‘I’d love to play myself in a movie’

Sixteen million viewers, spiralling TRPs, six seasons and with a huge cult following...
Raghu Ram, the producer of the hugely successful reality show seems to be ready to shock many more.
In town for auditions of the current season, this tough guy with a mean streak seems to have perfected the art of being unexpected and this time round he is aided by none other than his twin brother Rajiv Ram.Rajiv incidentally is also the man behind many a successful reality shows, the recent one being a romance based reality show with 13 girls and two guys.
Having made his entry in 2003, as the producer of India���s first adventure reality show, that tested the mettle of a young group of people travelling cross country on bikes and being exposed to gruelling situations.
The subsequent seasons only managed to stir a hornet���s nest among the youngsters of the country. Having produced one of the longest running youth cult shows on a popular youth channel, how does he manage to shock each time round? ���When I started out, it was like a social experiment for me. All I wanted to do was explore and exploit the social dynamics of a group under pressure, the power equations and how spontaneously people react to unexpected situations. Today the spirit of the show has taken a different dimension altogether,��� he says.
After a sucessful stint of six seasons, did he come across any contestants that left him stumped? ���Every year we have contestants who follow the auditions through four five cities just to try and get selected despite repeated attempts.There was this guy from Lucknow, who left his cushy job in Washington to try his luck on the show in three cities and he didn���t make it! There are many people who take this as a platform to get fame while some are just seeking some adventure and a break from the monotony of their lives, like this home-maker who ran away and appeared for auditions in Kolkata,��� he says.
Having achieved a no-holds-barred lean mean persona among the youth of the country, is he open to film roles? ���I already had three film offers, and was offered a couple of ad spots. Since I am not an actor, I���d rather wait around for something interesting to come up. I don���t mind playing myself in a movie.��� Raghu avers. Talking of acting, be it anchors Rannvijay, Ayushman, Bani who have made it big on television, Chak De girl Shubhi Mehta, or this year���s winner Ashutosh Kaushik, does he knowingly create success stories from ordinary people? ���I don���t mind if the contestants become bigger than the show. I try to stay detached from the show and the contestants, after it is over.���
So what���s Raghu sans the show all about? ���I have travelled the length and breadth of this country and would love to write a travelogue of my travails. I love reading books on philosophy and biographies whenever I get the time and music has always been a passion for both of us,��� he says. Talking about Ahmedabad, he says, ���Everything about the city is so colourful and vibrant; be it the dances, the food or the warmth of people here, it is definitely an interesting mix. I always think back to this delicious Gujarati thali that I had in Vadodara as one of my most memorable meals.���