Public displays: Swayamwar!!??!!

I read TOI everyday... partly out of habit and cause a little obstinate avtar of me is unwilling to let go of news in Mumbai! So being far away from Mumbai (sniff sniff..), it was TOI who informed me about Rakhi gearing up for her Swayamwar! First reaction...shock mingled with disbelief. Not because I am that prude (I am to a large extent, but the so called ‘western civilization’ has toned me down and diluted that aspect of my thinking and beliefs)....but really?? I do realize that the ‘reality show’ buzz has - as though caught fire and the frenzy has begun.. but isn’t this concept a little too brazen for the majority of the population?

So... as usual I Googled to know, if it was just a publicity stunt that would most likely end in hers truly making a scene and mockery out of herself! But turns out she intends to marry the ‘lucky guy’ at the end of this very controversial contest! I even went a step ahead to gauge people’s reaction to the launch of this show. A handful are interested and think that it’s a great idea. But the majority of the clout expressed open condescension and mild disgust at the idea conceived! To begin with, Rakhi had publicly claimed that this trend was initiated by Sita who was lucky (or rather unlucky??) to wed Sri Ram! So with my usual course of curiosity running at an all time high, I watched several episodes of this public selection on youtube.

Full marks to the guys responsible for setting up the stage and developing this concept. Unlike the countless other reality shows, this one is set up at a gorgeous venue in line with the ‘mood’ & ‘view’ of the show. The large halls, sprawling lawns and the grandeur of the palace helps offset the frivolity of the show. The host speaks good hindi which too helps to tone down the shallow quotient of the contestants and their prize who is dressed in designer Indian clothes with oodles of decency! Her overall act is what’s more surprising than her attire. Ms. Sawant is all docile with an occasion slip of her formal self that makes her sound more jarring than usual. She moves around with surprising poise and holds her fort with decency which was missing in her other shows and countless media clips. This new character she is playing is bizarre and makes the audience wonder if she was coached to behave this way or if her ‘act’ was actually genuine making this just another facet of her personality! She is pretty surprising throughout the 2 episodes that I watched. At times, she had me giggling at the naivety of her questions and assumptions though soon enough my notions vacillated as she had me cringing at her crude humor and crass conduct!

As mentioned in numerous other blogs and other forms of news, this indeed is a twisted form of entertainment which almost makes you ‘not want’ to look away inspite of the occasional gruesome sights! Beneath it all, I see (or may be I just wanted to see so) a girl who wants to be loved and feel special and hopes to find that guy to sweep her off her feet with just the right amount of charisma, love and valor. I say valor because he sure needs to be brave to enter this contest. After all if you are rejected on national television, chances of his tying the knot with someone else just plummets! So if not anything this outrageous concept is sure to raise TRP on the basis of its novelty and ‘paisa vasool’ tamasha! However at the sametime, I cannot help but hope that she finds her prince & has her happily ever after ending!