Reality shows move to exotic locales in search of ambience, local support and higher TRPs

The producers of Desi Girl probably guessed that a bunch of drama queens living the village life is bound to bring in higher TRPs for Imagine. While the girls will bring in the drama, the location—in this case a village in Punjab—will provide them the exotic backdrop and reason for their sneers and tears, making it a key character on the show.

The back-to-the-roots theme bug has already bit the fiction entertainment across channels—with shows like the popular Balika Vadhu, Na Aana Iss Des Laado and now Jamunia and Keshav Pandit being shot in Chhatisgarh and Varanasi respectively. Now, it’s the turn of reality shows to move out of cities. Imagine’s corporate communications and marketing head Nikhil Madhok confirms, “To step outside the city and plan a show in a rural area is not by default but by design. We realised that the viewers are really hooked to the rural themes in fictional shows so we figured that a reality show in a real village might interest their curiosity too.”

The last few months have seen a rise in the number of shows, which could otherwise be shot inside a studio, being taken to unusual locations. Take for example, the recently-launched Dadagiri, which was a studio show in its first season but has changed the format to give it an action-packed edge and taken it to Kolwel near Goa. Or both Rakhi ka Swayamvar and Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega, which were shot in the Fateh Garh Palace in Udaipur. MTV’s latest offering, Polo Ultimate Drive, after completing auditions across Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Chennai, will take its four finalists to the outskirts of Chennai where they will compete with each other on a car racing track.

Desi Girl is a part of Imagine’s larger plan to stay true to the concept of reality shows and take them outside studios. “Reality is often confused with talent shows in India. We want to create a clear distinction between the two. Therefore, our recent shows like both Rakhi and Rahul’s swayamvars and Pati, Patni Aur Woh, though kept the participants in semi-confinement, took them to unusual locations,” adds Madhok.
However, not everyone shares Madhok’s zest for the definition of reality. Many say the decision to take the show outside a city depends on the format. Nikhil Gandhi, Business Head, UTV Bindaas, emphasises that the format of Dadagiri had to evolve to keep it popular. “Once we introduced the commando training, we had to hunt for a place that had a beach, a hill and a small forest area close by to accommodate the various stages of the show,” he notes.

Sheetal Sudhir, the creative director at Channel V, seconds Gandhi. She adds that the visual appeal of the location plays a huge role too. “Shows like Splitsvilla or a Truth Love Cash which is currently on air, require couples to spend time together and need them loafing in picturesque resort or pool, which is tough to find in Mumbai, which is where we have our studio. Places like Goa, which lend great ambience to the show, are a fair option.”

That probably also explains why Colors chose to take its star-studded Fear Factor—Khatron Ke Khiladi to international locales, though India would probably have offered equally good options. Another benefit of taking a show to smaller towns is the support they garner from the locals. “If a show is being shot in your backyard, you are bound to check it out,” expresses Madhok.

Apart from that, shooting in a city is often riddled with peculiarly urban problems. “You can barely get the camera out without attracting a crowd in cities or its outskirts,” complains Gandhi. The creators have always maintained that this is the reason for taking Bigg Boss out of Mumbai. Sudhir, on the other hand, feels that the law in cities can come in the way of production. “It was tough for us to shoot Launchpad in Madh Island because according to rules, you can’t play music loudly after 10 pm. In such cases, shooting in Goa or remote locations works well in terms of production,”she adds.