings that are shown? Or are they just another script or project that these judges have to perform?

One thing is for certain. Nothing gathers more TRP's for channels than a reality show. It is a sad state of affair in India, that while brave soldiers are dying in the cross-fire between Pakistan and India, people are crying their heart out for an eliminated contestant of some singing contest who is anyways guaranteed a 'break' into the music industry with one or two songs by the music director judge of that show. It won't be long however before he too fades from public memory and passes into the oblivion (anyone heard of abhishek sawant lately? Or was it abhijit??) What is clear is that these shows are a shortcut method for tinsel town aspirants to hog some of the limelight and get their 15 seconds of fame before its somebody else's turn to do that. Take for example a reality show for bollywood aspirants(I don't quite remember the name.. I think it was Cine Star ki Khoj or something). After a long month or two of pure drama and sensationalism, the winner was crowned with indications of him becoming the next superstar of big bad Bollywood. What happened? I think he was offered some B-grade movie, which he promptly signed and thus ended his career on that very dotted line. These dreams of a quick rise to fame has devoured countless artists who had talent enough to forge their way to the top if not for more patience. Famous TV personality Shekhar Suman says, "I ended my acting career by choosing some wrong projects in my youth. I will however make sure that Adyayan doesn't do that". Lucky for you Adhyayan. But what about the other countless artists who have no godfather to guide them in this industry? Their only way to get noticed is through reality shows, and thus they unknowingly become a part of this great TV tamasha.

Sadly, kids too have become a part of this phenomenon. Shameless parents let their little girls gyrate to songs with obscene lyrics and choreography and while the judges scrutinize their performances with a hawk's eye, the children are unable to handle their pre-mature exposure to this big bad world and end up breaking down and fainting on national television. The parents of these kids think they are promoting their ward's talent, unknowingly doing irreparable damage to their mental state and depriving them of a childhood which would otherwise have been care-free and fun-filled like it was supposed to be. And if all this drama and halla-gulla surrounding their lives was not enough, these children grow up to be nothing extraordinary and just become another brick in the wall. The singing participants may end up as group singers that provide a background to the main singer and the dancing participants may end up as a troup of 20-30 odd people replicating the moves of the herione. Some may go up to the extent of becoming assistant choreographers, but thats as far as the reality shows can possibly take them.

Its not that there is no talent in these shows, but the talent is always shrouded in too much unnecessary drama and emotion that tends to take away the spot-light from the performance to the views of the judges. The fight among the judges, with music and black and grey stills, becomes the centre point and the brilliant song or dance is soon forgotten. With such kind of a system reality shows may start off by promoting talent, but end up promoting just the TRP's of its channel. Realty shows definitely need a lot more reality and more spotlight on the performances. Till that happens, watch the new ghamasan vishw-yudh drama on Zee TV. You just might like it.