Reality television shows often paint a picture of real-life drama, but beneath the surface, much of it is scripted. Judges and participants are often prompted to act in specific ways, sharing dramatic life stories for effect. Indian reality TV, in particular, is known for exaggerating situations for ratings (TRP). What viewers see isn’t always an accurate portrayal of reality. Rather, it’s carefully crafted to entertain and keep audiences hooked.
Archana Puran Singh, who appears as a judge on The Kapil Sharma Show, a comedy television show, opened up about how there have been instances where she has been asked to fake a laugh at certain jokes which didn’t have a punch.
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The makers thought that if Archana would laugh at a certain “bad joke”, then the audience would laugh as well. But they didn’t and it was Archana’s laugh that was criticized.
“Earlier people used to say that I laughed at bad jokes as well, I was not happy with it. What used to happen then is that if a particular joke didn’t have the punch, they (the makers) thought that if we use Archana’s laughter then woh punch utth jaayega (it’ll make people laugh), but it didn’t work that way, woh punch nahi utha, but main hi baith gayi (it didn’t become funnier, and I was criticised instead). People started to think, ‘This woman is mad, she is laughing for nothing. The integrity of my laughter took the beating,” Indian Express quoted her saying.
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But now, Archana Puran Singh has realised that her laughter also acts as feedback, so she laughs at jokes that are good enough to make her laugh. However, she adds that she has no control over the edit and that oftentimes, her laughter is inserted in places where she initially did not laugh.
“Someone even asked me how I’m laughing at it (a mediocre joke). But it was the edit… you guys are aware of how one can do anything on edit. They were very creative, they would place my laughter everywhere,” she said.
These shows thrive on sensationalism rather than authenticity, blurring the lines between genuine human experiences and manufactured drama. Don’t you think?