Death on Reality TV..are we ready?

When the Big Boss star said she would want her death to be shown as a part of a reality TV show, she sparked off a debate on ‘how much is too much.’ Rahul Sabharwal writes...

Jade Goody is going to die of cancer in a few weeks, say her doctors. And when the Big Boss star said she would want her death to be shown as a part of a reality TV show, she sparked off a debate on ‘how much is too much.’

HT City spoke to Goody’s friends from the Indian Bigg Boss show and others about whether Indian viewers are ready to watch the death on TV.

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Sambhavana Seth, who claims to know Goody, "inside out" says, "Jade is an extremely emotional person. What she’s doing is a way of connecting with her audience and I think she has every right to make whatever choices she’s made."

Sanjay Nirupam adds, "I believe it’s every artists right to perform what they love. If it’s her last wish to entertain people like she’s been doing all her life, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

Ketaki Dave, added that Goody’s move stems out of a need for company during her last moments. “We were with her when she first got the news of her cancer. She was shattered. As for her wanting to share her last moments with her audience, I think nobody wants to die alone,” she says.

Viewers in general, however have varying views. Filmmaker Mukesh Adhikary, 22, says, “Even though it seems offensive, audiences enjoy as much voyeurism as they can get.”

Geeta Sharma, 43, disagrees. “It’s completely unacceptable and bizarre to show this on TV.” Abhilekh Srivastava, a medical student, concurs. “I would never want to watch someone’s death on a television show. No matter what she’s going through, such a decision is completely absurd!”