Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Face the truth!

Quite a bit of noise being generated by this new show, “Sach ka saamna” on Star or some such. Granted that most of it is planned advertisement in the form of news and panel discussions and I don’t usually pay much heed to it, but I accidentally got to hear a debate on some news channel (Headlines Today I think) about the show. There was the anchorman, who’s also the producer or something, a muslim advocate and a sociologist. Mostly nonsense but what got me going was that they were actually debating how the show was going to affect our society! There was actually some talk of Indian civilization being damaged, about how families could break up, about how bad an example it would set our future generation about how it was immoral, amoral, cutting edge, and sundry other adjectives the choice predicated by which side of the debate the speaker was.
I listened in wonder and disbelief. Our civilization doomed because Kambli admits to feeling let down by Sachin? A bad example of a two bit TV actor admitting to stealing bed sheets? Some random female from Bombay “caught” lying that she wouldn’t have an affair? I wouldn’t have bothered but this was on one of the main “news” channels. People tune in to it and form their opinions based on what they hear. This is what they see portrayed as serious debate. The anchor of the show was defending it and calling it a cathartic experience for many and that it would make people face the truth and feel better about themselves and that it was so life-affirming and their aim was to promote a frank discussion in society about hidden truths or something. What a load of crock!
Let’s get some facts clear. “Lie detectors” are at best iffy at what they purport to do. A show on “truth” based on it has about as much truth in it as any public CIA document on what they did during the Cold War. It’s a nonsensical premise and should be scoffed at. But that’s another gripe altogether.
My issue is with the so called social relevance of the show and its impact on the same. And I find fault with both sides of the debate. The idea that it can tear the fabric of society is as laughable as the claim that the show is about life affirmation. Much more than any TV show, you are influenced by your family and the circle of people that surrounds you. Kids from broken homes have a greater chance of being emotionally tangled than those from close families, even if the latter spent their entire childhood seeing divorce court or “the War of the Roses”. The simple fact is that TV does not influence us as much as sociologists like to think. If it did, Pulse Polio would have been a great success because Amitabh (arguably still the biggest icon in UP, a state with one of the worst Polio records) was plugging for it. We’ve been showing happy, simpering families for ages and that doesn’t seem to increase the general happiness quotient in the nation. TV is entertainment and beyond a few fashion pointers (what bindi pattern did Akshara wear for her wedding?), I doubt we take much away from our serials and programs. Not that the said programs are fit for any better!
As to the positive intentions of the producers, puh-lease! Give us more credit than that! You are after money and that’s that. It’s all about grabbing eyeballs, and you saw a show on Star World asking “lewd” questions in the garb of serious television and you saw an opportunity. How else could you get away, on Indian TV, with asking people about adultery, incest, streaking and the like? And why else would the sexual shenanigans of everyone from insignificant young housewives to elderly actors form such a major part of your show, or at the very least of your entire promotional campaign? It’s money that you’re after and money you’re raking in, hand over fist I’m sure. You’re providing the audience a chance to peer into the private lives of individuals and they’re lapping it up as you knew they would. Vicarious living is the mantra for reality TV and you go farther than ever before. Well, kudos to you for Xeroxing a strong money making scheme from the west. I don’t admire the producers for being copycats, after all many more clones are spouting and have sprung forth in the past too, but I don’t grudge them a few million rupees that they make by appeasing the baser instincts either. What I do take issue with is the attempt they make at passing this off as serious television. Go make your money every which way you like, but do not attempt to insult our intelligence!

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