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Monday, March 2, 2009
COFFINS,RAGHU'S BLOG- TWISTS AND AN ABBERATION IN GANDHINGAR
The look that was on the Roadies face was really a once in a lifetime experience, for them seeing Rajiv and Me together really meant double trouble, but the way I see it there was no particular reason behind us landing up in Gandhinagar just like that. It is just that the sequence of experiences and situations that we have constructed for the roadies was designed to slowly and steadily turn up the pressure on the group of intrepid adventurers and also, along the way, give ourselves and the viewers opportunities to observe and examine the behavior of this bunch in these situations. For me, they are metaphors for real life and the real world we live in today. For us the Roadies, the cast members, as well as the viewers expect certain things from us, they try to anticipate our thought process. This is why I find it particularly challenging and interesting to be at least one step ahead of them in this mind-game. The roadies knew that this outing could not be as simple and innocent as we were making it seem. Their imagination went wild as they tried to anticipate what we really had in store for them. But not even in their wildest dreams did anyone even suspect that they would come face to face with the twins.
Just like I said before their expressions were priceless! I t was a mixture of amazement and the feeling of their hearts sinking... But if people this it was the sight of Rajiv and me that scared them, they are wrong, when they saw the coffins for the next task you could sense the fear from their trembling bodies, not every task on roadies is a physically challenging and personally, even in the physical tasks, I am more interested in the mental aspect of it. For example, the underwater pool task had its physical difficulties. Roop has aqua-phobia (not "hydrophobia", as people mistakenly refer to the fear of water), and kept telling herself that she would overcome it. But she couldn't. I was confused till she told the camera after the task that she was sure she wouldn't be able to do the task before she went in. I believe half the battle is won or lost in your mind even before the battle begins. The coffin task, more than a task for the roadies, was a situation thrown at them, to see how they would behave in it. and, depending on their behavior, they would face the consequences. The task didn't end with the Roadies coming out. For me, it went on till the vote-out.
This was a real simple task compared to the previous ones, the only difference was that, a lot of mental strength was required to perform it, the task was as simple as it gets. Put one of your gang members in the coffin and come out before the other gang to win immunity. The brats got it. So did the om-blues gang, except Devarshi. He, as usual didn't know if he was coming or going. He did understand the task, but he thought he was too smart for the masterminds of roadies and thought he would turn the tables on them by volunteering. He was sure that there would be a twist where the guy who went into the coffin would, instead of getting eliminated, win immunity, and he would also become a hero for his gang by "sacrificing" himself, poor guy... I’m really sad that he's not on the roadies journey anymore. I loved watching him! He is such a space cadet, he can't help being totally entertaining. But no matter how much we like or dislike a roadie, we cannot interfere in the elimination process to protect someone. Devarshi dug his own grave and literally laid down in his own coffin.
To be honest there were a couple of reasons for our losing our cool at him. By trying to act smart, anticipating the twists and volunteering to lie down in the coffin, he robbed us of the opportunity of observing the group dynamics that this task was designed to bring out. but more importantly, he had displayed outstanding stupidity. And that is something we are not tolerant towards, and Oh my God the lies! To cover one lie, he kept on lying again and again. He kept tossing and turning between "I’m here only to win the game" and "I sacrificed myself so that my gang could benefit". Beyond a point, even stupidity is no excuse for this crap…
The Roadies think they are real smart, just because they have observed the previous seasons, its not only them who have done their homework, but so have the other thousands who came in for the auditions, its just that we keep changing each game from season to season, to keep the cast and the viewers on their toes, people may think that they are predictable, but no, they are not. And neither is the story that is unfolding in front of the world.
The “Coffin Task” was the only task that I felt that there was no point trying out before the roadies did, because the Roadies crew is like an army, with a hierarchical structure, and are too used to work as a cohesive team, rather than work at cross-purposes. But we did need to know if the coffin was not too small and claustrophobia-inducing, and that there was enough oxygen for the roadies. This, I confirmed by lying down in the coffin for 15 minutes. Given a choice, I would love to bury danger Debby in the coffin! I have my reasons, believe me...
Just like I said before their expressions were priceless! I t was a mixture of amazement and the feeling of their hearts sinking... But if people this it was the sight of Rajiv and me that scared them, they are wrong, when they saw the coffins for the next task you could sense the fear from their trembling bodies, not every task on roadies is a physically challenging and personally, even in the physical tasks, I am more interested in the mental aspect of it. For example, the underwater pool task had its physical difficulties. Roop has aqua-phobia (not "hydrophobia", as people mistakenly refer to the fear of water), and kept telling herself that she would overcome it. But she couldn't. I was confused till she told the camera after the task that she was sure she wouldn't be able to do the task before she went in. I believe half the battle is won or lost in your mind even before the battle begins. The coffin task, more than a task for the roadies, was a situation thrown at them, to see how they would behave in it. and, depending on their behavior, they would face the consequences. The task didn't end with the Roadies coming out. For me, it went on till the vote-out.
This was a real simple task compared to the previous ones, the only difference was that, a lot of mental strength was required to perform it, the task was as simple as it gets. Put one of your gang members in the coffin and come out before the other gang to win immunity. The brats got it. So did the om-blues gang, except Devarshi. He, as usual didn't know if he was coming or going. He did understand the task, but he thought he was too smart for the masterminds of roadies and thought he would turn the tables on them by volunteering. He was sure that there would be a twist where the guy who went into the coffin would, instead of getting eliminated, win immunity, and he would also become a hero for his gang by "sacrificing" himself, poor guy... I’m really sad that he's not on the roadies journey anymore. I loved watching him! He is such a space cadet, he can't help being totally entertaining. But no matter how much we like or dislike a roadie, we cannot interfere in the elimination process to protect someone. Devarshi dug his own grave and literally laid down in his own coffin.
To be honest there were a couple of reasons for our losing our cool at him. By trying to act smart, anticipating the twists and volunteering to lie down in the coffin, he robbed us of the opportunity of observing the group dynamics that this task was designed to bring out. but more importantly, he had displayed outstanding stupidity. And that is something we are not tolerant towards, and Oh my God the lies! To cover one lie, he kept on lying again and again. He kept tossing and turning between "I’m here only to win the game" and "I sacrificed myself so that my gang could benefit". Beyond a point, even stupidity is no excuse for this crap…
The Roadies think they are real smart, just because they have observed the previous seasons, its not only them who have done their homework, but so have the other thousands who came in for the auditions, its just that we keep changing each game from season to season, to keep the cast and the viewers on their toes, people may think that they are predictable, but no, they are not. And neither is the story that is unfolding in front of the world.
The “Coffin Task” was the only task that I felt that there was no point trying out before the roadies did, because the Roadies crew is like an army, with a hierarchical structure, and are too used to work as a cohesive team, rather than work at cross-purposes. But we did need to know if the coffin was not too small and claustrophobia-inducing, and that there was enough oxygen for the roadies. This, I confirmed by lying down in the coffin for 15 minutes. Given a choice, I would love to bury danger Debby in the coffin! I have my reasons, believe me...
RAGHU'S BLOG -SILVASSA - THE LAST INDIAN OUTPOST
As the journey in India has come to an end I must say that I am very excited. The kind of stuff we've thought out and fixed up in Australia is mind-blowing, and I can't wait to see how the roadies fare down under. But as people who understand roadies know, going abroad is a big deal for us, and the last destination in India is always the setting for high drama and action. The roadies will be tested on many things before they can go to the next level in Australia. And I was particularly keen to see what choices the roadies made in Silvassa.
Even though there were a series of events that really annoyed Rajiv & me, I was not upset with it. While taping a reality show like roadies, one cannot dwell too long on what has happened. One has to constantly focus on what has to be done and shot. The twists and turns were mostly decided before we set out on the journey. The rest of it is always improvisation, based on how the story develops.
This is the reason I broke the teams and battle it out against each other, I wanted the roadies to understand that not only is the game going to get much tougher in Australia, they also will not have the support of any gangs. Its each roadie for himself or herself. It also gives another clear difference in the game in India and Australia, helping Australia truly become the next level.
For me, it is always interesting to see how people behave when they have to work against their friends and team-mates. The ‘Akhada’ task also helped in making the roadies understand that they are truly alone in the game. They cannot count on people who they consider their friends. They are too busy fighting for themselves.
Many people felt that it was not right for the girls to do the ‘Akhada’ task, but I don't agree. Why not? If we are putting the boys in that situation, will it not be unfair to not put the girls through the same? And we're not getting the girls to fight boys, after all. But on a different note, we had told the girls what to wear so as to avoid wardrobe malfunctions, and when things threatened to go out of control, we stopped the task and warned the girls against fighting unfair.
We can only set up a situation. What happens after that and how the roadies behave are things we don't have any control over. The story must not be tampered with. It must unfold whichever way it has to. But we can show everything that happens as honestly as we can and leave the viewers to react whichever way they want to.
The time has finally arrived where we will be going to the next level. The journey through Australia is going to be full of twists, shocks and dangers of many kinds. Rajiv and I could be a part of that, and maybe pay a surprise visit, but obviously, i'm not gonna reveal that right now.
Even though there were a series of events that really annoyed Rajiv & me, I was not upset with it. While taping a reality show like roadies, one cannot dwell too long on what has happened. One has to constantly focus on what has to be done and shot. The twists and turns were mostly decided before we set out on the journey. The rest of it is always improvisation, based on how the story develops.
This is the reason I broke the teams and battle it out against each other, I wanted the roadies to understand that not only is the game going to get much tougher in Australia, they also will not have the support of any gangs. Its each roadie for himself or herself. It also gives another clear difference in the game in India and Australia, helping Australia truly become the next level.
For me, it is always interesting to see how people behave when they have to work against their friends and team-mates. The ‘Akhada’ task also helped in making the roadies understand that they are truly alone in the game. They cannot count on people who they consider their friends. They are too busy fighting for themselves.
Many people felt that it was not right for the girls to do the ‘Akhada’ task, but I don't agree. Why not? If we are putting the boys in that situation, will it not be unfair to not put the girls through the same? And we're not getting the girls to fight boys, after all. But on a different note, we had told the girls what to wear so as to avoid wardrobe malfunctions, and when things threatened to go out of control, we stopped the task and warned the girls against fighting unfair.
We can only set up a situation. What happens after that and how the roadies behave are things we don't have any control over. The story must not be tampered with. It must unfold whichever way it has to. But we can show everything that happens as honestly as we can and leave the viewers to react whichever way they want to.
The time has finally arrived where we will be going to the next level. The journey through Australia is going to be full of twists, shocks and dangers of many kinds. Rajiv and I could be a part of that, and maybe pay a surprise visit, but obviously, i'm not gonna reveal that right now.
NAUMAN's BLOG A ROLLER COASTER RIDE -- THRILLS AND CHILLS
well!!..getting selected as a roadie and leaving thousands of people behind me gave me immense pleasure and a feeling of accomplishment and being diffrent from the rest!.and it was tougher for me because as i was fasting and went through the whole audition without food and water!..i not only passed raghus terryfying tests but also d test of my will power!.i always wanted to make it big in life and thanks to raghu and mtv roadies i suceeded at achieving my ultimate dream!
roadies for me was a roller coaster ride,lots of thrills and chills,when u think the first twist is scary the next one is scarier!..the first day at roadies felt like heaven,we were treated like stars and tht nite after the party,'hell' began!.getting through d first challenge raghu threw at us was fun!i was confident i would be in it!.i ate soo many dry parothas tht day!..no ghee no achar was too tough!..lol...bt ironically tht ws the most memorable task for me because it ws challenging,intrestin,rough n touch n ironically,if we dint win that i would hav been back home,probably eating my moms parothas!..hehe..
our flag off was exciting as bike riding is a major part of roadies!i got a red bike which was my favourite and i had varisha wid me and ten hour long ride dint feel too long at all!..we got along really well and make good conversation,she sang songs for me to keep me awake and alert while riding which was very sweet!..was a fun ride!.sufi and varisha wer mere closest friends initially but unfortunately both left the show and left me al alone to face the brutal roadies!
i think PALAK was d most irritating girl,charecterless and she would use the worst language without any shame!.she like me initially and tried hitting on me and when tht dint work she started hitting tammana!..hehe..palak was responsible for the rumours of the kiss between me and tammy and she was surely jealous of us!..me and tammy became really good friendas and fought the storm togethr!.and after sufi and varisha went she was d only person i felt nice to spend time with and could trust her blindly!
my vote out was very shoking because,DEV,whom i supported and trusted the most voted against me!and also d prevoious nite before the immunity task sandeep said to me tht 'if tomorrow 'brats' lose immunity please save me,and convince dev and tammy not to vote against me'!..i promised him tht il make sure he would be safe but made a deal wid him tht if we lose immunity u make sure tht u and pradeep dont vote against me,dev and tammy!.and he agreed!.so at my vote out i ws cheated by the peeple i trusted,and d people i supported ended up stabbing me and finishing my roadies journey!.thats was d reward i got from dev and sandeep for standing by them!
dev is dumb to hav voted me out because i was his only support and i dont think he will be able to think and plan without me!
MESSAGE TO ASPIRING ROADIES:
'treat roadies like a game of chess,think before evry word u say and evry move u make, because tht could lead to ur downfall'!!!
and give it ur best because roadies can bring you on the road to success!
good luck!
roadies for me was a roller coaster ride,lots of thrills and chills,when u think the first twist is scary the next one is scarier!..the first day at roadies felt like heaven,we were treated like stars and tht nite after the party,'hell' began!.getting through d first challenge raghu threw at us was fun!i was confident i would be in it!.i ate soo many dry parothas tht day!..no ghee no achar was too tough!..lol...bt ironically tht ws the most memorable task for me because it ws challenging,intrestin,rough n touch n ironically,if we dint win that i would hav been back home,probably eating my moms parothas!..hehe..
our flag off was exciting as bike riding is a major part of roadies!i got a red bike which was my favourite and i had varisha wid me and ten hour long ride dint feel too long at all!..we got along really well and make good conversation,she sang songs for me to keep me awake and alert while riding which was very sweet!..was a fun ride!.sufi and varisha wer mere closest friends initially but unfortunately both left the show and left me al alone to face the brutal roadies!
i think PALAK was d most irritating girl,charecterless and she would use the worst language without any shame!.she like me initially and tried hitting on me and when tht dint work she started hitting tammana!..hehe..palak was responsible for the rumours of the kiss between me and tammy and she was surely jealous of us!..me and tammy became really good friendas and fought the storm togethr!.and after sufi and varisha went she was d only person i felt nice to spend time with and could trust her blindly!
my vote out was very shoking because,DEV,whom i supported and trusted the most voted against me!and also d prevoious nite before the immunity task sandeep said to me tht 'if tomorrow 'brats' lose immunity please save me,and convince dev and tammy not to vote against me'!..i promised him tht il make sure he would be safe but made a deal wid him tht if we lose immunity u make sure tht u and pradeep dont vote against me,dev and tammy!.and he agreed!.so at my vote out i ws cheated by the peeple i trusted,and d people i supported ended up stabbing me and finishing my roadies journey!.thats was d reward i got from dev and sandeep for standing by them!
dev is dumb to hav voted me out because i was his only support and i dont think he will be able to think and plan without me!
MESSAGE TO ASPIRING ROADIES:
'treat roadies like a game of chess,think before evry word u say and evry move u make, because tht could lead to ur downfall'!!!
and give it ur best because roadies can bring you on the road to success!
good luck!
THIS WEEK - ROADIES
ACCORDING TO UNCONFIRMED SOURCES, THE WINNER OF THIS ROADIES SEASON IS GONNA BE SUFI (PUNEET)........AND THIS WEEK'S ROADIES WOULD MARK THE WILD CARD ENTRY OF NAUMAN( TAMANNA'S CONFIDANT), PALAK(THE LOUD GIRL) AND SUFI.
Hell of a Producer
The story of Raghu Ram’s life swings to two extremes. The brain behind (and co-host of) “MTV Roadies: Hell Down Under”, Raghu is one of the most hated and one of the most popular faces on Indian television. He’s the guy who gave the telly a much needed tadka with his acerbic comments and mind-boggling mind-games on “MTV Roadies” since its inception in 2002. And it was just a twist in the tale that transported him (and twin Rajiv Lakshman) into the world of television; the duo would have otherwise been minding a shop someplace!
Changing lanes
Raghu stuns you with the revelation as he narrates the reason behind his unconventional choice of a career. “Rajiv and I were never keen on studies. For myself, no subject succeeded in enticing me to pick up the textbook — save for History. Scraping through school, we went into science in keeping with our parents’ wishes and failed! Next, we went into the Arts and again failed! We were 20 years old, when we dropped out of college and almost agreed to run a shop that dad decided to open for us. We got an opportunity to train at a TV channel and life zoomed into another lane altogether. So you see, I didn’t choose any career; simply because, I had no choice! I took what was offered to me and am happy to have done well!”
Well, his choice was unconventional, especially since he opted to become a behind-scenes-person than a vee-jay. “I could never become a vee-jay! One needs to talk properly and to all kinds of people for that and I’m not that someone! For starters, I was a complete Hindi-speaker till about eight years back; I couldn’t even speak fluent English, one of the prime requisites to become a vee-jay, especially in a channel like MTV,” says Raghu dismissing assertions that, that is exactly what he has become with *Roadies’ now. “I’m not a vee-jay on Roadies.
There is no such job profile on the show. If at all, there’s an anchor and that is Rannvijay who’s doing a great job. I’m happier behind the camera, brainstorming ideas and directing the show. I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of shooting, editing, creating tasks.” In fact, when Roadies begun, I was not on the show; I came on later during season when the auditions started being aired and we desperately wanted a person who’d understand the concept of Roadies out-n-out; would be able to sift through the contestants to create the most interesting mix; and would speak Hindi! Luckily or unluckily, I was the only one who fitted the criteria and thus came in front of the Roadies camera by default!” reveals Raghu who further stuns revealing that he was never in favour of the auditions being aired!
“As the conceptualizer of MTV Roadies, I was dead against the auditions being aired because I was sure that after some time, people would come prepared for the auditions; thus killing the fun and probably, the purpose of the same! I find traces of my fear getting manifested now but so far we’ve been able to adapt the format such that contestants still face the unexpected” he says smiling his rare smiles. All said and done, Raghu has become a ‘personality’; an ‘icon’ and there’s no denying that. “Well I’m in denial; at least I’d like to be. I know I can’t – but, that does not mean I’m happy with it!
Most people would give a leg and arm for the kind of popularity I (and Rajiv) are enjoying today even though it swings to negative extremes in my case. But I’m not amused at seeing my face on hoardings or getting marriage proposals dime a dozen or receiving death threats with alarming regularity. It’s not for the humour or gore associated with the aforementioned; but because my becoming a ‘known face’ is proving to be deterrent in my role as a selector on Roadies.
“The profile requires me to be a keen observer of human behaviour to deduce their characteristics but now, people don’t behave naturally with me as a ‘celebrity’. Add to that, the fact that I get crazily mobbed due to this celeb-hood, makes things very difficult when all I want to do is have a satisfying shoot. Furthermore, the very implication that I’ve ‘created’ a personality is disturbing because I’ve never sought to change my style, language or mannerisms so that I could become popular.
It’s the way I’ve always been; I’ve always lashed out at bigots intending to create dangerous rifts, at people who act supercilious or disrespectful for no reason, at people who treat women as inferiors, or at blindly biased people who refuse to live and let live. Whether I meet one of these sorts on the show or whether on the public level, I react in the same way,” explains Raghu giving a glimpse into the reason behind his recent outburst against Pramod Muthalik during the Mangalore pub incident.
“But, when these traits of mine, which remain constant on and off screen, get bottled into some kind of a formula to be emulated, I don’t find it exciting because it does nothing for the show, which is my prime-most priority; as also, it alludes to the thought that I put on a mask or act on the show, which I don’t!” But Raghu admits that he’s not proud of the extremes of love and hate he elicits. “ “Nobody likes to be hated and I’m no exception. I’m not scared of being one of the most hated guys but it’s not nice to receive SMSes threatening to kill you or have e-games like ‘Slap Raghu’ that makes me think, ‘are there so many people who’ll jump at slapping me, given the opportunity?’
On the other hand, to get bizarre marriage proposals or have them tell you that they attribute their life’s success to your advice on the show is also unnerving because it is a major responsibility. I’d rather people just take what they like from my advice or personality without attributing it to me,” clarifies Raghu adding that’s why he abhors terms like youth icon being stuck on him. “Now that’ll be really scary!” he shudders.
While Raghu is best known as the progenitor of Roadies, not many know that he has also supervised hit shows like “MTV Love Life” and led the first few seasons of “MTV Select”. In the recent past, he’s also been *the brain’ behind shows like “Splitsvilla”, “On the Job” and “It Sucks”! One can’t help observing that Raghu enjoys pitting people against each other. Raghu accepts, “It’s not the complete picture. I enjoy watching people; and popular behaviour is most candidly expressed in face of competition. But, I don’t intend to exploit the weaker person because, having been a skinny guy who got punched in his young days, I would never put anyone through it with an idea of sitting back and watching the fun!”
Double trouble
Coming back to “Roadies”, Raghu says it has become more exciting after Rajiv joined him. “Rajiv’s the wit behind ‘Roadies’; he’s always been there with me behind the camera and it was Rannvijay’s idea to get him to face it too. We thought ek se bhale do! So I made him shave his head and now there are two of us to contend with,” Raghu says gleefully.Well, one thing that never fails to exasperate us hapless viewers is the offbeat choice of contestants. What, exactly, goes on in the combined heads of Raghu and Rajiv? “Well, it’s very easy actually. All we are looking for is someone who’ll be reactive — if he/she is melodramatic, better — one who stands out from the junta; one who will create some kind of spark; and one who can speak Hindi. See, we’re not too difficult…” he trails off!
One can’t let Raghu off without quizzing him about future projects — rumour has it that Bollywood figures. Raghu clarifies, “Film offers are trotting in but they all want to show me as I am in Roadies and I’m certainly not interested. I’m instead happily investing my energies in writing poems/lyrics and, yes, I’m also penning a book,” he signs off.
I’m not scared of being one of the most hated guys around but it’s not a nice thing to receive SMSes threatening to kill you…
Changing lanes
Raghu stuns you with the revelation as he narrates the reason behind his unconventional choice of a career. “Rajiv and I were never keen on studies. For myself, no subject succeeded in enticing me to pick up the textbook — save for History. Scraping through school, we went into science in keeping with our parents’ wishes and failed! Next, we went into the Arts and again failed! We were 20 years old, when we dropped out of college and almost agreed to run a shop that dad decided to open for us. We got an opportunity to train at a TV channel and life zoomed into another lane altogether. So you see, I didn’t choose any career; simply because, I had no choice! I took what was offered to me and am happy to have done well!”
Well, his choice was unconventional, especially since he opted to become a behind-scenes-person than a vee-jay. “I could never become a vee-jay! One needs to talk properly and to all kinds of people for that and I’m not that someone! For starters, I was a complete Hindi-speaker till about eight years back; I couldn’t even speak fluent English, one of the prime requisites to become a vee-jay, especially in a channel like MTV,” says Raghu dismissing assertions that, that is exactly what he has become with *Roadies’ now. “I’m not a vee-jay on Roadies.
There is no such job profile on the show. If at all, there’s an anchor and that is Rannvijay who’s doing a great job. I’m happier behind the camera, brainstorming ideas and directing the show. I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of shooting, editing, creating tasks.” In fact, when Roadies begun, I was not on the show; I came on later during season when the auditions started being aired and we desperately wanted a person who’d understand the concept of Roadies out-n-out; would be able to sift through the contestants to create the most interesting mix; and would speak Hindi! Luckily or unluckily, I was the only one who fitted the criteria and thus came in front of the Roadies camera by default!” reveals Raghu who further stuns revealing that he was never in favour of the auditions being aired!
“As the conceptualizer of MTV Roadies, I was dead against the auditions being aired because I was sure that after some time, people would come prepared for the auditions; thus killing the fun and probably, the purpose of the same! I find traces of my fear getting manifested now but so far we’ve been able to adapt the format such that contestants still face the unexpected” he says smiling his rare smiles. All said and done, Raghu has become a ‘personality’; an ‘icon’ and there’s no denying that. “Well I’m in denial; at least I’d like to be. I know I can’t – but, that does not mean I’m happy with it!
Most people would give a leg and arm for the kind of popularity I (and Rajiv) are enjoying today even though it swings to negative extremes in my case. But I’m not amused at seeing my face on hoardings or getting marriage proposals dime a dozen or receiving death threats with alarming regularity. It’s not for the humour or gore associated with the aforementioned; but because my becoming a ‘known face’ is proving to be deterrent in my role as a selector on Roadies.
“The profile requires me to be a keen observer of human behaviour to deduce their characteristics but now, people don’t behave naturally with me as a ‘celebrity’. Add to that, the fact that I get crazily mobbed due to this celeb-hood, makes things very difficult when all I want to do is have a satisfying shoot. Furthermore, the very implication that I’ve ‘created’ a personality is disturbing because I’ve never sought to change my style, language or mannerisms so that I could become popular.
It’s the way I’ve always been; I’ve always lashed out at bigots intending to create dangerous rifts, at people who act supercilious or disrespectful for no reason, at people who treat women as inferiors, or at blindly biased people who refuse to live and let live. Whether I meet one of these sorts on the show or whether on the public level, I react in the same way,” explains Raghu giving a glimpse into the reason behind his recent outburst against Pramod Muthalik during the Mangalore pub incident.
“But, when these traits of mine, which remain constant on and off screen, get bottled into some kind of a formula to be emulated, I don’t find it exciting because it does nothing for the show, which is my prime-most priority; as also, it alludes to the thought that I put on a mask or act on the show, which I don’t!” But Raghu admits that he’s not proud of the extremes of love and hate he elicits. “ “Nobody likes to be hated and I’m no exception. I’m not scared of being one of the most hated guys but it’s not nice to receive SMSes threatening to kill you or have e-games like ‘Slap Raghu’ that makes me think, ‘are there so many people who’ll jump at slapping me, given the opportunity?’
On the other hand, to get bizarre marriage proposals or have them tell you that they attribute their life’s success to your advice on the show is also unnerving because it is a major responsibility. I’d rather people just take what they like from my advice or personality without attributing it to me,” clarifies Raghu adding that’s why he abhors terms like youth icon being stuck on him. “Now that’ll be really scary!” he shudders.
While Raghu is best known as the progenitor of Roadies, not many know that he has also supervised hit shows like “MTV Love Life” and led the first few seasons of “MTV Select”. In the recent past, he’s also been *the brain’ behind shows like “Splitsvilla”, “On the Job” and “It Sucks”! One can’t help observing that Raghu enjoys pitting people against each other. Raghu accepts, “It’s not the complete picture. I enjoy watching people; and popular behaviour is most candidly expressed in face of competition. But, I don’t intend to exploit the weaker person because, having been a skinny guy who got punched in his young days, I would never put anyone through it with an idea of sitting back and watching the fun!”
Double trouble
Coming back to “Roadies”, Raghu says it has become more exciting after Rajiv joined him. “Rajiv’s the wit behind ‘Roadies’; he’s always been there with me behind the camera and it was Rannvijay’s idea to get him to face it too. We thought ek se bhale do! So I made him shave his head and now there are two of us to contend with,” Raghu says gleefully.Well, one thing that never fails to exasperate us hapless viewers is the offbeat choice of contestants. What, exactly, goes on in the combined heads of Raghu and Rajiv? “Well, it’s very easy actually. All we are looking for is someone who’ll be reactive — if he/she is melodramatic, better — one who stands out from the junta; one who will create some kind of spark; and one who can speak Hindi. See, we’re not too difficult…” he trails off!
One can’t let Raghu off without quizzing him about future projects — rumour has it that Bollywood figures. Raghu clarifies, “Film offers are trotting in but they all want to show me as I am in Roadies and I’m certainly not interested. I’m instead happily investing my energies in writing poems/lyrics and, yes, I’m also penning a book,” he signs off.
I’m not scared of being one of the most hated guys around but it’s not a nice thing to receive SMSes threatening to kill you…
Any one who claims to be the youth of India need no introduction to Raghu Ram aka MTV Roadies Raghu.
Having said that many people are dubious on his personal life (eg. From where did he come..) And here I present a quick fact file of Raghu in an attempt to clear those qualms.
Born on 6th June 1973 in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh and brought up in New Delhi.
Completed his studies at Woodstock school, Mussoorie and was employed first by MTV England.
Currently he is the senior supervising producer at MTV India and the executive producer of the show MTV Roadies.
Lives in Andheri, Mumbai with his wife Sugandha garg, who featured in the film Jaane tu ya Jaane naa.
The idea of MTV Roadies in MTV India was given by Raghu which was accepted as a test project. After a few negative talks about the show some features were changed and the show went on air the same year. It remained the most watched MTV show for the last three seasons of MTV Roadies.
The auditions of the sixth season of Roadies came in as a surprise to everyone when Rajiv, the twin brother of Raghu made an entry into the show.
Though people know Raghu as a harsh commenter, stubborn person he is a completely different person off the show. He gives great respect to Women and I still remember in one of the audition episode of the Hell Down Under series when he says “I can never respect someone who doesn’t have respect towards women, never”.
That says it all about Raghu.
And I must admit that I’m seeing Raghu a lot in TV these days, in news channels debates, airtel digital TV advertisements etc. Good going Raghu.
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