Truth hurts

Hussain was only the second contestant,but he’s become the unofficial face of the show. Starting with innocuous revelations about his constant need for attention and his continuing search for a soul-mate,the actor slowly revealed darker secrets. He’s had sex with a prostitute; he didn’t try to save any of his three marriages and he has an illegitimate child.

These confessions were made in front of members of his family — daughter Safeena,ex-wife Kanchan,girlfriend Jesebel,brother Habib and son-in-law Hansal. When asked how he gathered the courage to tell all,he says,“I believe in the power of truth and did not participate in the show for money; all I wanted was to speak truth.” He believes the experience was cathartic and says,“I can sum up my feelings in one line — the demon was in a cage and now I’ve released it.”

While the American version,The Moment of Truth,was accused of breaking up marriages and estranging parents and children,the SKS contestants assert that their relationships have not been adversely affected. The first contestant,Smitha Matai,who’d admitted to once wanting to kill her formerly alcoholic husband,says,“I never feared the consequences of my relationship with my husband after appearing on the show. He has always supported me and there was no change post the show.”

Similarly,Hussain too insists,“For me,the biggest reward is that my loved ones have accepted the truth I revealed on the show. After being on Sach Ka Saamna,my relationship with my family members has strengthened,especially with my daughter.” So it’s all the more ironic that he was eliminated when he said that he had been a good father to his daughter — an answer the polygraph declared to be a lie.

Host Rajeev Khandelwal says that it’s this courage to face one’s own demons that makes the show so popular. “According to me,you do not just watch others but at times see yourself sitting there. We all have our rights and wrongs. But not too many have the courage to accept that,especially in front of the whole nation.”

The show is only in its second week and is unarguably the most controversial show we’ve ever watched on Indian television. When Vinod Kambli admitted that he’d expected his friend Sachin Tendulkar to do more to save him from self-destruction,SKS was accused of fuelling the alleged rift between the two.

Even the Parliament is fettered; questions have been raised here about the propriety of producing a show where people are asked deeply personal questions. Regarding criticism,Khandelwal says,“This is a democratic country. It’s the people who decide. Critics can only put across their views but the audience has its own mind.”

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