Ratings matter, in fact, it’s everything in the television business. Creatives and programming gurus toil day & night to weave plots which would send ratings through the ceiling. Mazaa for audiences means moolah for networks (tongue-in-cheek anyone?)
And we have no quibbles with it.
However, what gets a tad annoying is when the soul of a show, or the core theme of a project, go for a walk in the park, leaving behind attention-grabbing frivolity.
But what if the frivolity gains buzz? Well, then who are we to complain, yet, we are here to state our point of view.
Sony TV as a platform has some of the finest shows today. It has always doled out some superb concepts over the years. True, fiction has been its Achilles ’ heel, still, Sony has stood true to its idea of innovation and distance from banality. (Respect for that).
Hence, it was rather amusing to see they play up the marriage gimmick between Indian Idol 11 host and judge, Aditya Narayan and Neha Kakkar respectively, to such deafening levels, that it silenced the interest or buzz around the contestants.
Says an industry senior on grounds of anonymity (chai pe charcha), “It went overboard but it earned great eyeballs. Sony does play up emotions and personal stories. Even in KBC there is way too much emotional quotient. Yet, host Amitabh Bachchan never takes away the sheen from the contestants. They celebrate the life of the contestants. In Idol, sadly, the participants took a backseat. Even in the finale, they went with the Neha-Aditya angle.”
Hmm…viewpoint it is and we must be open to it.
And guess what? We decided to write this piece when someone asked “who won again? But Neha-Aditya looked good?”
Yes, they did. Sadly, the contestants did not.
Next year, let the idols not be idle.
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.