People hit by one-minute fame disease: Kirron Kher

Jul 16, 2011 IANS

New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) With the epidemic of reality shows on television, people the world over appear to have been infected with the fame disease, says actress Kirron Kher, who will be seen judging the third season of Colors' reality show "India's Got Talent".

"Right now there is an epidemic of reality shows and also of talented people across the world. People have been affected by the concept of 'one minute fame'. This is actually a problem with television. The whole world is getting crazy about coming on television for some reason or the other," Kirron told IANS in an interview.

Declaring the trend a tragedy that has hit television, she said: "It is not only in India but even in the west you have these crazy shows like 'Jerry Springer' where people come and abuse, they take off their clothes, do everything possible just to become famous and known."

It is a world that has become very celebrity conscious, she added.

The 56-year-old, known for her powerful performances in films like "Sardari Begum" (1996) and "Bariwali" (1999) and also in mainstream films like "Dostana" (2008) and "Devdas" (2002), feels the "page 3" lifestyle has given rise to this trend.

"It started with page 3 actually, where everybody who is a nobody wanted to be somebody and the only way that they could be was by getting some photos in the paper... and now everybody wants to be on the screen for the same reason. That has become a disease not only here in India but everywhere across the world," she said.

Talking about her show, Kirron says it has opened doors for rural India.

"It not only opens a window for them but it opens the window for us as well. I feel privileged to sit there and be part of the diversities our country has. It's an eye opener to see people coming with the wide variety of art forms which I would not have had the privilege to see otherwise," she said.

"They come from little, little corners - districts. It's a vision of glory and, honestly, it opens a window for them to reach mainstream and for mainstream India to see what India is all about," she added.

The actress, however, feels that sometimes over-ambitious parents force their kids into doing something they have not been able to do.

"Everybody is looking for immortality. Over-ambitious parents come, make their children go through drills to perfect their act, but they forget what their child actually wants to do and where his interest lies. They only make him do things that they coudn't do due to some reason. It is very sad for children. It's ridiculous; who are they giving birth to, zombies?" she said.

Kirron, who will next be seen in "Dostana 2", personally feels working on small screen is not a cake walk.

"Working in films is much easier in comparison to television. Here in TV one has to give 13-14 hours of your day. It makes you dead tired. At times, we are so tied up that we don't even get time to go in our vans and relax."

"With cameras on your head all the time and photographs being clicked it becomes really tiring. In films, our shoots are distributed in such a manner that we don't feel pressurised. But here you can't take it lightly because the show has to go on air. You can't afford to skip even if you are unwell. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of television," she said.

Apart from getting several awards at home, she has also won international awards at the Locarno International Film Festival, Karachi International Film Festival and International Festival at Ciepie in Argentina for her role in "Khamosh Pani".