NO SKILLS ARE REQUIRED TO BE A TV HOST TODAY: MINI
Mini Mathur feels reality show makers are unfairly prioritising popularity over talent in their hosts
Mini Mathur has been a popular face on the small screen, having hosted reality TV shows like Indian Idol, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Sirf Ek Minute Mein and Yeh Shaam Mastani. Recently, the actor-host took to Instagram to call out makers who choose popularity over credibility in their hosts.
Ask what prompted her to put up the post, and Mathur says it’s because of the state of reality TV shows today. Having been in the business for 28 years, she has seen a noticeable shift in the basis on which hosts are hired. “There seems to be zero skills required [now]. You pick [someone] who has a large social media following or is acting in a popular daily, shove scripted words into teleprompters and prop them up,” says the actor, who feels this is why the shows’ standard is progressively deteriorating.
She elaborates, “Since these presenters aren’t primarily committed to being TV hosts, the producers need to constantly populate the shows with noise and lowbrow gimmicks that appeal to the lowest common denominator.”
Having been hosting for almost three decades, Mathur has seen her shares of ups and downs. “When I was pregnant, I was told by my producers that Indian audiences don’t like seeing pregnant women on TV. That broke my heart a little,” she shares.
However, things weren’t always this bad. Recalling the time when contestants and hosts shared a “real” connection, the 48-year-old says, “We stayed true to the reality of human drama. We had no playbook on how to manipulate audiences. We did what a TV host was supposed to do. It wasn’t scripted.”