Mahesh Bhatt would yet again be seen judging an upcoming reality show, Kabhi Kabhi Pyaar, Kabhi Kabhi Yaar, presented by Ekta Kapoor. The yesteryears veteran director talks about this new dance-based reality show and also speaks about the controversies associated with these kinds of shows.
What is the reason behind you judging this reality show?
First of all, India is a country of youngsters. We have started getting detached from our younger generations. So when these kinds of reality shows come and we see the youngsters showing their talents, there forms a kind of relation and connection with them.
As a director what is your point of view on dance-based reality shows?
Dancing and choreographing are both similar because dancing is a part of choreography. But the basic connection between them is the space and the chemistry between the two persons and until they perform well as a team (connecting to each other) the performance always looks bad. So my role will be to see and build the connectivity between the two persons.
What will be your take away from the show?
My take away would be an exposure to 7 to 8 days of competition between the young television stars who have made their mark with their work in television. I think we can’t remain wrapped up only in the world of cinema but will have to connect with the people of this country which is not more easily accessible. Television is the best medium of mass communication. I do not want to leave this very powerful root of communication.
Reality shows are always under the scanner of controversies, what is your take on it?
Something has to be understood and since it connects with the taste buds of the consumer it is finding repetition in all kinds of media. I think the lines between the performer and the audience is not getting less. People want access into your life and the world has already become a wider place and they want to see what is going on in your life all the time. So I think these reality shows are catering to the widest need which is common in the masses.
Don’t you think that everything is not real in reality shows?
Yes. There is a time structure which is not real and everyone is aware of it. But anything that is edited ceases to be real.
What is entertainment then?
Entertainment is illusion. We are not into the reality capturing business at all. We are marketing the illusion of it.
Do film-making and judging a reality show offer the same experience?
When you are making a serial you are in the process of giving instructions to the artists and the juniors, same as that which is followed while making films. So there is no such radical difference between the sets of television reality shows and imaginative sets of films.
It can’t be denied that television is getting bigger, but do you think it is getting better?
It is very hard to describe what is getting better. Everything is dependant on the audience and their changing points of view. It has frozen to the reference of the bygone days and even creators are alarmed by what audiences want from television. This is a young India where 55% of it is under 35 years. What is accepted by the masses is getting respect.
Today Akshay Kumar has earned respect because he delivers in numbers. So the references of your culture have changed. What is commercially viable is respectable. I have no reason to sit down and pass judgment. You can’t argue with success.
How different is the show ‘Kabhi Kabhi Pyaar, Kabhi Kabhi Yaar’ from other reality shows?
The concept is the body of the show. I think that this is a medium which appeals to the cave man. The world has now become an Amphitheater where you are the spectator and these reality show performers are the gladiators exposed to the lions.
Will you direct anything for the small screen?
No, I don't think so. But I have done that years ago by making the serial called ‘Swabhimaan’. It was 1,200 episodes so I have had my belly dose and nothing else now. I think it is too alien a domain for us.
Why is it said that television stars cannot make it big with films?
