India seems to be high on the list of international reality TV show makers. Union information and broadcasting ministry has recently approved the application of three international reality TV shows for shooting in India.
The reality TV shows granted permission to shoot in the country are, The Amazing Race Israel, World’s Strictest Parents (Australia) and World’s Strictest Parents (New Zealand).
The approval comes even as several of reality TV shows in the country have been embroiled in controversies and have come under severe criticism.
The new found interest in shooting reality TV shows in the country comes close on the heels of similar requests from film makers. Official sources stated that The Amazing Race Israel has been permitted to shoot in Delhi, Bikaner and Jaipur in Rajasthan. While World’s Strictest Parents (Australia) has been permitted to shoot in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and World’s Strictest Parents (New Zealand) has been given the go ahead for shooting in Bengaluru.
The Amazing Race is a reality TV show in which teams of two people race around the world to reach a destination. While in the World’s Strictest Parents, teenagers are sent to live abroad with a strict host family for a week in an attempt to change their behaviour.
The information and broadcasting ministry’s green signal to these reality TV shows comes even as several Indian reality series came under severe criticism from several quarters, including Members of Parliament, who had objected to content of these shows.
There were allegations of adult content, vulgarity and indecent behaviour against these shows.
After these shows came in for criticism for airing inappropriate content, the ministry had on its part issued an advisory and banning the airing of any adult content on reality TV shows during day time. It had also banned adult content of these shows from being aired on news channels during day time restricting its airing time to between 11 pm to 4 am.
The permission for shooting reality TV shows comes even as the ministry has recently allowed the shooting of several high profile foreign films in the country including the next movie in the hit Batman series, The Dark Knight Rises. The movie has been approved for shooting in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.