Indian mythology has it that Seeta had walked on fire to prove her ‘purity’ and ‘loyalty’ to her husband Lord Rama and the subjects of Ayodhya.

Security agencies worldwide use third degree torture methods to extract the truth from hardened criminals.

Indian television, however, has a better way to know whether someone is speaking the truth or not. It makes people sit on the hot seat in the Sach Ka Saamna – a new show on Star Plus.

Based on the immensely popular international show Moment of Truth, the show is also going to mark the comeback of heartthrob Rajeev Khandelwal (as a host) on Indian television. The show (see box) that has rocked American television industry has generated a lot of interest within the Indian television community as well.

TellyChakkar spoke to celebrities from the television world to discuss their thoughts on the format and who they would like to see on the show.

Vineet Raina: I have watched a few episodes of Moment of Truth and I must admit that I am a huge fan of the show. But I feel the reason why it has been so successful in the West is because people are frank and open about a lot of things that has happened in their private life. However, I feel this will be successful in India as well. Because, in our country there is an audience for all types of reality shows. Everything in India works!

Every Friday we expect new films, I don’t think the same thing happens elsewhere. The same rule is applicable to reality shows as well. There is variety and there is an audience for the variety.

I cannot think of anyone specific whom I would like to see on the show. I think the success of the show will be in how the common man reveals himself. Sach Ka Saamna will not depend on the celebrity count.

Abhinav Shukla: Unfortunately, our country is full of hypocrites. No matter how much we scream and shout about being conservative and preserving social values, we love to watch these shows. It will be nice to see how the common man reacts to such questions in front of the camera, knowing that another version with the lie detector attached to their body was recorded earlier. I feel, if Big Boss hit the jackpot in India, so will Sach Ka Saamna.

I don’t think I would like to participate in the show because I am a very private person and would not like to discuss my secrets in public.

I would like to see Shiney Ahuja (for an obvious reason) on the hot seat for this show!

Gaurav Gera: I have watched this show and must say that it is a very bold show. I think it is too early to say whether this format will work in India or not. It depends on many parameters. The type of question being the first and foremost point. In the original show, they ask extremely bold and embarrassing questions. But in India since we watch television with our children and parents and even grandparents, I am not sure whether they will be able to retain the same type of questions. At the same time if you do not retain these questions, the show will not be very juicy! So it is a tough balance to make.

I have not really thought about participating in the show – will decide after seeing the first few episodes! I feel we already know about celebrities – be it a politician, sportsperson or actor – thanks to the media. So, getting to see a common man perform in the show, according to me, will be much more attractive.

Daljeet Kaur: When it comes to speaking and knowing the truth, I feel all countries and citizens would be interested. If you can package truth in an entertaining show, nothing like it. At the same time, I must also admit that facing the truth is very difficult. There will be lot of controversies, arguments and problems. I have seen the show and it is really good. A lot will depend on the channel and how they handle the format.

I don’t think I would like to participate in this show. Though I don’t have too many skeletons in my closet! I live life like an open book. But I would like to see Salman Khan in the hot seat. Then we will get to know why he is not marrying Katrina Kaif!

Kushal Panjabi: This is a show that has been successful in the United States, Russia and a number of other countries. I don’t think India would be an exception. All of us have secrets and are inquisitive about others’ secrets. We want to know what is happening in our neighbour’s house, with celebrities and anyone and everyone! So I am sure this show will be a hit. But the USP of the show will be the controversies it will generate. Within 30 minutes this show will generate celebrities. I feel the success of this show will depend on how provocative the contestants will be!

I would definitely like to participate in the show and would like to see a bunch of politicians on the show! The common man would get to know what is in the mind of politicians and what happens to all the taxes we pay!

Sonia Kapoor: I have watched the international series and let me tell you that because of this show there will be lot of heartbreaks and divorces! The show, I feel, will depend on how effective the lie detector and polygraph readings are. Relations, misunderstandings and patch ups – everything will depend on how effective the lie detector will be.

I would not like to participate in this show since I am a very private person. I would like to see Aamir Khan on this show because he always gives politically correct answers to the media. I would like to know whether he is always right or not.

Avinash Sachdev: I have not seen Moment of Truth. But I have read about it and also heard from different people. This is definitely a very different show and it will take some time for us to get adjusted to this format.

I would love to participate in the show! Since I am an actor, I would like to see actors like Pankaj Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Rajpal Yadav on the hot seat. It would help me know how they raise the performance bar, every time so much.

Dolly Bindra: It depends on the Indian mentality and the cross section of people who come on this show. I have seen the original format and in the show and I feel Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, and the losers are completely exposed in front of the whole country. I feel the person who participates in the show needs to have guts. Otherwise, everyone will scoot off after a couple of easy questions!

My participation depends on the money! I would like to see the common man in the show and definitely not any celebrity.