Last week, David Letterman apologised to his wife and colleagues about his numerous sexual affairs with his staff. The episode had a record breaking 4.8 million Americans glued to their television screens. Closer home, the entire country couldn't stop talking about Yusuf Hussain’s sex quirks that he so openly admitted to on Sach Ka Saamna.
Whatever happened to not washing one's dirty linen in public? What is it about the large reach that television has that pushes people to discuss their personal life in front of lakhs of viewers?
Many feel that it's better to be honest right away rather than have gossip columnists come up with their own versions. It took a while for Mika to talk about his kissing controversy with Rakhi Sawant, but he finally decided to come out in the open and discuss all the details on camera in the show Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao. “Once you're a celebrity, small of big, nothing remains personal in any case. So these people might as well try to make some money out of the situation,” says Shailaja Kejriwal, EVP Content NDTV Imagine.
It’s not just sad news or personal revelations but even the professing of love that seems to have caught on. Television actor Gurmeet Choudhary proposed marriage to his girlfriend Debina Bonnerjee on camera during the shoot of Pati Patni Aur Woh. “These are sort of things that you want to get on rooftops and scream about,” says the excited actor, “Debina always wanted a marriage proposal that would be public so I was hoping this would totally floor her.” Television is great for people who want to publicise every single aspect of their life. “If the actors don’t mind and the audience enjoys it, then why not?” says Choudhary.
Vinod Kambli and Kapil Dev cried on television as well. Most people don't even know the details of the match-fixing incidents but still watched the repeated videos of the cricketers in tears. “According to me, you do not just watch others but at times see yourself sitting there. We are all humans and we have our own shares of rights and wrongs. But not too many of us have the courage to accept it and that too in front of the whole nation. In a way, by appreciating these courageous people I guess we redeem ourselves. It is this celebration of truth that leads to a compelling viewing,”says Rajeev Khandelwal, the host of Sach Ka Saamna. “We have to accept that viewers are voyeuristic. It’s always been like that and it probably makes people feel better about themselves. So yes, I do think that people enjoy watching others cry on television,” Kejriwala adds.
So do we really care about Letterman and his affairs or Hugh Grant's prostitute addiction or Rakhi Sawant’s disturbed childhood? Maybe not, but you have to admit that watching a world-famous talk show host squirm makes great viewing. And if one man’s catharsis is another man’s entertainment, who's complaining?
