Get on the road

The latest edition of the MTV reality show, Roadies XI recently kick-started with Raghu Ram yet again. The tough-talking anchor says he wants to move on from the show that made him famous as the ‘abusive bald man’

What are your expectations from the eleventh edition of Roadies?

The show is still in the process of unfolding. I’m actually a little curious about this season, because it’s very different from the previous seasons.We’ve changed certain things in every season but we’re actually re-inventing ourselves with this season. The concept is different. There are a couple of interesting things that have come in, which I can’t talk about right now. Since there’s no vote-out system in the show this time, I want to see the effect and response that would have on the audience or on the contestants. Even the auditioning process will be different this time. A Roadies’ audition is known for its language, and issues that are addressed on a one-to-one basis with the youth. This time, there won’t be any attempt to mute anything on the show as I’ve noticed people pay more attention to the muted words than the point being made.

Is it difficult to think of new concepts every new season?

We express ourselves honestly through the show, and we just do that every season. But there’s always that subconscious thought of not wanting to repeat what we did on the previous seasons. Our mind naturally veers to the next level, as we wrap up one season. We learn also not to repeat our mistakes.

The fact that you’ve written a book on your Roadies journey proves that the show has had a significant impact on your life.

Yes, of course! It has defined the last ten years of my life and I’ve written it in great detail. The book has some little known things of my childhood, our stepping into television and MTV, of how Roadies happened, the fame that followed, the reasons behind why we behave the way we do in auditions, etc. The experience has changed me, and even the way people react to me has changed with Roadies.

Do you plan to do anything else for television other than Roadies?

Story continues below this ad

I have these phases when I feel I don’t want to do television, but then again I feel I am not done with it yet and have something more to contribute to Indian television. I would want to create a new property, a new reality show. I’ve been thinking about it for many months now, and hope to act on it. For somebody who’s worked as a spotboy to every single level that exists in the hierarchy of the entertainment business, it’s really ridiculous that my legacy is that of an abusive, bald guy. That’s not what I’m all about. So I want to make another show. And I think it’ll be nice to be known for something other than Roadies. I might sound ungrateful, but I’m not. I’m very grateful for what Roadies has given me, which also includes opening up new avenues of creativity like singing, writing books, but I also want to move on and do something else as the stakes in television are going higher. It’s refreshing for someone like Kapil Sharma to come up with a show like

Raghu Ram

, because it’s the creativity, rather than budget, that has given the show the kind of momentum it’s enjoying right now. Television’s all about creativity now!

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.