Controversy surrounded the ‘love angle’ between Arunita Kanjilal and Pawandeep Rajan on Indian Idol 12

On Indian television, reality shows are great crowd pullers. And while they showcase real talent from all over the country, their entertainment factor is what often makes headlines. With judges being asked to praise contestants regardless of merit and ‘fake’ content being churned out in form of love stories and emotional and funny anecdotes, is the ‘real’ factor disappearing from reality shows?

Singer Rahul Vaidya, the second runner-up of Indian Idol 1 and a Bigg Boss participant, maintains that while “some emotions could be scripted to make the show interesting, the talent is real”. “The nok-jhok between contestants, judges and hosts and even link-ups are often fabricated to spice up the show… If a show is in the news, it means the audiences are watching it and it is working,” he says.

Indian Idol 1 winner, singer Abhijeet Sawant recently pointed out that reality shows are often in the news for controversies and not talent. From the wedding angle between singers Neha Kakkar and Aditya Narayan in Indian Idol 11 to Indian Idol 12 contestants being trolled for singing Kishore Kumar songs with a twist, Sawant feels such elements take away from a talent’s performance.

Narayan, who has been a part of reality shows for 15 years now, feels every show is sincere. He says, “The goal is to give talent a platform and that is the ‘real’ part, rest of the things happen impromptu on the sets. Contestants, crew and judges work together for three-four months, so it leads to pranks, teasing and masti-mazak.”

Singer Shaan has judged many reality shows and admits that he is fine with light and fun banter but not any gimmicky stuff. “The creators are under pressure to get TRPs, so they go for popular stuff that works... I have also been asked to create stories, connect with contestants or have a takiya-kalam, but I refrain from doing so. In 24 years of being a judge on numerous reality shows, I have stayed real,” he shares.

Though he doesn’t believe in broadcasting it, Shaan says he has given many contestants a break. “Arunita Kanjilal from Indian Idol 12 toured with me all over the US after winning Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs 5 in 2013. Indian Idol 12’s Pawandeep Rajan stayed with me in my house after he won The Voice in 2015.”