The article brought to debate is indeed need of the hour. Each & every channel brings the reality show in one or another form. These Shows are kind of television shows or programs which in real life or scripted form feature common people as well as celebrities Situations/environment or a mix of both real and scripted incidents. Till 1940’s reality shows authentic. This was because it was a new concept and as such manipulation was limited for creation of unusual situations for ordinary citizens. However, the reality shows of today have distorted the reality. The mockery of ‘Reality Shows’ is that even though they are known as ‘Reality Based Shows’; most of them are ‘Unreal’. There are always two sides of coin. While one side tells positive story in terms of bringing out talent (Unlocking the human potential). Even the participants are coming from small towns, which normally do not get chance to perform & dies at local level, these shows gives opportunity to such talent at young age. Many stories of successful celebrities ( singers , comedians, dancers etc.) in today’s era confirms this fact that such shows has changed their life by giving them opportunity to perform in reality shows. While other side tells different story of Pre-fixed shows, having commercial motive of improving TRP , Creates sentimental / emotional pressure on participants. I feel following The effects of reality shows are multi-pronged, far reaching and unpredictable. Though not all reality shows are same but the ones which indulge in creating fake realities are the ones to blame the most. These are the shows which create influencing negativity in the society. Most of the reality shows are created purely for profit without realizing the future consequences on the mind-sets of the people at large, especially the young genre. Even the so , called ‘Game Shows’ are nothing but promoters of greed, where the participants are playing to the tunes of how much they have won, even if it means embarrassment., however the ones without any drama and other negative emotions, do have the benefits as listed below. • Exposure to hidden talent • Award & prizes • Experience • Achievement & recognition • Celebdom to Unknown Celebrities • Opportunity for livelihood • Revenue generation • Better understanding of the world Some of the disadvantages listed below raise need for concern. • Exploitation • Deviate youth mentality • False image of life • Erosion of ethical & moral values • Psychological disorders • Wastage of time & energy It is very much evident from the above mentioned pros and cons of reality shows, that the demerits of reality shows shadows the merits. However, if not eradicated there are certain measures which can be taken to limit and prevent the malice which these shows encourage to a certain extent. Effects of reality shows can be curbed through positive role of media, strict laws, heavy penalties on offenders, censoring or banning etc.

As a researcher and television content strategist and I have seen the shift in content consumption of the viewers, 5 years back reality shows were purely based on talent and action while today it’s full on scripted drama and forceful emotional background stories that has led to overall drop in viewership of reality. AS per the recent research over dramatizing the show is big turn off for the audience, to find the right balance is critical in content creation so make it reality and not a daily soap. In recent times none of the channels have come with any dance reality format, be it Zee with it’s DID, Star plus super dancer that doomed in terms of ratings and Nach baliye that been working only due to celebrities where most of the things are rigged. Few countries like US, UK and Australia have continued to define the reality format with their shows like “You think you can dance” and “Master Chef Australia” keep the offering intact and not fidgeting with core offering of the show with overdose of drama and emotion. Indian content production houses should learn from them as audience is today far more versed with international content and evolved to make out the difference between scripted and real content.

Agree that the term ‘reality’ doesn’t suit reality shows. The format itself is now jaded and the novelty of such shows is completely lost. However, there are multiple stakeholders with vested interests here because of whom such shows are still running successfully. General entertainment TV channels pull these formats along be it dancing, singing and other such contests as it still delivers the ratings and brings in the revenues. A prime time slot on weekends surely works. The target audience’s appointment viewing corroborates with that of the TV channels who are able to gauge the audience pulse and deliver them to the advertisers. The above is the classical media model with predictable business interests for the media channel and the advertisers. The other stakeholders are in it for personal reasons, and a glance at them might be intriguing and interesting: - The participants. What is in it for them really, apart from the 15 minutes or 15 episodes (depending on how far they go on the show) of fame? Such shows do not guarantee any future in their field of performing arts. In fact, the calibre of performance is in no way a measure of success or a career opportunity. There are way too many talented people and to look at these shows as a stepping stone to a bright future as an actor, dancer or playback singer would be foolish. Still, ‘what if I am that one in a million who will make it’, is what drives these starry eyed talents to participate. - The judges. Great exposure on screen as most of them have been there done that, revelling in past or little glory or have always been behind the scenes. Whatever the reason for them being chosen as judges apart from their skill, this is a brilliant way for them to be in the forefront, be recognised and remain relevant. This can give them the lead of other judging or performing events and promotions. - The celebrity guests. Purely come for promoting their movie release; it serves the purpose as part of their marketing promo plan. - The parents of the kids who participate in kids’ reality shows. Pushing and imposing their desires, their unfulfilled dreams through their children. Not all but most of the parents do, and if they do, its desperation and robbing kids of what they really want to do. - The manufactured crowd sitting in the studio as ‘live’ audience. They sit for 8 to 10 hours at a stretch and are there either because they are related to the participants or are purely fascinated by the stars and judges, wanting their faces to appear on the screen. Reality shows are not going anywhere for now (how you want to interpret this last line is up to you ).

throw some light on how these reality shows are affecting the children who participate in these shows. The employment of child actors was always common in television programs, but the numbers has significantly increased in the last 2 decades owing to exponential increase in number of channels. But the issue with children working in television industry is tricky as they are not considered as child labour. This is due to artist status given to these children. But these children are made to practice long hours. They are expected to shoot as per the schedule and they do even if they are not feeling that well. Little girls showing their dance moves to racy item numbers in dresses which does not suit their age or little boys being asked what they would do if they go out on a date is different level altogether. No channel or program is focussing on the affect such things will have on these children. On the other hand, there are parents who are putting additional pressure on their children to participate in such programs, to be in the limelight. These children are compromising on their education to participate in such reality shows. They undergo lot of stress during the production. The harsh words from the judges is also a cause of distress for these young participants who don’t have the maturity to take such judgements. The fear of rejection is another element which adversely affect these children. These children are experience fame at such early ages which may or may not last long. For such children, it’s very difficult to cope up with the situation and they end up experiencing frustrations. The reality shows are here to stay and we as an audience will continue to watch these shows. But the question remains – is it a form of child labour?

Dance Reality Shows – People either love them or hate them; there’s no middle ground. As the “reality” term suggests realness, there is not much reality of live performance and broadcasting in these shows. The pre-recorded performance with the number of retakes along with addition of forced arguments and written script really diminishes the meaning of the term reality in TV shows. It is more of a recorded and edited live performance with the objective of increasing its TRP with the end result being earning revenue. As far as the content is concerned, I believe that these dance shows actually gives a platform for the people and especially kids to showcase their talents which would have been either subdued or died down with the pressure of academics. I am always up for the children dance shows where parents try to encourage their children to gain confidence, spirit and exposure; obviously not at the expense of their studies. But I am against those parents who try to use their children as a source of gaining fame and super-stardom. Some parents deliberately try to make their children learn this art form and then put them up in front of the whole world to perform. Such acts not only take away their children’s freedom to choose but also destroys their childhood and confidence level. Dance reality shows not only promotes the talent of participants but also encourages the viewers to act upon their skill and enhance it. Looking back at my personal experience, I have learned a few dance moves from watching these dance shows thinking that if such little ones can do it, then why cannot I? Nowadays, there are various type of dance forms but seeing it from a layman’s perspective, it’s more of a gymnastics dance with jumping, flying and rolling moves. Gone are the days of simpler dance moves of Govinda’s (Bollywood Actor) era, where the simplicity of learning dance steps was embedded in our day-to-day movements. To sum up, Reality shows are mindless superficial entertainment. The viewers and critics need not invest much of their time in thinking and deciding about the nature and fate of these dance shows. Dance reality shows have changed the destinies of many ordinary people who are now choreographing Bollywood films, anchoring shows and even acting as a judge in other dance shows. Therefore, no matter how many questions you pose against these reality shows, people will keep participating in these dance shows to showcase their talents and audience will keep watching them since these shows cater to some family bonding time where members of all age groups sits and watch this show together unlike the daily soap operas!!

Hello Sir! This article reminisces memories from my engineering days when we used to debate if the telecasted reality shows have any element of reality in them. This article goes beyond that point to explain how reality show judges add to the drama of these shows. To start with the former argument, I agree to the viewpoint that there is very little reality left in the modern-day reality shows. Then why are these shows even being aired? There are a number of reasons why these shows end up finding a place in the prime-time slots of major television channel networks. Firstly, these reality shows are TRP churners for channels who bank on the mundane daily soaps for sustaining their positions throughout the year competing with rival channels to come up with soaps with similar storylines in the same time slots. For example, if a mythological show is doing well on one of the channels, the rival channel in no time comes up with a mythological show on some other character and strategically places it in the same time slot. Reality shows are big ticket shows for such channels. Secondly, getting Salman Khan to host ‘Bigg Boss’ or Priety Zinta to judge ‘Nach Baliye’ becomes a source to attract viewership. No matter how hard these channels try to project these as authentic, the unwarranted drama gives it away in no time. Be it the pre-decided fights on ‘Roadies’ or the pre-agreed disagreement between two judges from different entertainment segments, everything looks fabricated. And when you think from the point of view of the channel head, why wouldn’t you want these things to happen? When you are getting your promotional material to pull in new viewers and keep the existing viewers hooked on to the show, why not do it? But these are still at the celebrity level where everything is contractual. Moving on to the second aspect of the article- The dance reality shows. There are a number of viewers who watch these shows with the hope to learn new techniques and improve their dancing skills. But are these shows the right medium? A couple of judges on the panel of the dance reality show may not even be remotely associated to dance all their life (Eg. Karan Johar on ‘Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa’) but are roped in for the glamour quotient and the PR buzz that they generate by their presence on the show. The drama between the judges somewhere kills the comments coming from credible judges which ought to be beneficial to the contestants and the viewers as well. We have classic examples of dance reality shows like ‘Boogie Woogie’ which purely worked due to their authenticity and the content of the show. So, here comes in the point where I too probably disagree with what Chetan Bhagat has penned down in his article. If for a moment we keep aside the views of the judges and how they behave, a dance reality show should work on the quality of the content and how the contestants and viewers can be benefitted by the show. And when a writer like Chetan Bhagat judges a dance reality show and writes about an altogether different show from a rival channel, we can expect him to bring in the perspective of how competing brings out the best in the contestants rather than looking at it as a means of pressure resulting in the contestant’s elimination. The whole idea of competing is that the contestants work hard to put together a show never seen before by the viewers because there are some contestants who appear on these shows and end up becoming role models for some viewers in a particular dance form (Eg. ‘Cockroach’ from Dance India Dance who has aced his way ahead to become a judge himself!). Unless this is achieved, these shows will continue to be TRP churners and never reach their ‘real’ audience anytime soon.

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These days the most happening shows on television are Reality shows. To get the attention from the audience every channel has at least one reality dance show. These reality shows are hosted/Judged by the famous cinema personalities. The famous quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati hosted by Amitabh Bacchan, Bigboss (Tamil) hosted by Kamalhassan , the dance talent program like Dance India dance, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Nach baliye judged by many famous dancers and choreographers in India. All reality dance shows gives the superior attention to the rear stage action and drama which happens in the lives of the participants. At the end of the shows foremost to one or more winners awarded with the prizes. These reality dance shows are sometimes booming the lives of the winners. There have been numerous examples to evidence this claim. The famous Tamil actor Sivakarthikeyan got his ticket into kollywood through the reality dance show. Many contestants from the famous dance show Dance India Dance got their opportunity to act in Bollywood movie Any Body Can Dance (ABCD). Based on the above real examples proves that the Reality Dance shows are boon to some of the contestants.Even though these dance shows have many advantages but also have been another discussion about how these shows could be harmful. All Reality dance shows are targeting their channels TRP ratings. In order to increase the TRP ratings, channels played with the contestants emotions this leads to grab a viewer’s attentions. There have been some reports shows that the contestants had a collapse because of the intense pressure to keep up with the challenges. Several contestants have also been wounded during performances. Many contestants have also stated that they were mentally harassed by Judges and their fellow contenders. Young children should be kept away from these reality dance shows. Even though many children get a great exposure through these program but there are high probabilities of missing out on school and they cannot handle the emotional dramas at this age. There is no doubt all Reality dance shows are income motive but it gives good opportunity to many talented people. But all TV channels should keep up boundary and standard. The greater responsibility of media is to bringing out the inborn talents of people in a good way.

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Hello sir, When I was reading your blog many rays of thought were creeping in my mind. Dance reality shows which have become a reality today are really real? If not, then why every other person, an audience or a participant following them so madly? According to me the answer lies in different perspectives. Nowadays audience relate themselves so much to these reality shows that they choose them as their favorite pass time because as before social circles are decreasing and there place have been acquired by T.V shows, Internet, What’s app etc. With so much of T.V channels and so much of shows people have been given a wide choice to choose a show and give there worthy time watching that particular show. If we talk about participant’s people from not only India but all over the world prefer to participate in these shows. One reason behind this is that they provide them a platform to showcase their talent and if they win the show instant money and fame. Not only grownups but small kids are becoming a part of these shows in large number. But the other side is not so colorful. The reality is not so real. Everything which is being showcased is most of the time scripted. The participants are sometimes asked for money if they want to win the show. Participants are kept in unhygienic conditions for many months’ .Their emotions are being showcased to raise the TRP’s. In case of kid’s situation is worse. Kids are being separated from their parents for a long time , causing a lot of harm to their studies and childhood .The judges of these reality shows who are there to judge the performance of participants are sometimes those people from entertainment industry who have themselves came on screen just for one or two shows or films. Judges sometimes comment so harshly on performance that the participant starts crying and feels insulted and helpless. The shows like Big Boss and Maa exchange are really a big question mark on the entertainment which is being served to us. I think we as an audience should not accept whatever is being served .If we have the right to boycott Chinese goods we have the same right to boycott such a show which is against our values and cultures. Participants and their parents should also understand to be part of such shows which are genuine and not which provide them a cheap popularity. In the end a legal check is also required to stop such a mental torture to audience and to participants.

I completely agree on the point that most reality shows are fake. They are scripted to an excessive level. After hearing so many instances about the reality shows, whether it is Dance reality show or a singing or any other, Reality is the last thing which strikes me about the Reality shows. The trend of most reality shows started from last 10-12 years and the idea grabbed the enormous amount of TRP, and the reason was quite obvious as it was the most unique idea to which people can easily relate to. Now the question arises that Are all Reality Shows Scripted? The answer is No. In some reality shows the situations are planned by the production house but the contestant’s reactions are not. Some reality shows like Bigg Boss have celebrities involved in it and they tend to fake and overreact to take the footage. It’s all about TRP,TRP and TRP. I came across the story of one of the most popular singing show’s in which if the contestant is not the part of the music academy of the show then he/she has to pay the fees every week to the production house till the time they are competing and before the so called first round audition with the celebrities there is a person who judge you 3 seconds if you are capable to proceed for the celebrity round. In 3 Secs he will come to know if you are a good singer or not…this is crazy .We have already heard a lot about the fakeness of the most controversial show “Bigg Boss” it was once claimed that when contestant’s are not shooting they are watching TV, surfing facebook and what not. The basic rule of this show is more controversy leads to more TRP. Then we have some so called reality shows in which contestants cross every possible limit of vulgarity while shooting for the show. The fights are so immature that even a 5 year kid would tell that this all is happening for the attention. It is mostly the wannabes you likes to be a part of the reality show and they all come with the preconceived notions about what they have to do and this adds more to their fakeness. But after knowing this harsh reality about the reality shows people are still curious to watch them may be because it is source of entertainment to them, they love it and may be they are not interested in the reality.

I totally agree that the reality shows are managed. These are scripted to such an extent that they feel real. The producers of such shows play with the emotions of the all home makers , elderly people and for that matter all sensitive people. We have plethora of reality shows today like dance shows , singing shows , skit acts , short drama shows, One minute shows and talent shows on television for years. Every year they will come up with one after the other on various channels. Sometimes there are multiple shows across channels. I feel its sheer wastage of time of all. People keep glued to the television with various emotions on their faces. Sometimes based on the episode results or votes the participants get, people at home start arguments within themselves. After some episodes of these shows they start feeling that everything is real. As per my opinion ,these shows are completely driven by TRP. The participants are given marks based on the TRP of the show and the money the sponsors are getting from the viewers. If telephone companies are sponsors, they get good income from Calls and SMSs. Similarly if the so called reality show offers play-along option then internet service providers do earn huge money. Coming to KBC, it is also like one of those reality shows. People might have different opinions about it. I have been following KBC for almost a decade. Initial couple of years ,it seemed like a competition. All India used to watch it like Ramayana and Mahabharata. By the way, we should not forget that this program has given the lost status to Indian Film industry's Mahanayak. Now you must be wondering why am I having such opinion about this reality show. Yes, I am calling this also as reality show and not a competition. For last some years, it is observed that the viewers are not sure how the participants are selected. Normally they are from the weaker section of India or the needy people are chosen by a mysterious selection process. It looks like that all the questions are planned, answers are known to the participants. Sometimes even Mr B. hints out to the answers so that the participant is helped to "Lock" the answer. Isn't it surprising that the so called "Experts" ( mostly they are journalists) who's expert opinion is used as a lifeline, knows answer of each and every question. Has any one saw any expert saying "I don't know the answer! " . Right from 100 Rs question to 1 Cr question this guy has all the answers. What I feel is, tactically the participant ( before the shooting) are questioned to know his/her economic background . How much money they would need so as to get a good support from this show. The questions are planned from his/her educational background and are asked accordingly. The person is told when he should ask for lifeline. That's real part of game. Then the show is recorded and aired accordingly. The videos of their background are shown as soon as they are selected and are seated on "Hot seat". These videos normally makes you emotionally connected with the participant. There is no doubt in anyone's mind about the special shows with celebrity on Fridays. They are a definite planned game to donate the charity for a noble cause. This money must be offered by the producers of the new movies and KBC platform is used for promotion. We watch this KBC reality show thinking it as real which in fact is a complete planned game playing with emotions of crores of Indians.

I totally agree that the reality shows are managed. These are scripted to such an extent that they feel real. The producers of such shows play with the emotions of the all home makers , elderly people and for that matter all sensitive people. We have plethora of reality shows today like dance shows , singing shows , skit acts , short drama shows, One minute shows and talent shows on television for years. Every year they will come up with one after the other on various channels. Sometimes there are multiple shows across channels. I feel its sheer wastage of time of all. People keep glued to the television with various emotions on their faces. Sometimes based on the episode results or votes the participants get, people at home start arguments within themselves. After some episodes of these shows they start feeling that everything is real. As per my opinion ,these shows are completely driven by TRP. The participants are given marks based on the TRP of the show and the money the sponsors are getting from the viewers. If telephone companies are sponsors, they get good income from Calls and SMSs. Similarly if the so called reality show offers play-along option then internet service providers do earn huge money. Coming to KBC, it is also like one of those reality shows. People might have different opinions about it. I have been following KBC for almost a decade. Initial couple of years ,it seemed like a competition. All India used to watch it like Ramayana and Mahabharata. By the way, we should not forget that this program has given the lost status to Indian Film industry's Mahanayak. Now you must be wondering why am I having such opinion about this reality show. Yes, I am calling this also as reality show and not a competition. For last some years, it is observed that the viewers are not sure how the participants are selected. Normally they are from the weaker section of India or the needy people are chosen by a mysterious selection process. It looks like that all the questions are planned, answers are known to the participants. Sometimes even Mr B. hints out to the answers so that the participant is helped to "Lock" the answer. Isn't it surprising that the so called "Experts" ( mostly they are journalists) who's expert opinion is used as a lifeline, knows answer of each and every question. Has any one saw any expert saying "I don't know the answer! " . Right from 100 Rs question to 1 Cr question this guy has all the answers. What I feel is, tactically the participant ( before the shooting) are questioned to know his/her economic background . How much money they would need so as to get a good support from this show. The questions are planned from his/her educational background and are asked accordingly. The person is told when he should ask for lifeline. That's real part of game. Then the show is recorded and aired accordingly. The videos of their background are shown as soon as they are selected and are seated on "Hot seat". These videos normally makes you emotionally connected with the participant. There is no doubt in anyone's mind about the special shows with celebrity on Fridays. They are a definite planned game to donate the charity for a noble cause. This money must be offered by the producers of the new movies and KBC platform is used for promotion. We watch this KBC reality show thinking it as real which in fact is a complete planned game playing with emotions of crores of Indians.

What is a Dance Reality Show – An idea copied from Western TV channels & Localised for Indian Family Audience. Every year entertainment channels – national or regional bring in next “season” of Dance Reality Show. It seems India has becoming “mushrooming field” for such reality shows but nothing is lasting for more than few days or weeks or a month. Hundreds & thousands of participants from different walks of life gets crowded like bunch of sheep to selection venue to get their place in so called Top 10-20. The channel promotes the show as if the performers shown on their show are the Only one who have it. May be when the first time a Dance Reality Show launched in India it was for Talent Hunt. Giving emphasis more on content than entertainment. But in the last decade or so it has taken purely a Commercial Face. If you watch each episode there is hardly any new talent or performance emerging from these shows. But TV channels are creating big expectation amongst the participants by luring them with loads of prices. They get audiences by arranging on screen & off-screen drama like a Movie Plot. Participants in such shows include classical, western, contemporary as well as self-made dancers. There are children, middle age & even elderly people getting fascinated to show case their Moves. Out of these Thousands of participants only few hundred gets selected for final Auditions. And when we watch the performance on TV it come down to bunch of 10-20 participants. As participants are pouring in from all parts of country irrespective of urban, semi-urban or rural the viewership has increased tremendously. The participants are mainly from age group of 8 years to 25 years. In few shows children below 8 years also participated. How many of participants which fall under “children” category willing participate is a matter of deep research. What is the process to validate the participation is voluntary or imposed by parent is unknown. Recently it came to notice that in few cities the banner of dance show participants has been put in requesting to “VOTE” for Our City’s Child. What type of promotion is this? Are selling Emotions? Same is the case of judges who are sitting in the show to “Score” the performances. These poor human beings who were Never Recognised or Never Appreciated for their on-screen performance join the show to earn money for their Own Survival. We get shocked to see few of them sitting in the selection chair who we think were Good for Nothing during their big screen career. But they get their own space to showcase their Arrogance, ill-knowledge, poor GK, etc. The other typical Indian trump card channels use is Selling of “SENTIMENT” & “EMOTION”. They give special emphasis on certain participant’s having Poor family background. Showcase their life struggle, their poverty, etc. which make you feel emotional & sentimental. They request you to “Vote” for them & make them Win! No analysis is available on how many of these participants finally win the show. But channels, telecom companies, sponsors make Grand Money with Votes They Trade Sentiments & Emotions and Audience Buy it. For televisions TRP is the key to get sponsors. Sponsors want their ads to run at Prime Time and large audience should watch it. In short Reality Dance Show is a Business for TV-Sponsors & their syndicate. They use participants and viewers to run such shows. Neither the participants nor the viewers know the process of “Vote” counting, its authenticity, etc. To summerise, whatever may be the intent of a Reality Dance Show today it has lost it. In the rush for Popularity everyone has forgot of Content of the show. Before Dance Reality Shows paved their way in to India, we had Best Dancers in all its forms like classical, western, fusion, etc. during this show business we continue to produce them whether they come on small screen or not and we will continue to do so. One must remember anything done with Passion & Commitment will get its due Recognition whether it comes on TV screen or not. So if you watch it, watch it for Entertainment and nothing else.