Of powerless couples

Tele review

It’s perhaps this newness of the title that draws the initial attention towards the latest show on Sony televison, Power Couple, the Indian version of an Israeli show that has also been adapted in other countries like China and South Africa.

And the title comes riding on an actual “power couple” as hosts, Malaika Arora Khan and husband Arbaaz Khan. Malaika, who has already carved a niche for herself as a reality show judge and the sultry siren who’s much sought after on the small screen circuit for spiralling a show’s sizzle quotient, by herself doesn’t imbue much novelty to the show. But it is the opportunity to see Malaika and Arbaaz in action as a real couple, the chance to check out their real chemistry that sparks the initial interest in the show. Incidentally, the show marks Arbaaz’s small-screen debut, a role that sees him following in the footsteps of brother Salman Khan, who’s already established himself as a biggie of the small-screen, too, with his hosting of “Bigg Boss”.

Despite the Arbaaz-Malaika chemistry being the USP driving the title of the show, it is this very chemistry that also sinks the ship for the simple reason that it looks too much botoxed, with the couple spouting scripted dialogues with synthetic smiles rather than with spontaneity. Though Malaika lives up to her image of amplifying the oomph factor, it is Arbaaz who needs to spice up his act.

Now, coming to the core content, it’s a race among 10 tinsel town couples to bag the crown of “Power Couple”. The show sees couples battling it to deliver tasks assigned each week to prove their compatibility quotient. In the race are celebrity couples like Pratyushya Banerjee and Rahul Singh, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Aamir Ali, Shilpa Saklani and Apurva Agnihotri, Mahek Chahel and Ashmit Patel, Mugdha Godse and Rahul Dev, Delnaaz Irani and Percy Karkaria, dancing duo Jesse Randhawa and Sandip Soparrkar, to name a few.

The show’s format suffers from multiple cloning, resembling a combo meal of a borrowed Bigg Boss, a bit of Nach Baliye, a dollop of Khatron Ke Khiladi, a dash of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and all that. In short, the show suffers from a lack of signature style or stunt.

It does try to toss up a trademark USP in the shape of bharosa (trust) points, which is what a partner invests in the other half for the weekly task. But this whole dishing out of bharosa points so as not to look a mere Indianised clone of a global format reeks more of “Bollywood-ised” melodrama rather than content innovation.

As for the chemistry among the couples, in some cases it seems real, in some, scripted. The spark seems to have got the miss among some couples courting wedded bliss, like Apurva Agnihotri and Shilpa Saklani, while Cupid still seems to be going strong for Jesse and Sandip.

Ironically, all this chemistry doesn’t really translate into eyeballs for a show which manages to be a big bore, despite boasting of one of small screen’s hottest-looking couples as hosts and despite showcasing as contestants eye candy galore. Among the “couple” of things that don’t work for the show is surely this cold chemistry, thus making it more a case of “power-less couple”!