Nepal Idol has been a benchmark setting singing reality show till the date, and it has been “talk of the town” in recent weeks. Although I am not a regular viewer of the show, I was watching the show yesterday with a fair bit of excitement as top 3 contestants were to be selected in the episode. Towards the end of the show, it was decided at the VETO of the ‘show judges’ that the elimination of one contestant would be postponed for next week. The decision came as a fair bit of surprise to regular viewer and voters who voted for their favorite contestants. The outcry on Facebook and Twitter were quite something.
Here are some of my thoughts after watching the show and reaction to yesterday’s episode of Nepal Idol.
i) Well Played: Production Team
I am very impressed with how the entire plot was played in yesterday’s episode. The production house of the Nepal Idol is a clear winner of this move. Why? They created an extra episode of the most popular television show when it is at its peak. Nepal Idol has a dedicated viewership and voters thus chipping in an additional episode is pure genius.
Extra Episode = Extra money [Pure and Simple]
I think it also is a win-win for viewers with minor disappointment for the unexpected twist. They still have their favorite contestant in the show, and the votes they casted will be carried over to next week. So viewers don’t have much to complain if they are looking for pure entertainment.
Extra Episode = Extra Entertainment
ii) Reality Show as Showbiz
Nepal Idol is a reality show aimed at entertainment and like all other shows this show also wants to make money. The general idea of reality shows, taking entertainment business or show business to next level and making money while doing so. It works exactly same way everywhere. It’s a product to be sold and made profit off.
Nepal idol is not a ‘not for profit’ venture which aims at finding the best singer in Nepal. Nepal Idol is a show which aims at entertainment and profit while identifying the best singer on television stage. The viewers might feel betrayed as their expectation from the most recent episode was not met. But, Don’t feel bad. Nothing personal, just business.
iii) Enjoy the show
There have been some controversies in the show. I see some viewers are not happy about the elimination row. It is all obvious as we tend to get carried away when we invest our time and plant our expectation. But the bottom line we need to remember is “Nepal idol is a show.” It is a bit different than other entertainment show, but it still is a show. Let’s not distort the entertainment of the show with other noises.
iv) Nepal Idol and Winners
To be honest, I don’t think there are losers in Nepal Idol. It has been an incredible journey for so many associated with the show. The production, the entertainment aspect, the rise in viewership of TV, the increase of viewership of live TV in YouTube and all aspect of Nepal Idol reflects advancement and win for all those associated.
v) Only thing missing
I hope the benchmark set by the show and the minds behind the entire show will keep on raising the stakes through other shows in Nepali television show. We needed something like this for far too long, our entertainment doses have been dominated by foreign shows and content. However, Nepal Idol reflects the hope for better days in television show business.
The only thing that is remaining for Nepal Idol this season is proper closure and I hope they will excel at it too. With the build up for the finale, the excitement is on its rise. Let’s hope Nepal Idol will give the audience the show they deserve.
Best of luck for coming episodes and appreciation for the aired episode.
