Mush ado

When the first season of MTV Splitsvilla began,skeptics thought that such open displays of affection would never be accepted by an Indian audience. But the audience lapped up the concept and now Splitsvilla is in its third season and love-related shows are mushrooming all over. NDTV Good Times began The Great Indian Love Project that tested your love quotient by putting you through ridiculous tasks in order to win a romantic getaway with your partner. Channel V’s Dare 2 Date pairs up two absolute opposite personalities and packs them off for a romantic date.

UTV Bindass’s new show,Emotional Atyachaar has gone beyond matching couples and decided to give real life couples a chance to test their partner’s loyalty. So,if you are in a committed relationship but suspect your partner of foul play,you can call the Bindass helpline. They will be happy to snoop around and bring out the truth so that the offender’s friends,family,neighbour and college professors can watch all the fun as well. “We get so many calls each day and girls and guys are ready to open up about their personal life on TV. Some people think it’s wrong but honestly,if I were being cheated on I would rather find out. If the guy is at fault then the girl won’t have qualms about letting the world know,” says Heather Gupta,Channel Head of UTV Bindass.

It’s easy to watch shows that bring together couples when the cameras roll,but what about the contestants? Is it easy for them to discuss their love life and personal date experiences in front of thousands of people? “I did have nightmares a day before the shoot but decided to just go ahead with it,” says Ankita Sareen,contestant of Dare 2 Date. While her date turned out to be fun,the reactions she got in the coming weeks were surprising for the 20-year-old. “Everyone,from teenagers to old couples,would recognise me from the show. I was shocked that older people were watching a show like this,” she laughs.

Winner of MTV Splitsvilla 2 Sidharth Bhardwaj believes that as long as you don’t do anything vulgar on camera,a little PDA is okay. “It’s perfectly healthy to talk to girls and try to find a partner. They don’t make us do anything vulgar,so I don’t see anything wrong these shows,” he says.

In a country where girls still hesitate to talk to their parents about boyfriends and going on numerous dates is a no-no,these shows have taken us a long way. “Television has redefined our socio-cultural norms. Talking about love with elders is no longer taboo. The feedback we get is amazing and everyone enjoys watching two people hook up,” says Prem Kamath,general manager,Channel V.

As long as contestants enjoy their exhibitionism,TV channels will gladly continue to give the audiences their daily dose of guilty pleasure.