'Antakshari' ke chor machaye shor

Zee TV's Sansui Antakshari has caught one of its teams Parwane cheating on the show. The accused Mahesh and Jai are believed by Zee TV to have written lyrics on their palms and used these while singing. Zee TV will telecast this drama in their next show.

Gajendra Singh, director of Sansui Antakshari expresses his concern in a Press release from the channel, "In the 12 long years of Antakshari this is the first time such an incident has occurred. Antakshari has always stood for fun, masti and entertainment. This show is completely transparent and fair. Such an incident is very shocking and has caused a jarring note. Antakshari will continue winning hearts of the audiences but it is sad that people can go to such extents to win prizes."

Mahesh and Jai: Zee TV didn't mind parting with their pictures.

But why is the channel giving this incident undue publicity? Does the incident demand merit this treatment? This is an incident of the type one would generally hush up.

A spokesperson from Zee TV says, "Antakshari has always been a transparent show. We have shown the good things that happen on the show. So why should we hide something like this. We are sharing this incident with the Press to maintain Antakshari's transparency."

But isn't it enough punishment for the young accused to be discussed in the papers all over? Why are they telecasting those scenes? "The channel has just decided to go ahead with the telecast," replies the Zee spokesperson. Gajendra Singh was not available for his comment on the issue.

Among the queries that crop up are - isn't Zee TV going just a tad overboard by telecasting the cheating incident? Is Zee TV showing the emotions behind the screen in order to go the reality way? How will the accused face the humiliation that will follow the telecast? Our efforts to speak to the accused failed. Jai's cell number was temporarily suspended and Mahesh hung when he realised he was speaking to the Press.