Let the Dating Games Begin!

2006 saw Zoom and Close-Up (the dental consumer product company) joining hands for a dating show, and as the sponsor changed this year, the name and the segments of the concept also took a different shape, "It was not looked as a youth centric show, it was basically for the large single population. However as we see from the regional rounds, it looks like it has taken up well with the younger crowd," replies Anand cheerfully. Zoom - the lifestyle channel is going full throttle with its new show Speed Jamming, Contest: the hunt for the coolest couple! It's an open dating forum showcasing your wooing talents, the regional rounds are held in Indian metros viz Delhi, Chandigarh & Bangalore and Mumbai. In Mumbai the competition was held at Planet M, the regional rounds were won by Abhishek Dixit and Karishma Sakhrani. The regionals will produce six semi finalists out of which three will hit the finals. The entire final rounds will be broadcasted on Zoom in the last week of July. The current Judges include Anchal Kaur from the modelling industry and the team will continue to the finals with other male models. How does Anand look at the teen show with potential romance in saffron light? "We don't want to go against the tide of the social moss and we are very clear about it. Zoom is a family channel and our programming is moulded in the same way. We could have gone far more edgy with the concept but we are clear about being family entertainers," asserts Anand on a defence. The script line is interesting; the concept is fun and offers a welcome change on the small screen. However, it comes close to ABC's Perfect Match: a reality dating show which has garnered huge popularity across U.K and now U.S with its New York series. Anand feels that dating here is different from the concept of dating in the west, "We are not going to stretch it into a match making show. Speed Jamming is going to be more across the table, getting two people together to know each other better." Looks like its going to be young and interesting and are retaining the innocence of dating on television! The concept has picked up well with the city's youth and as Anand states, it is also garnered a lot of interest in the small towns. 'If you believe in love at first sight, and are confident of charming your way into a complete stranger's heart, then the Coca-Cola Speed Jamming Contest is the perfect place to find the perfect partner.' It's entertaining and in a way the success of such shows will determine the direction television in India is heading. We are not sure though if things on the political front will change as Anand does not wish to 'go against the social tide'. Zoom's Speed Jamming may provide an advertiser sanctioned platform for the 'across the table' dating types, while the rest can go back to Orkutting. We should thank god for small mercies: a slight relief from the grand-fathers in their early thirties and comedy shows that can't be remotely funny without ethnic or sexist jokes. Even though we wish for bolder shows and can do without bans of Ftv, Speed Jamming comes in as a fresh shower of rain on parched earth. Scribble in your opinion on the dating from a distance to us at [email protected]