20 March, 2012

Reality dance shows - A story

Chutki, an 8year old girl looks pretty with adorable eyes and innocence in the face. She is from a middle class family, her father being a government employee and mother a house wife. She has a younger brother who is very naughty. Her parents made her join dance class as they like their little princess dancing rhythmic with music. She too loves dance and she picks up every step very fast and she is also good at academics. Her life is simple and happy. 

          Whenever she used to give a dance performance, people used to say to their parents "Chutki is a child prodigy and she is very smart. You are very lucky to have a daughter like this with exceptional talent in dance in an early age". Her parent used to feel proud and happy and that makes her also happy. She starting winning first prizes in all dance competitions that she participates. Her parents made her participate in even district level and state level competitions even though it is difficult for them to spend money on her travel and dance dress and accessories. They encouraged her in every step. 

            Her father took her for the auditions to a dance reality show for some tv channel. All judges are spellbound seeing her perfection in dance, her expressions, footsteps, hand movements etc., She got selected in auditions and even first 3 rounds of the program very easily without much competition. Now, its time for quarter finals. Their family is given accommodation in a five star hotel in Mumbai where competition takes place and the schedule for shooting is for around 2 days. There is rigorous practice with all other participants, Chutki is groomed well, every detail taken care of like her hair style, dressing and makeup. Even though there is slight competition, she could win quarter finals too. Semi finals are just few days away. They came back to their home town. Every one started recognizing them on the streets and Chutki has become a star around the household. Neighbors, teachers and all well wishers congratulated her and wished her all the best for next rounds. Prize money is a very huge amount if she wins in finals. As there are chances for her daughter to win, their parents dreamed of a comfortable house, car, giving better education to their children etc., Chutki never cared about win or loss in competition, she just enjoyed her dance till now. But, seeing her parents dreaming big, she also thought she should win for sure to make them happy. Pressure started building up. She got selected in semi finals too with another good performance. 

             Organizers arranged a shooting schedule of 10 days for finals. Each participant is assigned to a celebrity dance professional and their practice, guidance, song selection, everything is picturized. They also went to every participant's native place and interviewed their family and grand parents, showed their home, life style etc., Chutki felt like she is in a cage with all lights focused on her and every one expecting her to perform the best. Every thing around her is exaggerated and show cased in tv.  She couldn't attend school for 10 days and had to miss classes in between for different rounds of selection and shooting schedules. Their school head mistress and teachers are fine though as these organizers also showed their school in tv interviewing some of her friends and teachers. But, Chutki felt she is missing something. She wants to play like earlier with friends, fight with her brother, get good marks in academics, spend time with her parents etc., On the other side, she is becoming nervous that she might disappoint her parents, friends, teachers, neighbours and every one else if she doesn't win this finals. Earlier, she always enjoyed her dance, but now she want to perform to win the prize. 

             At last, the D -day came. Her parents took her to temple and also gave their blessings and best wishes. They made sure that she is well fed and her father also promised that he will buy her new toys and more dresses after she wins. She wanted to ask, "is it fine even if i don't win? I don't want to dance this time. Can i drop out?" etc., but didn't dare to ask. When her turn came for dancing, she is nervous, couldn't concentrate on music and is checking the faces of judges and audience in between to see the reaction. She understood that she didn't perform well like earlier and the result is as expected. She didn't win either first prize or second. Her parents, friends and everyone else who supported till now are disappointed. They showed sympathy on her and told her that she can do best in future competitions , but no one asked her why she failed and why she was not like earlier. 

             As she never experienced a failure earlier, it is difficult for her to forget this. Her parents didn't say anything and they just told her it's fine. But, her teachers, neighbors, relatives still show sympathy for not winning it even though they say at the end that it is ok, not to worry much. At last, she decided that she will never perform anywhere again and she want to concentrate on her studies. 

Author's note: These reality shows just create a hype for TRP ratings and if parents are not mature enough to counsel their children that win or loss doesn't matter much in the world, children like Chutki will feel depressed and pressurized. 
What do you think? 

Until next time,






Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

2 comments:

  1. Though there are certain positive aspects about reality shows (they give a platform where talented people can showcase their skills), the drama involved in it is too much. If you have seen this show, 'Padutha Theeyaga' hosted by SPB, that's much better and more realistic. Because in shows like that there is not much drama. Some new talents (including Shravana Bhargavi) have come out of such good shows. But the TRP hungry shows have never impressed me. I wonder how they impress others?

    Destination Infinity

    ReplyDelete
  2. true ! i watch Padutha theeyaga sometimes, it is different from other shows. If channels are not worried only about TRPs, quality of shows might become good.
    Thanks for dropping by @Destination infinity

    ReplyDelete

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