KIDS’ REALITY SHOW DEBATE STILL RAGES

Celebrity show judges counter Taare Zameen Par screenwriter Amole Gupte’s criticism that talent shows disrupt the school years

DIANA PENTY SAYS THAT SHE BECAME CLOSE TO DEEPIKA PADUKONE AND SAIF ALI KHAN, JUST LIKE THEIR CHARACTERS BECAME FRIENDS There’s no limit to this insanity and inhuman approach. It’s not always [about] the way the show-makers treat a child, but also about the content SHOOJIT SIRCAR, FILMMAKER

More fuel has been added to the fiery debate around TV reality shows for children, with acclaimed filmmaker Amol Gupte now criticising how these shows keep children out of school. Before this, filmmaker Shoojit Sircar spoke of the mental stress that the contestants have to endure. Countering their stance, celebrity judges of TV reality shows say that they ensure the children are treated well, and that giving children a platform for talent can’t be a bad thing. Gupte, who wrote the story and screenplay for Taare Zameen Par (2007), a teacherstudent drama around letting childhood blossom, trounced the way children pass through these shows, missing school and then finding it difficult to get back to their peer groups. Countering that, composer Vishal Dadlani, who has judged music reality shows, says, “Whenever I’ve done a children’s reality show, I’ve made sure that nothing goes wrong in terms of how they’re treated on the sets, and them

Diana Penty became an overnight star after she played Meera, a shy, demure and traditional girl, in Homi Adajania’s Cocktail (2012). It was an acclaimed debut performance by an actor who was already a well-known fashion model. As the film completes five years today, Diana goes down memory lane and says that she wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to pull off Meera’s character. “It was my first film and with no background in acting, I wasn’t sure if I could play the part. But Homi and Dinesh (Vijan, producer) believed in me. Thanks to their attending school regularly.” As for the intense rivalry the children are exposed to, Dadlani says, “It’s really important to learn the essence of sportsmanship, to learn how to compete fairly, and how to have fun while doing it. As long as the show is conducted in a way that protects childhood, I don’t see any issue.” Filmmaker and show judge Remo D’souza says, “On the shows that I’ve judged, I have not seen any kid suffer.” Actor Boman Irani, also a show judge, said earlier, “There are extracurricular activities in schools. When children are preparing for a school play, do we say that they are ‘working’? They’re enjoying themselves.” However, clinical psychologist Pulkit Sharma says that being judged — and losing — so publicly can leave a deep impression. “Children don’t have that kind of a reasoning mind, where they can tell themselves, ‘There will be other opportunities to win.’ I’ve worked with children who participated in reality shows, and it’s very difficult for them to come back to normal life.” training, I could make Meera look convincing. The character still remains close to my heart, as I’m a lot like her in real life,” says Diana. Interestingly, it wasn’t Cocktail with which Diana was supposed to make her Bollywood debut. That film would have been Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar (2011). That didn’t work out as she didn’t fit the part. “But Imtiaz kept me in mind. And when Dinesh and Homi were casting for Meera’s role, Imtiaz recommended my name for that part,” she adds. Diana remembers how nervous she was. “Coming from a modelling background and then doing a film with Saif and Deepika, and that, too, in my debut venture… I was literally nervous. But on the sets, neither of them, nor others, made me feel like a newcomer,” she says. “I have several defining moments of my life from Cocktail. I learned acting, worked with some of the best in the industry. Cocktail completely changed my life; suddenly everyone knew about me.”

FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY