Roadies Season 17: Neha Dhupia on conducting online auditions

A still of the audition over a video call

Even as the shoot of television shows have come to a grinding halt, the makers of Roadies season 17 are finding novel ways to maintain the momentum. While they had zeroed in on contestants before the lockdown, they are now conducting online auditions for the wild card entry.

"It is a format that works in the current situation," says gang leader Neha Dhupia, happy to stay connected with her fans despite the crisis. "The good thing about the lockdown is that we are reducing our carbon footprint by not going on sets. At the same time, we are not leaving our fans, who have been following the show diligently, high and dry." That said, the gang leader wishes to get the show back on the road as soon as possible. "I hope it doesn't become the new normal for Roadies," she says.

Neha Dhupia

The charm of Roadies lies as much in the audition rounds - where the aspiring contestants would sit through a gruelling personal interview conducted by Dhupia, Rannvijay Singh, Prince Narula, Nikhil Chinapa and Raftaar - as in the tasks that follow thereafter. However, with the auditions going online, one fears that the personal interviews may become a tad too mellow. "Over video calls, it is difficult to gauge a contestant's mental strength and thought process. However, even in the 10 minutes that each of us chats with every contestant, we know exactly the kind of people we want to take on for the remaining part of the journey," insists Dhupia.

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