In The Name of Entertainment!

The saans and bahu today belong to the bold and the beautiful generation. And voyeurism in the name of TRP’s is dictating new boundaries.

The last two seasons of Swayamvar cant be a better support to my statement above. When the first season was aired, I was guilty along with the rest of India in helping cultivate an obnoxious elevation of entertainment. But in my defense - only because the protagonist was Rakhi Sawant! The best contestant put together at any laughter challenge don’t stand a chance in her wind. Also because, my heart didn’t really break for any of the grooms being rejected ,some were 21 earning nothing, some had come with the permission of their wife and three kids, some used the platform to bag roles in serials and other such genuinely funny cases. Call me old fashioned but they were all men, and men survive rejection better, I feel , somehow.

However, Season 2 which promised ‘Rahul dulhaniya le jaega’ was a different ballgame all together. The first and the last episode I watched was the season finale and honestly it rocked my boat! Inspite of the essence of it being just a game, explained to me, the therapy sessions I’ve had to undergo after that have still not helped me comprehend the following:

1. The finalists – three brides. All went through rituals that only a bride must go through & hopefully only once in her lifetime. The mehndi, the alta, the bichua’s being donned, while mom and aunt’s sung folk songs to 'babul ki duan leti jaa..' in the background, hugged and cried – were all those emotions only for a realty show?

2. The parents sounded so excited as they exclaimed their daughter has never looked this beautiful before & watching her, in her bridal attire was like a dream come true– so they’re ok if she loses, cause all she has to do then is, go home, take a hot shower, simply change into her teddy bear night suit, probably have a bowl of soul food and hit the sack! Cause that’s what one would do normally, no?

3. Every girl dreams of her wedding day. Was diluting the dream by winning a contest on international TV more lucrative then the heartache of being reminded that you lost, as you watch the mehndi fade slowly from your palms each day?

4. Every mother dreams of the day when she’ll give her daughter away – did their mothers, while handing them the sindoor tell them “no problem , there’s always next time!”

5. Years later, today, when I watch my wedding video, I’m overcome with laughter, tears, emotions and many memories of things that weren’t even recorded! - Would these ’maybe’ brides to be also have recordings of their performance on NDTV Imagine? Who knows, it might be better than renting DVD’s on the next family picnic or a night-in with popcorn and their future husband?

6. Watching the groom arrive on his horse with the baaraat, a moment every bride steals a glimpse of, was instead welcomed by the families of the three finalists, all standing side by side, reducing the moment to a kinder garden medal giving away ceremony- are u ok thinking that your daughter’s medal will be taken home by the family standing next to you?

I heard one of the brides exclaim” I’m really excited thinking shayaad meri doli aaj uthegi” that’s the first time a bride has used the term ‘maybe’ with such excitement in a context like above.For the first time India must have experienced a bride happily setting foot on her wedding stage and happily going home with only prize money instead, definitely more handsome than the groom!

A woman transforming into a bride for the very first time, only to pack away her costume, unworn, for her next shaadi, or maybe even returning it back to the designer! Hope they atleast clicked pics to share it on shaadi.com for a ‘ this is what I can look like’ feature.

For the first time a father was asked “today is a big day for your daughter, whatever happens the entire India will be watching - how does it feel?” And the proud father responded “ I’m very happy with the way my daughter has conducted herself throughout” – move over Miss Universe for a new pageant has arrived!

For the first time, on being questioned whether she always dreamt of her big day being like this, I heard a bride’s answer - “Yes. The only thing being different is -I’d never imagined that even on my big day, I wont be sure if I will or will not be getting married that evening. I know I’m going to cry, but I don’t know, will the tears be of joy (winning the coveted title of Mrs. Mahajan) or of sorrow” . Well said girl! If she knew this was all for TV, then her vulnerability sure fooled me into believing that before me is a normal girl, sitting in her shaadi ka jooda, actually dreaming of being a bride today, I even believed those tears!

'And they lived happily ever after' is only a concept for the aliens cause what took things a step further was the character assassination of the new Mrs. Mahajan, when media the next day recounted her glory days of being an item girl, what her real name is, carried bytes from one of the not so lucky brides on how uncharacter like it was for her to be bonding with Rahul over alcohol after pack up.

It just makes me think for the sake of entertainment, have we all really forgotten how to be humans?I know the sanctity of getting married is over rated today, but ever wondered why we only played ‘ghar-ghar’ and ‘gudda – guddi’ as kids. Maybe the game should be brought back in the name of entertainment – we’re so ready!

Excuse me while i get back to my therapy...