Shilpa Shetty - Rakhi Sawant: Tragedy Queens

By: Arya Aiyappan
Thursday, January 18, 2007

Reality shows are wreaking unforeseen ravages be it Big Brother on Channel 4 or Big Boss on Sony Tv. Big Brother had roped in Shilpa Shetty 31, the Indian actress to spice up the show and enhance its entertainment value. Apart from her there are other celebrities, who joined the show - Cleo 44, actress/writer, Danielle 23, Glamour model/ former beauty queen, Carole 47, journalist (evicted), Dirk 62, actor, Leo 58, singer/ songwriter (walked), Donny 22, rock singer (walked), Ken 79, film director, (walked), Jo 27, singer, Jermaine 52 singer/ writer/ guitarist, Jade 25, reality tv star, Ian 'H' 29 singer/ actor, Jackiey 48, Jade's mum (evicted), and Jack 19, footballer's agent.

Shilpa Shetty who was paid a lump some to pep up the show is nigh on tears with every single day passing by. Shilpa who was brought in for her glamour quotient to bring a romantic twist to the show is enmeshed in a series of controversies centring on racism and moral harassment. Big Brother contestants Jade Goody, model Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara, a former singer with the band SClub7 are bullying the Indian belle as a 'dog', 'Paki' and ridiculing her by asking if she lived in a shack in India. Going beyond their limits of decency they remarked that Shilpa virtually 'makes their skin crawl' and have shunned the food she prepares. Shilpa has gallantly put up with the racial discrimination meted out to her though at times she does break down in tears.

When one compares Big Brother to its Indian counterpart Big Boss there pops up some resemblance to one another. Rakhi is the target in Big Boss akin to Shilpa in Big Brother. With Kashmira Shah's re-entry into Big Boss things have gone topsy-turvy. Family members have an obvious grievance against Rakhi who is supposedly for them the troublemaker. While Rakhi is targeted for causing problems in relationships, Shilpa is dragged into racial abuse. Though Rakhi and Shilpa are obviously the glamour quotients, the sizzling sex symbols of their respective shows, the glamour queens are shedding tears every moment. The semblances are quite vague and seem quite implausible often.

Rakhi eager to stay on till the end is even contemplating suicide due to her hostile fellow mates. Nearly deserted in Big Boss' home she wishes to escape from there. On the other hand unaware of the commotion outside the house of Big Brother, the housemates still indulge in singling out Shilpa. The racial abuse has flared up protests across the world with activists taking up the cause. Effigies are burnt, demonstrations are held and violent protests against the show have erupted everywhere. With Shilpa and Rakhi the drama that ensues provides much entertainment for viewers, with the channels minting money even though the moral issues in background are grave.