Just when we were thinking that
Colors was giving very good competition to the one-time top three general entertainment channels in India – namely
Star Plus,
Zee TV and
Sony – comes yet another one to challenge the position of
Colors. Will it succeed?
Called
Real, this one, too, promises to provide 'real' and 'refreshing' entertainment. With a plethora of heavily publicised new shows, including
Poker Face,
Hindi Hai Hum,
Namak Haraam and
Vicky Ki Taxi.
Real seems to be following the strategy of
Colors. It also has a hardcore reality show at the outset –
Sarkaar Ki Duniya. I decided to catch this one on the first day the channel went on air (March 2).
Well, the excitement had built up seeing the promo, and I wondered whether this was going to be India's new
Survivor. Plus, Ashutosh Rana was going to host it. Rather, he was going to be the 'Sarkaar' – the aristocratic ruler of the island on Kalinadi River, where the 18 contestants from all walks of life would compete for Rs 1 crore.
As the show began, the contestants' introductions seemed interesting. A bar dancer, a woman farmer, a woman ex-Army captain, a fitness instructor, a reality show winner-turned-actor (
Qazi Touqeer -
Fame Gurkul), a Bengali film actress among others – 'real' people indeed and from across the country. So, what will they have to do to win the pot of gold?
The contestants go on to meet Sarkaar who tells them in no uncertain terms that the only currency that works on his island is the Guinea, and that they would have to win loads of these gold coins to finally get the big prize. Now, depending on their luck, each participant would get varying amounts of the currency and will have to survive in that.