Parent swap programme

After exchanging wives, new reality show Big Switch on UTV Bindaas allows troubled teens to swap families.

The second season of Big Switch, will go on air this Friday, but instead of trading lifestyles, these bratty kids will be swapping parents.

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Last season’s Big Switch, hosted by Genelia D’Souza, saw 10 moneyed contestants swapping their lifestyles with those of 10 slum dwellers. This season, a troubled kid gets a chance to live with a new set of parents for a week. Parents who are having problems with their child also get to swap progeny. The aim is to see who survives the switch the best. Celebrity guest judges will appear on the show to offer suggestions for stress-free relationships.

The host of the show, Gaurav Kapoor, feels the concept will work because it addresses the problem of the generation gap. Kapoor says, "It’s edgy, but not about breaking families up. It’s about bringing them together, helping them see each other’s points of view." Adding that he was never a troublemaker, he says, "You get a lot of freedom when you are financially independent. I started working at 17."

Nikhil Gandhi, business head of UTV Bindaas, says, “We do a lot of research on a regular basis and take insight from the youth. One thing that cropped up is the gap that exists between kids and their parents today. So we came up with this idea and thought of giving them the opportunity to switch their parents.”

Gandhi claims that the show has a strong underlying message. “Mostly, the kid realises that his or her parents are the best. The channel reaches out to audiences in the age group of 15-24 years. But because of the perspectives the show presents, we might get viewership from the parents’ side also,” he hopes.