Bollywood, culture and entertainment often reflect society and the prevalent moods of the times. We’ve seen that over the years. Be it with the angry young man manifesting the pent up frustration of a generation or the rich, successful Raj’s, Samir’s of Dil Chahta Hai, DDLJ, etc. who seemed to have shed not just the villains but also any form of struggle/ hardships in their childhoods. Over the last several years, there have been some fundamental shifts in society, mind spaces that could potentially explain what television is reflecting, leading and affecting. Let me try and break it down…
1. SHORT CUT GENERATION
Kids today are in a serious rush. Kiske paas time hai… they wanna be CEO’s at 22 and millionaires at 18! What’s good or bad is defined by them basis their wants. They are willing to take short cuts to make it happen for them. Where it’s ok to be greedy and materialistic. Where 2 friends acting gay to rent an apartment is ok [Dostana] and a con who gets rich quick Lucky [Oye Lucky Lucky Oye] is a rockstar!
My dad started and retired in the same job after 40+ years [Union Bank of India!] I have had 2 jobs over the last 15-16 years [this being my 11th year at MTV!] But meet the new hires of today – the longest time spent in any single job is 2 years tops. They’ve jumped places, switched jobs every couple years to accelerate their growth. My dad was risk averse. I’m not. I wanna fly – but my feet are still firmly planted on the ground. The kids today however wanna fly with, forget their feet, not even an eye on the ground. Uddnaa chalu karo, phir dekhenge. And this is the case, not just when stakes are high. This is just for the heck of it too. Cause they’re seeking unlicensed thrills [see the kind of games – video, computer and other – that the kids are playing these days and you’ll know what I mean].
The saas-bahu serials of yesterday [thank god!] can no longer deliver that emotional pay off. That’s why edgy, gritty reality series give them that fix!
2. I WANNA BE FAMOUS
My future was earlier defined by my birth [dad’s a carpenter, main bhi carpenter banunga], it moved to education [so what if dad’s a carpenter, main paddhai karke doctor banunga] – to now talent [it doesn’t matter if I don’t have a godfather or I’m from a small town – my future will be defined by my talent]. I can make it basis my singing, dancing, my fashion designing, etc.
And being successful is no longer enough. Being seen as being successful is important. Fame is a big measure of success. Anil Ambani hangs out on page 3 with the Bachchans, cool… Vs. Mukesh who’s busy building hospitals, schools and petroleum projects when not battling PR crises against his brother!
The talent hunts/ reality shows of today also provide that short cut to ‘success’, er, fame that could work as a springboard to a bigger career – hell, maybe even as a professional reality show contestant. Check out Rakhi Sawant!
3. DEKH BHAI DEKH
We’re a hugely voyeuristic nation. Who wants to see a happy couple hold hands and walk down the street? But see one scrapping, slugging it out? Oh yeah! It’s like watching a car crash – you can’t turn your eyes away! Haven’t you seen the loop of ‘breaking news’ on the million odd news channels that beam out, the headlines, the tabloid articles… we love it, whether we believe it or not is a different matter. And reality shows often fuel that. With some of the freaks that are placed out there. Often enough it’s surprising to see even ‘regular’ people behave like freaks once in an unreal situation on a reality show. Agar mein iss jungle mein hota toh kya hota? If I were trapped in a house with Rahul Mahajan & Raja Choudhary for 90 days what would I do [I’d slash my wrists!]
But let’s admit it, we really don’t mind watching Payal Rohatgi in that pool and Negar Khan under that waterfall after all… compared to a 387 year old ba who refuses to be, er, eliminated!
4. NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS, SO R&D [RIP OFF & DUPLICATE]
MTV invented the format of reality shows. As way back as the 90’s with the world’s first unscripted show on prime time titled ‘MTV Real World’ that featured a bunch of youngsters living in a house for a given period doing various things. The show was path-breaking in more ways than one. Stripping all that was ‘fake’/ staged away. Bringing to the table real yet dramatic reactions from real dramatic characters. It shoved into your face all the racial, social and other biases, prejudices that most people were scared to even talk about and turned it into compelling stories. The first ever homosexual character on national television – Pedro Zamora – who was among the earliest cases diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS was on the show. He, in fact, passed away on the show. What the show did to wipe out the stigma around AIDS, homosexuality, to just get it out of the closet and people talking about it, to create awareness was unprecedented spurring a spate of me-too’s. Not surprising cause nothing succeeds like success.
The India story’s kinda similar. MTV Hero Honda Roadies is one of the country’s first and longest running reality shows. It has today turned into a cult show with the highest ever viewership, extensions in the category with a massive following in the digital space as well. It connected cause it wasn’t fake. No fake tears. No melodramatic judges saying, “main tere ghar pe roti pakaunga, chulhaa jalaaunga.” No staged walk-outs. The youth of India. Against the backdrop of India [and now also abroad since the last 3 seasons]. And dramatic tasks, twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. The situations may be entirely unreal, but the reactions are completely real. These kids aren’t actors. When they’re jealous or angry or crying, they’re not acting. It’s the real deal.
And when a small show on small channel like MTV got so big, we were bound to have followers – not just viewers. They realized we’re on to something. So along came the big GEC boys and pulled out the stops. Now let’s just put every 2nd and 3rd grade celebrity through the routine and place every 1st and 2nd rung star to front it. And back it up with a multi-million $$ push. Not surprising again, cause the largest audience in the country – television viewing or consumption-wise is the demo MTV chases – 15-35 – given that 70% of the country is under 35!
Some of these shows work. Several of them don’t. And are demolished with the zap of a thumb on the remote. Cause we’re talking to one of the most fickle, hard to please audiences in one of the most competitive television markets in the world where there is an option overload.
We still have a long way to go, if one were to look westwards – where the Jerry Springers’ and others are redefining Shock TV just when you think you’ve seen it all! Hell, Jade Goody sold television rights to her last few days, MTV’s Tom Green made a comedy/ reality series out of his testicular cancer [though you could no longer say he was nut!] – raising money for a hospital for that cause. But we seem to be getting there fast.
Eventually, what will always work will be good stories, well told. Irrespective of format – reality, fiction or otherwise.
---------------------------------
This is an article I wrote for DNA recently...
1. SHORT CUT GENERATION
Kids today are in a serious rush. Kiske paas time hai… they wanna be CEO’s at 22 and millionaires at 18! What’s good or bad is defined by them basis their wants. They are willing to take short cuts to make it happen for them. Where it’s ok to be greedy and materialistic. Where 2 friends acting gay to rent an apartment is ok [Dostana] and a con who gets rich quick Lucky [Oye Lucky Lucky Oye] is a rockstar!
My dad started and retired in the same job after 40+ years [Union Bank of India!] I have had 2 jobs over the last 15-16 years [this being my 11th year at MTV!] But meet the new hires of today – the longest time spent in any single job is 2 years tops. They’ve jumped places, switched jobs every couple years to accelerate their growth. My dad was risk averse. I’m not. I wanna fly – but my feet are still firmly planted on the ground. The kids today however wanna fly with, forget their feet, not even an eye on the ground. Uddnaa chalu karo, phir dekhenge. And this is the case, not just when stakes are high. This is just for the heck of it too. Cause they’re seeking unlicensed thrills [see the kind of games – video, computer and other – that the kids are playing these days and you’ll know what I mean].
The saas-bahu serials of yesterday [thank god!] can no longer deliver that emotional pay off. That’s why edgy, gritty reality series give them that fix!
2. I WANNA BE FAMOUS
My future was earlier defined by my birth [dad’s a carpenter, main bhi carpenter banunga], it moved to education [so what if dad’s a carpenter, main paddhai karke doctor banunga] – to now talent [it doesn’t matter if I don’t have a godfather or I’m from a small town – my future will be defined by my talent]. I can make it basis my singing, dancing, my fashion designing, etc.
And being successful is no longer enough. Being seen as being successful is important. Fame is a big measure of success. Anil Ambani hangs out on page 3 with the Bachchans, cool… Vs. Mukesh who’s busy building hospitals, schools and petroleum projects when not battling PR crises against his brother!
The talent hunts/ reality shows of today also provide that short cut to ‘success’, er, fame that could work as a springboard to a bigger career – hell, maybe even as a professional reality show contestant. Check out Rakhi Sawant!
3. DEKH BHAI DEKH
We’re a hugely voyeuristic nation. Who wants to see a happy couple hold hands and walk down the street? But see one scrapping, slugging it out? Oh yeah! It’s like watching a car crash – you can’t turn your eyes away! Haven’t you seen the loop of ‘breaking news’ on the million odd news channels that beam out, the headlines, the tabloid articles… we love it, whether we believe it or not is a different matter. And reality shows often fuel that. With some of the freaks that are placed out there. Often enough it’s surprising to see even ‘regular’ people behave like freaks once in an unreal situation on a reality show. Agar mein iss jungle mein hota toh kya hota? If I were trapped in a house with Rahul Mahajan & Raja Choudhary for 90 days what would I do [I’d slash my wrists!]
But let’s admit it, we really don’t mind watching Payal Rohatgi in that pool and Negar Khan under that waterfall after all… compared to a 387 year old ba who refuses to be, er, eliminated!
4. NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS, SO R&D [RIP OFF & DUPLICATE]
MTV invented the format of reality shows. As way back as the 90’s with the world’s first unscripted show on prime time titled ‘MTV Real World’ that featured a bunch of youngsters living in a house for a given period doing various things. The show was path-breaking in more ways than one. Stripping all that was ‘fake’/ staged away. Bringing to the table real yet dramatic reactions from real dramatic characters. It shoved into your face all the racial, social and other biases, prejudices that most people were scared to even talk about and turned it into compelling stories. The first ever homosexual character on national television – Pedro Zamora – who was among the earliest cases diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS was on the show. He, in fact, passed away on the show. What the show did to wipe out the stigma around AIDS, homosexuality, to just get it out of the closet and people talking about it, to create awareness was unprecedented spurring a spate of me-too’s. Not surprising cause nothing succeeds like success.
The India story’s kinda similar. MTV Hero Honda Roadies is one of the country’s first and longest running reality shows. It has today turned into a cult show with the highest ever viewership, extensions in the category with a massive following in the digital space as well. It connected cause it wasn’t fake. No fake tears. No melodramatic judges saying, “main tere ghar pe roti pakaunga, chulhaa jalaaunga.” No staged walk-outs. The youth of India. Against the backdrop of India [and now also abroad since the last 3 seasons]. And dramatic tasks, twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. The situations may be entirely unreal, but the reactions are completely real. These kids aren’t actors. When they’re jealous or angry or crying, they’re not acting. It’s the real deal.
And when a small show on small channel like MTV got so big, we were bound to have followers – not just viewers. They realized we’re on to something. So along came the big GEC boys and pulled out the stops. Now let’s just put every 2nd and 3rd grade celebrity through the routine and place every 1st and 2nd rung star to front it. And back it up with a multi-million $$ push. Not surprising again, cause the largest audience in the country – television viewing or consumption-wise is the demo MTV chases – 15-35 – given that 70% of the country is under 35!
Some of these shows work. Several of them don’t. And are demolished with the zap of a thumb on the remote. Cause we’re talking to one of the most fickle, hard to please audiences in one of the most competitive television markets in the world where there is an option overload.
We still have a long way to go, if one were to look westwards – where the Jerry Springers’ and others are redefining Shock TV just when you think you’ve seen it all! Hell, Jade Goody sold television rights to her last few days, MTV’s Tom Green made a comedy/ reality series out of his testicular cancer [though you could no longer say he was nut!] – raising money for a hospital for that cause. But we seem to be getting there fast.
Eventually, what will always work will be good stories, well told. Irrespective of format – reality, fiction or otherwise.
---------------------------------
This is an article I wrote for DNA recently...
No comments:
Post a Comment