MILLIONS of Australians have watched reality programs to find the country’s best amateur singers, dancers and cooks (not to mention women who want to marry farmers). Now Nine is about to revive Big Brother, which means we’ll be ‘‘treated’’ to more ‘‘entertainment’’ from some of the nation’s ‘‘deepest thinkers’’.
Reality shows can span almost any genre – so it’s almost a surprise that the world’s biggest film industry has taken so long to jump on board. The concept behind four-part SBS series Bollywood Star, which premiered on Saturday, is simple: six booty-shaking finalists will be chosen from hundreds of singing, dancing hopefuls and flown to Mumbai to study under some of the best coaches Bollywood has to offer. At the end, the winner will score a role in famous Bollywood director-producer Mahesh Bhatt’s next film. Celebrity status and riches may be just around the corner – and if not, at least it will be 15 minutes of fame worth remembering.
The opening episode got through as much material as shows like Australian Idol and The Voice take months to cover as the long line of hopefuls were quickly culled to two dozen. The judging panel is led by filmmaker Anupam Sharma, who doesn’t suffer fools gladly – and unfortunately, the auditions were full of them. There was the guy who claimed his favourite Bollywood film was Slumdog Millionaire (‘‘That’s not a Bollywood film,’’ Sharma said, longing for the Red Faces gong).This, at least, was slightly better than the guy whose favourite Bollywood star was Austin Powers star Mike Myers, courtesy of his comedy The Love Guru.
And then there was the dancing. Contemporary Bollywood dance blends traditional Indian dance with Western top 40 styles. Done correctly, it’s beautiful. Done badly by an overweight pasty guy in jeans and a T-shirt in front of three bemused judges, it’s nothing short of bizarre.
In true reality show format, you were able to pick the successful applicants before they had entered the audition room, thanks to extensive back stories. Vinnie, a gorgeous woman on crutches due to a treadmill accident, was through; as was lawyer Sharon, charismatic John and a guy who calls himself ‘‘G luv’’ and is basically a real-life Ali G.
This week, the final 24 sing in front of a live audience. There will be tears and tantrums before the final six is revealed, and the last two episodes take place in Mumbai, where the finalists will not only hone their Bollywood moves, but live and work in the slums of Dharavi. It promises to be the most interesting part of the show. Even the most ardent Mike Myers fan would be sure to agree.
SBS, Saturday, 7.30pm.
