Stage managed?
Of late, the buzz around dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Ja hasn’t been all positive. Recent reports have claimed that participants like Drashti Dhami and Siddharth Shukla — both of who star in popular shows on Colors (the channel that airs Jhalak) — are promoted over other contestants.
Responding to these claims, Myleeta Aga, of BBC Worldwide Productions India, which produces Jhalak for Colors, had said that participants were promoted “on the basis of merit. Drashti, Siddharth have been performing well”.
This isn’t the first time such reports have surfaced. In the last season of Star’s Nach Baliye, a contestant had disclosed that a judge was asked to tone down harsh remarks regarding Karan Mehra (who is part of Star’s successful Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai).
Controversy isn’t new to dance reality shows. In the very first season of Jhalak, when it was aired on Sony, there were concerns raised when Mona Singh won the title. Mona had been the face of Sony’s most successful show, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin.
Talented participants freezing up on stage, trained dancers roped in for a show meant for amateurs and participants giving out bulk SIM cards so they could win the “audience vote” — several of these instances were reported in previous years.
Kushal Tandon, who was part of Nach Baliye with girlfriend Elena, believes greater transparency is needed in these shows. “We were one of the popular couples, we got high scores for a few of our sets, but then we were booted out. Channels should have a system by which contestants know how they are judged,” Kushal says.
Amit Tandon, who was part of Indian Idol, Zara Nachke Dikha and Baazi Mehmaan Nawazi Ki, says that sometimes contestants who “offer more” to the channel are favoured. “Channels feel if an actor works for them and is popular, why not promote him? Channels aren’t completely wrong because they need to keep the show entertaining,” he says.
While Amit’s is a softer stance, one contestant from a dance reality show, who didn’t wish to be named, told us that channels have a different attitude towards “outsiders”: “They support in-house talent, buy them advertising and highlight their acts.”
It makes business sense for channels to promote actors who work for them. Sharad Tripathi, the writer for Swayamvar, says channels “do encash the onscreen popularity of their stars”. “They script the actor’s presence according to their onscreen character, especially if the actor is doing a show on the same channel. This way, the channel promotes its fiction shows as well,” he says.
Not every participant has had a bad experience with dance reality shows. Suresh Menon was recently eliminated from Jhalak, but says the show worked for him. “I was booted out because I was a bad dancer!” Suresh said, adding, “Though with the amount of money they spent on me, I thought they won’t boot me out so soon!”
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