Too much fuss and debate here over ‘'Shilpa Show’'

Recently the engagement of Abhishek Bachchan with Aishwarya Rai was blown out of proportion by the TV channels. They were competing among themselves over TRP ratings. The other thing is about our desi starlet Shilpa Shetty being called “a dog” in the Big Show in the UK.


An endless debate has erupted in the media and among the people on Shilpa Shetty being insulted in London. The Indian government has made its sentiments known to their British counterpart.

Everyone should remember that 'Celebrity Big Brother' is a game show with hidden cameras. It strongly resembles its tamer version 'Bigg Boss' on Indian television. Fights, abuses and prejudices are common in such shows. Majority of the participants, if not all, are professional actors in one way or the other and 'histrionics' are part and parcel of them.

At the same time, we should not forget that Shilpa was humiliated in a foreign country by a foreign participant. Britain is not India; so it would not be prudent on our part to expect an Indian culture and attitude there. “Athithi Devobhava” is famous mostly in India. Also, Shilpa was paid a whopping Rs 3 crore to take part in the show. There have been, therefore, mixed and cautious reactions to the whole episode globally.

Shilpa's mother and sister have downplayed the incident. Some have termed the whole imbroglio as a “publicity stunt” by the organisers of 'Celebrity Bigg Brother'.

Well, the racist insult (if at all) to Shilpa Shetty is not justified, but the issue does not deserve to be the prime story of all the major newspapers and TV channels. It has really gone the whole hog about racist remarks.

As it turned out, Shilpa has denied any racism. So what was the brouhaha all about? It seems that Shilpa retracted under pressure. This proves that she is only interested in the huge pay and fame she will get on this show. There is no need for her or our media to be involved in nationalistic sentiments.

Shilpa has boosted her career by hogging the limelight and projecting herself as a damsel in distress and her family says that she is brave and a tough nut to crack. If that is so, then why did she cry on the show? She says that she won’t entertain any derogatory comments against her country. If so, then why is she still participating in the show after all the comments against India and Pakistan? Just because of her celebrity status, should the government show so much concern for her? Has the government ever stepped in whenever the common man was racially abused? It is time for us to do a reality test.

Famous actor Sylvester Stallone has said, “Shilpa is a beautiful woman and the game should go on.” Former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown has gone to the extent of saying that, for the game and organisers to salvage some pride, Shilpa has to be voted a winner. All these confirm one thing: It would be foolhardy for Indian personalities to expect the same type of “reverence” in foreign soil as in India.


After pocketing Rs 3 crore, Shilpa is now getting free publicity. All this makes one think about the role of the media in present times. The day is not far off when the viewer will get fed up with these gimmicks and he/she will stop watching or reading the news on TV or newspapers. Hope good sense first prevails and the media will do its job responsibly.