01 August,2011 09:29 AM IST | | Yolande D'Mello
Bharatnatyam takes on ballroom in a dance off for television ratings. But while foreign-made dance shows have dancers dressed in frills doing gymnastic stunts, Indian dance shows can't seem to leave the drama off the dance floor
There's blood on the dance floor, as the battle for India's ultimate dance champion continues. With ever-increasing 'talent' fighting for primetime slots, television ratings are becoming more demanding. Programming wants to deliver the full Monty going beyond the jhatak mataks of contestants, viewers now get an epic display of drama with human interest stories, slow motion let downs, contestants touching judges feet and lots of tears for the cameras. Oh, and there's some dancing too.
Hrithik Roshan teaching host Ayushmann Khurrana the Kaho Naa Pyaar
Hai steps on their show Just Dance
Star Plus' Just Dance has contestants duelling on the dance floor for a chance to show their 'dance ka dum' and share the stage with Hrithik Roshan, one of the judges on the show along with director Farah Khan and choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant.
Get out your polka-dotted handkerchief out for a background story into contestant's lives that the show loves to milk, in typical film montage style.u00a0 Ankan Sen is the youngest contestant here and a sweetheart for voters, who will decide which dancer gets to make it big. Cue violin score and the narration beginsu00a0-- 'Sen's love for dance took him away from home.' The 18 year-old has been living with his choreographer for the last three years because his parents didn't approve of his freestyle fidgety foot movements and would prefer it if he stuck to getting an education. The horror!
Sen participated in the Kolkata qualifiers and proved himself on national television, which led to a Dr Phil-style reconciliation. After you have blown you nose on this touching family saga, you may now witness the dance. We're sure your judgment will be unbiased. For judges Merchant and Khan, it's just another day at work on the 'non-scripted' reality show.
While Indian reality television is toned down in comparison to its American counterpart, what unflattering finger showcasing and beeped-out abuses is to American television, weepy sob stories and melodramatic antics are to Indian shows. Channel surf, and So You Think You Can Dance will probably be playing out on AXN. While host Cat Deeley brings her long legs, blonde hair and British accent to the show, judge Mary Murphy brings possible loss of hearing. If Murphy likes the performance, expect to be bludgeoned by her shrill shrieks. And definitely don't bother looking up the term 'Hot Tamales', it's not a real word, though we think she means well.
Still reality shows are known to pick up has-been television stars and give them a second lease of life. In the grand scheme of things, Murphy is simply the Paula Abdul of dance. But while the judges may be eccentric, the performances are often impressive and the variety, refreshing. Beware of Bollywood choreographer Nakul's rendition of Chamma Chamma, but the other dancers seem to point their toes just right while holding on to the frills of their barely-there costumes.
British show Strictly Come Dancing gave way to American-based Dancing with the stars, which can be compared to India's Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, where celebrities pair off with professional dancers to compete. The only difference is that while American audiences love to see former World Number 1 tennis start Monica Seles fall on her face during a Tango routine, Indian audiences will never forgive television producers for making their soap opera hero look bad.u00a0
Do the Moonwalk back to 1995 and everybody's favourite dance-show Boogie Woogie, the longest running Indian dance show, is a veteran that ran for 15 years on Sony Entertainment Television. Judges Naved Jaffrey, Ravi Behl and Javed Jaffrey may be commended for filling a space on Indian television and making thousands of children in the country attempt the Urmila Matondkar step from Ram Gopal Varma's Rangeela.
The show was so successful that it lured a variety of brands looking for a piece of the pie -- making way for Sansui Boogie Woogie and Videocon Boogie Woogie. The show maintained its formulau00a0-- seven-year olds moving their hips to Dil To Pagal Hai, and audiences lapped it up. There also came a list of theme-related specialsu00a0-- Kids championships, Teen championships, Item numbers, Horror special, Look-alike special, etc, with a long list of celebrity appearances that always helped audience applause hit high decibels.
In the end, though producers are always looking for a formula that has something for everyone, sometimes all you want is strictly what you signed up for.
