This is serious reality
With its ‘responsible’ reality shows, is TV channel Bindass aiming for an image makeover?
Big Switch adopted a Mumbai slum. Emotional Atyachar is trying to save romantic malfunctions (howsoever questionably). And after two seasons of abusing and head-banging on national television, Bindass reality show Dadagiri has taken up the elevated task of nation-building and tackling terror. That’s ‘socially responsible’ reality television for you.
“We want to refresh our creative content. There’s no agenda as such to change the channel’s image,” says Bindass channel head Heather Gupta. The content, however, proves otherwise.
So, participants on Dadagiri 3 are up for a serious challenge as they set out to join the ‘Commando Force’ and do some ‘Dadagiri Against Terrorism’. More than 2,000 youngsters, including girls, turned up for the Delhi auditions of the show last week, where they were grilled by ex-commandos in real military tactics. Before the show goes on air, the contestants will be trained by these former commandoes in weapons and military discipline. “This season is different. We want youth to do something serious,” says Captain Albert Louis, Ex 9 Para Command, a trainer on the show.
Gupta, however, refutes that Dadagiri’s makeover is prompted by the negative press it collected in previous seasons. Or that the channel is trying to differentiate itself from an increasingly desified and similar-looking MTV. “Both channels are very different in content and audience,” she says.
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