Sach ka Saamna - India's Moment of Truth

If there was one reality show I was absolutely certain wouldn't come to India, it had to be 'Moment of Truth'. Now that 'Sach ka Saamna' is here, I am sure 'The Jeremy Kyle show' will soon follow suit. And I am real, real proud of India for not succumbing to the pressure of publicity hungry, hypocritical politicians who did everything possible to get the show off air. 60 odd years into independence and finally we have shown some sense of maturity.

Coming to the show, I really enjoy watching people make a complete fool of themselves on national television. It beats me as to why a person would want admit/confess to her fiancé, her family (and the entire world) that she had been cheating on him, all this while. I mean there are less embarrassing ways to dump a guy! However, the absolute high point of the show has to be the use of the 'buzzer' by any of the family members or friends of the contestant. This buzzer is used if the person doesn't want the contestant to answer a particular question and can be used only once. But the producers, as expected, are always a step ahead. The question which follows the one that is 'buzzed' out is either even more embarrassing or is the same question paraphrased! Picture this.

Question buzzed out by contestant's newly wed wife: Do you feel trapped by marriage?
New question: Do you regret marrying your present wife?
Answer: Yes!

And here is another instance. The contestant was a marine engineer and spent most of his life on the ship.

Question buzzed out by contestant's brother: Have you been leading a promiscuous lifestyle?
New question: Do you frequent whore houses?
Answer: Yes!

So you see, the buzzer is not of much use if you ask me. Another thing which adds to the charm of the show is the translation in Hindi. I mean shoplifted, living in and slept with don't sound half as bad as dukaan se chori, najayez rishtha and sharirik sambandh.

The best way to go about the show in my opinion is to answer the first 6 questions and walk away with 100,000 bucks. The starting lot of questions are relatively innocuous. Remember, the key word here is relatively!! That way you get the money (albeit a small amount), you get your 15 (or rather 22) minutes of fame and plus you save yourself from embarrassment. But if it is the money you are after (like Bobby Darling) and care two hoots about what the world thinks about you, then answer each question smartly rather than truthfully. Here is an example.

A particular contestant had answered 16 questions correctly and had already won 2,500,000. This was a guy my grand dad's age, who had had 3 ex wife's and was living in with his equally old 'girlfriend' (that is how she was introduced in the show). During the course of the show he admitted to visiting harlots, having a child out of wedlock and stealing hotel bedspreads among other things. His 17th question was whether he has been a good father to his only daughter. Now obviously the answer they wanted is 'No'. But the dude answered in the affirmative. He thought he was on some charity show where the organizers would let him walk away with half a crore and be a hero in his daughter's eyes. Not happening sirji.