The reality canvass

“After finishing my BA in music from Amravati University,I was looking forward to a break which was provided to me by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. today,I am doing two albums- one Marathi and another a Hindi. Besides,some of the title songs that I have sung have been popular,” says Made sharing her experience about Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

Made is just one of the examples that aptly describes the place reality shows have acquired in the lives of Marathi audiences and more importantly,the performers who have the potential to turn smallest of the opportunity on the stage into a golden one. While the country has been drawing positive and negative comments on the reality show biz,the state has been swayed by reality shows that have till date,managed to make a positive impact. Be it Marathi- non Marathi or the demands for separate Vidarbha or united Maharashtra,this is one thread that has been bringing the entire state together without any disputes.

Zee Marathi channel have been doing a number of reality shows such as- Ekapeksha Ek,Maharashtracha Superstar,Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and so on. In fact Home Minister,a reality show that involves common Marathi housewives has been running successfully for the past over five years. The popularity of the show is such that the anchor Adesh Bandekar was offered a seat by Shiv Sena in the Maharashtra assembly polls because of his fan-following amongst common Marathi households.

Commenting on the perception of the state towards reality shows,Nikhil Sane,business head,Zee Marathi says,“As far as the dance and music related shows are concerned,they have been drawing humongous response from across the state. In fact during one of our recently concluded seasons of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa,which was titled Li’l champions,the TRPs were phenomenally high and were close to over seven. We have been coming up with different concepts in this genre of entertainment. They act as a platform to bring out hidden talents even in rural Maharashtra.”

Introducing Maharashtra to standup comedy,Comedy Express is a popular show on ETV Marathi and what speaks volumes about its popularity are about eight- nine Orkut communities and over 150 videos that receive countless clicks from all parts of the society. “I would not tag this as a complete reality show. Contrary to fresh faces that most of the shows feature,we feature well established theatre actors in a modified form of stand up comedy. With over 200 episodes till date,some of the characters in the show such as Babu,Kavi,Bandu master have become local celebrities giving signatures to fans all over the state,” says Dnyanesh Bhalekar,director,producer,Comedy Express.

This raises another issue,a complaint by many that reality shows are glamour based and focus on glitterati and not the real talent. Denying the allegations,Sane adds,“This is not the fact. We provide platform. Success is dependant on personal dedication and has no substitute.”

On the lines of Nach Baliye that made it big on the national level,Star Pravah recently concluded the first episode of Maharashtrache Nach Baliye. “We conducted over nine- 10 auditions across the state and for every audition,we got a response of over 250- 300 artistes. It just proves the fact that people watch these shows and look at them as a place to showcase their talent,” says a source from the channel.

From music to dance and from comedy to acting,the state has almost all the shows that fit the genre of reality show but experts say that Maharashtrian audience is not yet ready for shows such as Big Boss or Rakhi ka Swayamwar and so on. “It will take some time,but the way we are going,the day is not far when we will have our own Big Boss,” comments Sane.