WHEN BIG BOSS WAS LAUNCHED IN TAMIL, IT HAD ITS ROUND OF CRITICISM IN THE MEDIA – MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS AND FM RADIOS. SOON, IT DIED DOWN. WHY? WAS THE CONTENT INTERESTING OR THE FORMAT NEW? NONE- IT DID WHAT NO OTHER ENTERTAINMENT DO – SHOWCASE THE WEAKNESS OF OTHERS – ESPECIALLY THE CELEBRITIES WHOM WE FROM A DISTANCE ENVY.

IT IS NICE TO NOTE THAT CELEBRITIES ARE PEOPLE WITH VICES, ANGER MANAGEMENT ISSUES, GOSSIP MONGERS AND CONFUSED. DOES THAT MAKE US ANY BETTER; NO IT MAKES US HAPPY THAT THEY ARE SIMILAR TO US. THEY ARE NOT ‘CELEBRITIES’ AS SUCH.

SO IS THAT IT? NO, I WAS IN THE PARLOUR YESTERDAY AND I NOTICED THAT MY STYLISTS WERE BUSY WATCHING SOME SIMILAR CONTENT ON MTV- WHERE YOUNG ADULTS WERE PAIRED AND THEY HAD TO PROPOSE, THEY HAD TASK TO DO.

MY STYLIST WAS TOO ABSORBED. SHE WAS DRAWN TO THE CONTENT SO MUCH THAT SHE HANDED OVER ME TO HER SUBORDINATE AND BUSY WATCHING THE FUN. UNPROFESSIONALISM? WHAT INTRIGUED ME MORE THAN ANGER ME WAS HER RESPONSE TO EVERY ACTION ON SCREEN. HER LAUGHTER WAS RINGING IN THE PARLOUR. SO I PEEPED IN TOO TO FIND THIS CONTENT.

WHAT MAKES THE REALITY SHOWS INTERESTING – AS I SAID EARLIER WAS IT ONLY LIMITED TO THE FOLLIES THAT WE SEE IN OURSELVES AND OTHERS OR IS IT THAT WE ARE CERTAIN THAT DREAMS OF BREAKING BARRIERS IN SOCIETY AND LIVING WITH STRANGERS NEED NOT BE DREAMT. IT CAN BE REAL TOO?  HAS TELEVISION BECOME AN ELIXIR IN LIFE WHERE SHE CAN SHOWCASE US, OUR POVERTY AND OUR SORROWS? HAS TELEVISION HELPED US TRANSCEND OUR INHIBITIONS, REVEL IN THE STATUS OF A CELEBRITY EVEN FOR A FEW HOURS OR LEFT US CRAVING FOR IT THAT WE CAN STOOP TO ANY EXTENT?