The lives of the rich and famous are always a fabulous source of gossip and idle chatter. And prime-time news. After all, champagne and caviar-filled lives must certainly be more exciting than the ones with housing EMIs and parent teacher meetings.

The obsessive coverage of the Mukerjea saga that is being played out on TV and newspapers has gripped middle-class India. It is mass schadenfreude: pleasure derived from watching misfortune visiting the rich and famous. Lives, which not long ago were subjects of intense envy, have been destroyed due to hedonistic lifestyles and baser desires. Murder most foul, and almost a perfect murder. Incest, broken hearts, ruined lives. Ruthless ambition and cheating. Media barons and celebrity journalists. Potent ingredients.