Broadbandindia Magazine

Sacch Ka Saamna is the Indian version of the popular American reality show The Moment of Truth. It premiered on STAR Plus on July 15, 2009 at 10:30 PM and airs from Monday through Friday each week. Television and film actor Rajeev Khandelwal is the host of the show.

On the show, contestants are hooked up to a polygraph machine. The biological indicators of the contestant, such as pulse rate, blood pressure, etc. are measured and used by the polygraph to decide whether the answer is true or not. The contestant is not aware of the results of the polygraph for his or her answers. During the show, the contestant is asked 21 questions.

 If the contestant answers honestly, he or she moves on to the next question; however, should a contestant lie in his or her answer, or simply refuse to answer a question after it has been asked, the game ends and the contestant loses all their prize money. There are six levels of prize money in the game. The questions become increasingly personal and potentially embarassing in nature as the stakes get higher.

 In just its first week, the show created a controversy, with some sections of people demanding that the show be stopped on the premise that admission of gross personal or social misconduct by celebrities on national television will make it more “morally acceptable” for others to indulge in similar activity, thereby leading to a gradual weakening of society’s morals. Samajwadi Party MP Kamal Akhtar took up the issue in the Rajya Sabha, arguing that the questions asked in the show were against Indian culture and demanding a halt to its screening.

 ours after the furore in the Rajya Sabha over the reality show Sach Ka Saamna, the Information and Broadcasting ministry issued a show cause notice to the TV channel that airs the show. Ministry sources said the notice has been issued as the channel allegedly violated clause 6 (1) ADIO of the programme code, under which they consider the show offensive to good taste and decency. Kamal Akhtar of the Samajwadi Party said obscene questions are asked by the anchor (Rajeev Khandelwal), citing the episode in which a woman was asked whether she would have a physical relationship with another man. All this while her husband and other family members looked on. When she said no, the polygraph test said the answer was wrong, prompting Kamal to wonder how that would make the woman’s husband feel. The channel had to reply to the notice by July 27.

Sach Ka Saamna gets a clean chit

As per our source, “SKS has got clean chit from the court as all the cases that was filed against the show were rejected.” “Though court has given the green signal, but the producer and channel are still waiting for the reply from Information and Broadcast Ministry. The verdict should be out any time soon. Though the hearing date is declared on August 7,” adds the source.

Is the shooting halted due to such pangas. “Not really, as the channel has already shot two schedules i.e. 22 episodes with Rajeev Khandelwal.. The actor is currently in Leh Ladakh for the shoot of his flick. As soon as he returns the shooting will be resumed”.

The HC verdict : Turn off your TV

Delhi High Court threw out two petitions against the game show Sach ka Saamna, saying “moral policing” was not its job, and advised those offended by the show to turn off their TVs. The judges slammed the petition as an example of the “misuse” of public interest litigation and, going a step ahead, also ridiculed the “hypocrisy of various ministers and parliamentarians” over deciding broadcasting law and television content.

“In this land of Gandhi, it appears that nobody follows Gandhi… Follow the Gandhian principle of ‘see no evil’. Why do you not simply switch off the TV?” a division bench of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Manmohan told the petitioners. “We have very good advice for you. You have got two judges sitting here who do not watch TV at all. It will certainly help.” Individual ideas of morality were not the business of the court, the judges said. “We are not sitting here for moral policing… You approach the Parliament and get the remedy. The courts cannot be expected to deal with issues that involve different individual perceptions.”

Industry Insider’s view

Rajan Shahi, Producer, Bidaai

The audience has the remote control and the power to switch channels and watch what they want. It’s ridiculous for a bunch of politicians to feel that society will be corrupted because of one show. There’s nothing vulgar about Sach Ka Saamna and the show’s participants are mature adults who are there of their own free will. Politicians should resolve other issues like crime, the remote for which is not in the hands of the audience.

Ghajendrra Siingh, Producer of game and reality shows

Pintoo Guha, producer of various shows on social issues Indians, especially politicians, are hypocrites. We want to do everything, but won’t talk about it openly. At least this show provides a platform to those who want to speak their mind and there’s an audience that wants to watch it. Politicians want attention and will associate themselves with anything that is being talked about.

Mona Singh, actress

When the judiciary has made gay rights legal, why is there such a hoo-haa about this show? When Indian society has come so far, we should stop saying that we’re a conservative country. Such shows are real eye-openers. I’m sure politicians are scared they may be called on Sach Ka Saamna, so they want to ban the show.

There are certain channels on which such content is acceptable, such as Splitsvilla and Roadies, which are aired on a music channel. But Sach Ka Saamna gets aired on a family entertainment channel, which is not ok. Producers today have pushed the envelope a bit too far for TRPs.