Where lies are broken

Reality shows, one would have thought, comes with the objective of identifying new talent. Or providing a fillip to the career of existing talents. Till now most of the reality shows we have had on Indian television, have been mostly to do with identifying new talent or nurturing existing talents. Not anymore.

A new reality show — Sach Ka Saamna — which was launched on July 15 on Star Plus is ready to change the typical definition we have had for reality show. The show will go through a set of questions that expose the lies of a human being, on national television. And if the producers (Big Synergy) are to be believed, they are banking heavily on the show, the emotional outbursts and the fights thereafter.

Sach Ke Saamna — like most other shows currently on air — is adapted from a Western show The Moment of Truth. After creating history in 23 countries the show travels to India with an objective of conquering the gossip-hungry Indian viewers as well. In the two-phased show, participants will first be asked a set of 50 personal questions about themselves. The questions will have various degrees of inquisitiveness about your personal lives. The first answers, off-screen, will be recorded using lie-detectors tied onto the participants. But the results of the lie-detector will not be known to the participants.

In the second phase, the participants will be asked 21 questions from the same set of questions asked earlier. But this time, there will be two differences — the lie detector won’t be there and the whole session will be recorded. Every time the participant answers a question, it will be matched with the results that were obtained with the lie-detector on. If they are the same, all’s well and the person proceeds to the next level. If they are different, it means the participant is lying and thus he or she is disqualified from playing the game. Needless to say, crossing each level has huge financial prizes associated with it.

Across the world, Moment of Truth has resulted in many divorces, heartbreaks and family feuds. Not a particularly happy thing for a television show. But that’s how it is. The producers assure though, that the questions will be suitably tamed keeping in mind the Indian television audience.

The show, apart from its unique concept, has another unique selling proposition for the Indian audience — it marks the return of heartthrob Rajeev Khandelwal as the host of the show. “The show is not about forcing a contestant to speak the truth. It is up to the concerned individual whether to say what is right or move on without letting people know the actual reason. I am really excited about doing this show.”

Rajeev’s return to the small screen did raise many eyebrows in the industry because he is getting close to becoming a successful hero. Rumours even have it that he has been signed up for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Chenab Gandhi as well. “I have completed shooting for UTV’s Peter Gaya Kaam Se and Saurav Narang’s Return Gift. Both of them are big ticket films. I also have some other big movies. But when the producers came with details of the format and a few DVDs of successful episodes from Moment of Truth, I got hooked and couldn’t say no,” he says.

Did his filmmakers have any problems about him being too visible on television since Sach Ka Samna will be a daily show. “Well, I did have some problems with my looks. For Peter Gaya Kaam Se, a unique rugged look has been designed for me and the producers did not want to have viewers getting to know how I look in the movie. So I had to ensure that my rugged-look is not to be seen in this show,” explains Khandelwal.

Does he think this show will hurt the sentiments of Indian couples and lead to divorces and heartbreaks? “I don’t think so. On the other hand, I think this gives people an opportunity to come clear on a number of points. This may lead to stronger bonds within individuals,” responds Khandelwal. “In fact, you will be surprised to see how some women have handled these situations on screen. In day-to-day life, it would have been impossible to make such admissions. My heart goes out for the women contestants,” he adds.

Would he be comfortable participating in the show? Khandelwal is frank enough to admit that he is not. “I don’t think I am in a position to participate now. Although thanks to the media there is no difference between my public and private life. Today celebrities are chased everywhere — be it a shopping mall, restaurant or airport. So there is nothing additional you will get to know from the show,” he says.

What about his love life? That is something his fans are still unaware of. Wouldn’t the show help everyone to know whether he is still dating Aamna Sharif or not. The actor is not too pleased at this question. “It has been two years since I last worked with her. We do bump into each other at some functions, but that is it. I think you also should move on from my affair with Aamna to something else!” says a slightly curt Khandelwal.

Tune in to Star Plus from Monday to Friday at 10:30 pm to watch the show.