Whether reality talent shows are appropriate for children or not, has become an unsolved query for most parents after Shinjini Sengupta’s case. It has been alleged that Shinjini went into depression after some harsh comments made by the judges of the reality show that she was a part of. Unfortunately, Shinjini took a turn for the worst and she was hospitalised with acute depression and inability to even move her legs. The fate of young Shinjini has opened a can of worms. Should little children be subject to the harsh realities of reality shows? We spoke on this burning issue to people closely connected to reality shows.

Read their viewpoints.

Saroj Khan: What happened to Shinjini Sengupta is a rare case. Just because she had this weakness, doesn’t mean that all kids are like her. There are kids in my show Nach Le Ve and I don’t see any harm in them being a part of reality shows. Don’t they pass or fail in their school exams? If they can deal with school results, why can’t they deal with results on reality shows? Judges have to be strict or else they can’t do their job appropriately. Being a judge, it is their duty to give their opinion whether pleasing or harsh.

Aadesh Srivastav: I am totally against reality shows for children. These reality shows affect the tender minds of children who participate in these shows. Whether a child loses or wins, he will carry this baggage of being a winner or a loser till the time he grows up. Children are fragile and they are like growing plants. They are not mentally ready for such high impact things. I even expressed my views against reality shows for kids in Voice of India but it was edited. Judges should first do a reality check with themselves whether they are capable of judging these talented kids and whether they can give breaks to these kids. Most of the time, judges make promises on camera, of giving breaks to the participants but they don’t. A judge can talk any thing for the heck of talking but they should be responsible for what they say.

Shubhangi Aatre: Competition is necessary for kids but parents shouldn’t go over board with it. These reality shows force them to grow before time. I mean they are just children and these reality shows throw a lot of significance on eliminations. They make eliminations extremely dramatic. I would never let my daughter participate in reality shows. It is not in the best of a kid’s interest. I am myself sceptical about participating in reality shows, forget about my daughter. Only if a kid is highly interested in being a part of a reality show, then there is no harm.

Abhaas Joshi: I have been a participant as well as a host of reality talent hunt shows. I know one thing as a matter of fact that no judge crosses his/her limits in criticising a child. These reality shows give a platform to talented kids and had it not been for these shows, it would have been impossible for many children to get a break. I came to Mumbai two years ago to participate in one such show and now I am a familiar face. If I had not participated in Voice of India, it would have taken ages for me to achieve the kind of fame and success that I have attained in a span of just two years.

Anamika: Such shows are the best thing that can happen to a child who has potential to make it big. What you take from the show is individualistic. When I was competing in Sa Re Ga Ma little champs, all the participants were told before hand that we shouldn’t take judge’s comments negatively. It is the judge’s responsibility to give their sincere comments and it is a participant’s responsibility to improvise faults based on judge’s opinions. I had such a beautiful experience with my show that I wish those days never ended.