I am one of those who do not follow ‘reality’ shows. Even when the infamous racism row happened in the UK’s ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ show and was splashed across all news channels, my reaction was – ‘so what? its just another Bollywood masala in a UK setting’.
So when the star villian of the show, Jade Goody died recently, the adulation across UK revealed the power of such shows. She had become famous, rather infamous, during the controversial episodes of Big Brother. She was the villain. However, her fatal illness brought her back the lost respect – like the bad mother-in-law/sister-in-law in our movies who cry for forgiveness, in the arms of the heroine, just before dying.
Notwithstanding the millions she made by cashing in on her death (signing up lucrative deals with TV networks to allow them to film her last days – for her sons’ sake), she was praised by even the UK’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, as a ‘courageous woman’.
So when the star villian of the show, Jade Goody died recently, the adulation across UK revealed the power of such shows. She had become famous, rather infamous, during the controversial episodes of Big Brother. She was the villain. However, her fatal illness brought her back the lost respect – like the bad mother-in-law/sister-in-law in our movies who cry for forgiveness, in the arms of the heroine, just before dying.
Notwithstanding the millions she made by cashing in on her death (signing up lucrative deals with TV networks to allow them to film her last days – for her sons’ sake), she was praised by even the UK’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, as a ‘courageous woman’.
After all, nothing is more honourable than a honourable death. Life is all about reality, I mean reality shows.
SloganMurugan
March 24, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I prefer news
citygurl
March 24, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Funny, I did too until even the news is talked about Jade Goody. BBC had a news clip on her, among other things like Pak’s CJ revival and the IPL.
Ob-Guy'n
March 25, 2009 at 3:37 am
I always thought of Big Brother as an insult to human intelligence, till some news channels confirmed the complete non existence of any such presumed intelligence !
Playing devil’s advocate, JG did what she could to make some money for her kids before passing on. That’s fair.
jyothy karat
March 26, 2009 at 7:30 pm
yup.. i agree.. why not make as much as u can for your loved ones?? I mean…Randy Pausch did the same.. with his last lecture and the subsequent release of his book (i think his family will receive a sizable income from royalties for the book alone). But of course, i’d any day watch the youtube video of the last lecture once again than another episode of Big Brother
jyothy karat
March 26, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Of course! Why not cash in while you can! After all, Randy Pausch did the same for his family.. but of course, id watch the you tube video of the last lecture once again than watch another episode of Big B!
citygurl
March 26, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Ob_Guy, Jyothy,
Thanks for stopping by.
About the whole episode, what I meant was that her whole life was like a Bollywood film – Rags to riches, becoming infamous, then change of heart,finally terminal illness & praised on her death by even the PM – having all the human drama that dot our usual potboiler cinema & hence the title of the blog post.
About her making money for her family, thats fair enough & human.
citygurl
March 30, 2009 at 9:39 am
Also, Making money aside, what kind of morbid press & people are those who actually want to see her last few days? I mean aren't we taking reality stuff too far?
Ob-Guy'n
March 31, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Look around you Citygurl !!!
All around you are seemingly sensible people leading focussed productive lives…….yet they all have a reality tv fetish that varies from the ridiculous dance india dance types to the downright moribund, as was the case of the dying JG ….