Do you believe in love at first sight or swipe? Because if it’s the first, we figure you are like us – true romantics at heart and mostly furious with the atrocities of the digital age. If it’s the second, well… you are Gen-X a.k.a the infamous millennials, and the people we’re kind of pissed off with!
Love has a new medium, with plenty of TV dating shows creating romantic content that tries hard to be aspirational, but ends up being merely destructive and disruptive in nature. Whether it’s The Bachelorette or India’s very own Splitsvilla for instance, the shows revolve around the possibility of finding an authentic connection with a person. It’s not done in an organic way, instead contestants are put up against each other, to battle it out through tasks, and other absurdities that enable the best man (a.k.a an ex-Roadie, most likely) to win!
There’s been much charcha about the impact these shows have on the minds of youngsters. Does exhibiting violent behaviour and utmost disrespect get you the Queen? Is that what they meant when they said “Love is a battlefield”? We wouldn’t like to believe so. To investigate further, we caught up with Mohit Hiranandani, who participated in season 10 of the show, and fought it out to find a love interest. Or so it seemed. Let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth…
Since the show is about finding a connection, one would imagine that it’s a given, for the chosen participants to be ‘single’. However, Mohit has another story to tell. “When I was selected for the show, I was in a relationship and there were no concerns as such, surrounding this,” he said. “I was an actor, looking for work and found it so why not?” he added. So that’s strike number 1, right? If men and women, who are already in committed relationships, are selected for a show which revolves around them finding love- wouldn’t you agree that there’s a problem?
When asked about his take on finding love in the Splitsvilla house, he said: “It’s bizarre! How do you even expect to find a partner on a show where everybody has come to play and win? Also, reality shows do not test yours and your partner’s compatibility in ways that the real world does. In a hotel, for just a month, among 20 other people, how is one supposed to decode the real meaning of love, and find an organic connection?”
Talking about how much of the reality show is actually REALITY, Mohit shared: “It’s pretty real! The crying, the anger, the bitching, the shaming… It’s all real! Though it’s crazy how one moment we’re all battling it out, and the very next day we’re the best of friends. I’m still trying to understand the kind of sorcery that was!” Further through the conversation, we quizzed him on the top 3 qualities that one looks for in a partner, on the show. His answer is strike 2. “Looks, performance (during tasks) and the way she speaks,” he said. Clearly, none of which are justifiable top priorities when it comes to real life. And Mohit obviously agrees!
When we probed him to reveal whether or not the show is scripted, he was quick to defend it: “Absolutely not! That’s a myth and another myth I’d like to bust is that contestants get paid to be on the show, completely untrue. Contrary to popular belief, I wasn’t paid 30k a week, or whatever figures were doing the rounds. I took this up because it’s a popular show, that would obviously give my career some kind of kick start!”
So just how much mileage did Mohit get out of the show? We asked. “This show has changed my life in so many ways! There’s so much love coming in from all over the world. Yes, world!!! Splitsvilla is enjoyed in so many other countries… But while it gives you some recognition, it doesn’t really help you in getting work from the industry. That requires sheer hustle and hard work.” Strike 3.
While millions of starry-eyed young guns from all over the world frantically apply to similar shows, it’s important to know that most of them, like Mohit, see it as a move to get their careers moving, not their personal lives. As audiences, we often get carried away by concepts, not diving deep enough to evaluate how much of it is the truth and how much is applicable to real life. Sometimes, because of the influence these shows have on our psyches, we set unrealistic expectations for ourselves in the real world. It obviously comes crashing down when life happens.
In a time like ours, it’s imperative to go beyond what meets the eye and stop seeing things through a tinted lens. Not all “love shows” are about love and not everything you see is real. Understand, that some shows are merely for entertainment purposes, and leave it at that. Behind every dreamy act on screen, there’s a director screaming “Action!” and a producer doing everything he can to make the project a success. That may include some mind games, mind you.
