THE CLOCK strikes 11, the charming Rajeev Khandelwal warmly welcomes you on the game show ‘Sach Ka Saamna’! After about a few grilling round of questions you are left wondering about the repercussions of the same on the family members. But what you do realise is that the family members are not reacting the way you would react after shocking revelations by your near and dear ones. They are strangely calm and quiet and answer only if asked to do so by the host. You are then left wondering, why would a mother or a father, a sister, a brother or the girlfriend/boyfriend not be shocked by statements like ‘Yes I had a child out of wedlock or yes I did feel attracted to someone else in spite of being married’.
It is quite strange that the family members react very normally, blank mind and face. This raises obvious thoughts of whether the show is truly genuine or is it completely scripted. If the show is scripted, are the reactions of the relatives of the participants also scripted? It is just not the reactions but also the kind of personal questions asked to the contestants raises several doubts regarding the authenticity of the show. Would someone actually take the risk of spilling out the beans just to earn quick bucks is one of the major arguments raised against the show. The arguments that fall in favour of the show lies in the fact that in today’s world when everything is so commercialised, increasing competition forces people to go to the extent of taking the risk of entering such a show and revealing their secrets openly. In the case of a famous TV actor Yusuf Hussain, he took part in the game show because he felt it was high time he revealed the hidden secrets of his life to his family and to the entire world. This gives rise to confusing and conflicting thoughts about the ‘truthfulness’ of the show.
When a couple of viewers were asked on what they feel about the show, a mixed response was garnered from their opinions. Some believe that the show reflects the truth prevailing in the society managing to bring out the true face of the society. Vandana Menon, a student of MA in Pyschology believes that unraveling the mystery of an individual’s multi-dimensional life is like looking into the Pandora’s Box, startling and surprising at every turn. She says “Not everyone would jeopardise their life and self respect on national platform just for money. I welcome this new turn that reality show has taken and I believe that this generation is ready to accept the individual with their faults and not stigmatise the truth.” Neelam Bansal, a housewife echoes the same opinion and adds on by saying that the show definitely portrays reality since bluffing to such a large scale and high extent is not possible. She voices that, “This show portrays the fact that truth is stranger than fiction and that is why the real life of the contestants stumps us to such an extent that makes us feel like it is made up.” While some feel the show is yet another classic example of a TRP driven show, where the entire stage is scripted ranging from the questions to the reactions. Anjani Kapoor, a media trainee voices strong opinion against the the show. She says, “Sach Ka Saamna is something beyond the mindset of a typical Indian family especially upwardly-mobile middle class! I totally believe that the show is bogus and voices all norms far from reality.”
Despite a lot of debate one cannot deny the fact that SKS has managed to attract quite a few eyeballs since the time it has gone on air. The unique concept and format of the game show has shaken the grounds of many families and not to forget the MP’s. It is thus rightly said, love it or hate it, but you definitely can’t ignore it!
