Thou shalt give in to Temptation

new delhi: ftv censured. temptation island uncensored? indian television is on test again. this time measuring its maturity will be temptation island, fox's much-hyped, steamy reality show which will be beamed into indian drawing rooms from november 22 on star world. and if that isn't a biggish test, our tv biggies are already busy planning its desi version: star with an 'acceptable' version and zee with a sanitised version.set in a lush carribean island where bronzed beauties in bikinis and muscled men in shorts test the limits of faithfulness, temptation island features four unmarried "but seriously committed couples" and 26 attractive singles "with no restrictions". the couples are then separated for two weeks during which time they either resist temptation or succumb to it. all this while the camera rolls on. the promos of this highly-rated series show sizzling shots of well-built semi-clad men and women lolling around in pools and in each other's arms. "it's not a show about sex, but love, life and betrayal," says star, which is planning to do a take-off on it. and even as the show rolls, star will conduct a poll to find out if a desi temptation would be ok by indian sensibilities. "we are planning an indian show," says samir nair of star. "we want to do it, but first we have to know whether we should do it. the poll will help us get a sense of things." while baywatch and its flesh-parade may be fine for the indian palate, would a show which questions the sanctity of relationships be acceptable to indian sensibilities? "it's not a statement on indian morality," says nair. besides, he points out, it's not on their mass entertainment channel, but meant for a niche mature audience. "all kinds of things are happening in the world, we are just providing india with a window to watch it." "frankly, it's not my cup of tea, but if people like it what's wrong with it? and many people around the world have liked it," says media analyst bhaskar ghose. "there's no saying whether it will become a hit in india, only the trps will show." zee's indigenous version romance, adventure, aap aur hum has already been canned and is slated to go on air next month. like temptation island, their reality show also involves four married couples, but sans the passion. "it's an indianised version of temptation island, so all the passion is behind the scenes," says a zee spokesperson.