06 November,2009 11:27 AM IST | | Sheena Thomas
If you were hoping to see Pooja and Hitesh get hitched on the reality show, Perfect Bride, you might have to wait an eternity. While Hitesh wants his ladylove to give up non-veg for him, the commitment-phobic Pooja now seems to be having second thoughts about the relationship. The way things are shaping up on the show, we wonder if any jodi will actually end up saying I do.
Rocky relationships
Matchmaking on reality shows seldom works. Look what happened in Rakhi ka Swayamwar. While Rakhi claimed to have found her soulmate in Elesh, she got cold feet when the time came to exchange rings.
Even bygone firangi shows seem to tell the same story. The very popular Joe Millionaire of the 90s saw women queuing up to marry the supposed 'millionaire' who was in search of unconditional love. At the end of the show, the makers of the serial revealed that he was actually a construction worker. Unsurprisingly Zora Andrich (the winner) and Paul Hogan (Joe Millionaire) didn't end up together because Zora claimed that she was attracted to a completely different man and he said that she lost her sex appeal once they were off the show.
Who wants to Marry a Millionaire met a similar fate. When Rick Rockwell married Cogner on the show, he said that he wanted to choose the best woman possible. Their marriage ended in less than two months.
No time for loveu00a0
Explains Veena Kumar, a social psychologist and psychology lecturer, "Most people have a romanticised image of their perfect Mr / Mrs Right and living happily ever after. That isn't always the way life is." In that regards show titles like Perfect Bride go a long way in reinforcing the notion of perfection in a utopian world.
And with the cameras tracking participants' every move on these reality shows, there is very little room for spontaneity. "In front of the camera everyone seems to be wearing a mask. The starry-eyed couple are in for a rude shock when the step into the real world," says Veena.
This might be true of the otherwise sassy, tomboyish Rakhi who turned into the demure, traditional bride on Rakhi ka Swayamvar or any of the wannabe brides trying to patao the ma-in-law in Perfect Bride.u00a0
With the exit route becoming an easy and convenient option, couples don't sweat too much before calling off relationships. And then a host of excuses like 'incompatibility and unresolved differences' follow. Also, easy availability of potential partners makes the job of saying 'I don't' a lot easier. Well, it's time we got a break from these break-ups and saw some real weddings instead.
