Kindness of Strangers

Saturday, September 20, 2008

If you had any doubts that American Idol has reached total world domination, I am here to prove you wrong. The franchise has extended its tentacles to India, where the (apparently) wildly popular Indian Idol debuted last night. We’ve seen advertisements posted everywhere, from train stations to airports, and Maikael and I were lucky enough to catch some of the program. While the formula is basically the same, there is a definite Indian flare to the whole affair.

1. There are a panel of Indian judges who are dopalgangers of the US crew: the beautiful young woman (Paula Abdul), the lovable curmudgeon who speaks alternately in Hindi and English (Simon Cowell), and the plump and eccentric one with crazy eyebrows (Randy Jackson).
2. Rather than going to Hollywood, contestants are provided The Golden Ticket while one of the judges shouts, “You’re going to Mumbaaaaaaaai!”
3. The producers still make visits to contestants’ hometowns, but the stories are way more tragic.
4. Contestants still beg, plead, and make terrible song selections. The only difference is that the song are usually from popular Bollywood movies and therefore way more entertaining and over-the-top than any Whitney Houston selection.
5. Family members still wait on tenterhooks while their son/daughter audition in the next room, but the delivery of the good news is much more dramatic. Indian-style editing effects are employed (slow motion and dramatic music are very popular), making Spanish telenovelas look like CSPAN.

We’ve decided to reduce our television watching upon returning home to the States; we have watched very little TV the past two months and don’t really miss it. But if Indian Idol aired in the US, I’m not sure that I could bear the sacrifice.