achtungbaby
08-18-2002, 08:36 PM
By Ramola Talwar Badam, Associated Press Writer
BOMBAY, India (AP) -- ``Boy meets girl'' in India usually means boy meets girl with both sets of parents in tow. And in a new twist, an Indian reality TV show is showing the process of traditional arranged marriages four days a week.
The young woman and her parents choose one of three men -- for keeps -- on the program ``There Is Someone Somewhere.''
Popular Hindi movie star Madhuri Dixit, plays matchmaker-host. Dressed as if she were attending an Indian wedding, in embroidered saris and chunky gold jewelry, Dixit dances and sings, ``In our hearts there is hope ... maybe here itself ... there will be an auspicious marriage.''
``I honestly believe that there is someone somewhere made for everyone,'' Dixit says. ``That is exactly what happened to me.''
Dixit, a star known for hip-swiveling, spine-twisting song-and-dance numbers, met the man she recently wed in a traditional arranged marriage.
Many Indians find spouses through such marriages, where parents vet proposals sent by friends and relatives. Others place advertisements in newspapers or use the Internet to reach Indians abroad.
The show, which began two weeks ago, opens the arrangements up to the public. It shifts between segments filmed in the young people's homes and discussions in a Bombay TV studio with Dixit, the potential spouses and their families hashing things out.
The process stretches out over four episodes, with the bride-to-be meeting potential mates on Monday's and Tuesday's episodes, and the decision coming by Thursday's. The process then starts with a new woman the next week.
``I never really dreamed I would get married on the show,'' said Vinod Deshpande, 28, the first man married off. ``My friends were stunned.''
But now some are applying to be on the show, he added.
Most women who go on the show -- 11 potential brides have been taped so far -- are fairly traditional.
``These girls have never been on a date. They have strict parents and traditional middle-class values,'' says Zarina Mehta, creative director of UTV, the show's producer.
In traditional arranged marriages, families do extensive checks on each other. In the televised version, producers conduct background checks ranging from college grades to the applicant's aspirations.
``Medical tests are compulsory. But we also find out whether the to-be in-laws prefer the girls to wear saris and not jeans after marriage,'' Mehta says.
Fans say the show is realistic.
``In India you don't marry just the boy, you marry the family,'' says college student Viveka Pandit.
While the show enjoys a following, its repetitive discussions and garish sets have stopped the show from unseating popular soap operas from atop the ratings.
Critics also say the program reaffirms traditional concepts of women's roles.
``Why would an attractive, educated woman want to meet a series of random men and suffer their nauseating views?'' a reviewer wrote in The Times of India.
In last week's episode, a young woman seated on a brass swing was asked, ``Do you cook well?''
With her parents seated nearby, behind red-and-pink curtains under flashy chandeliers, she replied, ``Yes, what do you like to eat?''
That would-be spouse, however, didn't find a place by her side when her father later announced the family's decision.
Another rejected suitor, 28-year-old engineer Sachin Deshpande, says he hasn't lost hope.
``I feel someone somewhere out there is looking at this show. Sooner or later she will meet me,'' he said.
BOMBAY, India (AP) -- ``Boy meets girl'' in India usually means boy meets girl with both sets of parents in tow. And in a new twist, an Indian reality TV show is showing the process of traditional arranged marriages four days a week.
The young woman and her parents choose one of three men -- for keeps -- on the program ``There Is Someone Somewhere.''
Popular Hindi movie star Madhuri Dixit, plays matchmaker-host. Dressed as if she were attending an Indian wedding, in embroidered saris and chunky gold jewelry, Dixit dances and sings, ``In our hearts there is hope ... maybe here itself ... there will be an auspicious marriage.''
``I honestly believe that there is someone somewhere made for everyone,'' Dixit says. ``That is exactly what happened to me.''
Dixit, a star known for hip-swiveling, spine-twisting song-and-dance numbers, met the man she recently wed in a traditional arranged marriage.
Many Indians find spouses through such marriages, where parents vet proposals sent by friends and relatives. Others place advertisements in newspapers or use the Internet to reach Indians abroad.
The show, which began two weeks ago, opens the arrangements up to the public. It shifts between segments filmed in the young people's homes and discussions in a Bombay TV studio with Dixit, the potential spouses and their families hashing things out.
The process stretches out over four episodes, with the bride-to-be meeting potential mates on Monday's and Tuesday's episodes, and the decision coming by Thursday's. The process then starts with a new woman the next week.
``I never really dreamed I would get married on the show,'' said Vinod Deshpande, 28, the first man married off. ``My friends were stunned.''
But now some are applying to be on the show, he added.
Most women who go on the show -- 11 potential brides have been taped so far -- are fairly traditional.
``These girls have never been on a date. They have strict parents and traditional middle-class values,'' says Zarina Mehta, creative director of UTV, the show's producer.
In traditional arranged marriages, families do extensive checks on each other. In the televised version, producers conduct background checks ranging from college grades to the applicant's aspirations.
``Medical tests are compulsory. But we also find out whether the to-be in-laws prefer the girls to wear saris and not jeans after marriage,'' Mehta says.
Fans say the show is realistic.
``In India you don't marry just the boy, you marry the family,'' says college student Viveka Pandit.
While the show enjoys a following, its repetitive discussions and garish sets have stopped the show from unseating popular soap operas from atop the ratings.
Critics also say the program reaffirms traditional concepts of women's roles.
``Why would an attractive, educated woman want to meet a series of random men and suffer their nauseating views?'' a reviewer wrote in The Times of India.
In last week's episode, a young woman seated on a brass swing was asked, ``Do you cook well?''
With her parents seated nearby, behind red-and-pink curtains under flashy chandeliers, she replied, ``Yes, what do you like to eat?''
That would-be spouse, however, didn't find a place by her side when her father later announced the family's decision.
Another rejected suitor, 28-year-old engineer Sachin Deshpande, says he hasn't lost hope.
``I feel someone somewhere out there is looking at this show. Sooner or later she will meet me,'' he said.