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The rise of startups is inevitable, but with Shark Tank India and its jejune melodramatic episodes, it has almost become a joke

Is Shark Tank India losing its fizz? 783457

Initiatives like these ‘Shark Tank’ in an entertainment space, where mostly mediocrity is celebrated, will go in vain with any further debate. Every other day, it almost feels like the creators have nothing else to offer besides the exact old wine to the Indians. No, we Indians do not want these ‘teary-eyed’ melodramas anymore; or nail-biting scripted debates; because accept it or not, the entertainment space has broadened way too much, and the creators in India need to know that we as an audience deserve better!

Shark Tank has been on the edgy rise since its first premiere on television. The first season undoubtedly knocked the wind out of our minds, but what happened with the zeal now? Where is it? We remember beautiful stories from the first season, like Jugadu Kamlesh, Menstrupedia Comic, The Yarn Baazar and many more. Almost every story and every deal inspired the youths of the country. But it is gone now! It is all rah-rah and no grey matter.

Here we bring you some crackpots from season 2 that make it dull:

‘Competition’ cry

Remember when Namita refused to invest in a cosmetic brand Recode Studios, because she didn’t support a particular field where her friend was already running a business; to this? Vineeta blows a kiss to Namita. These insecurities take you nowhere but rather strip you down in front of the world, where people are clever enough to understand what’s running inside the mind. The competition scare was too demotivating!

‘Half Wit’ Vineeta

This occurred when Kasturi, who deals with ‘Waste Management’, came to Shark Tank with ‘Daily Dump.’ The instance takes us to where Vineeta Singh, co-founder and CEO of SUGAR cosmetics, checks on a product by Daily Dump and comes up with no clue about what ‘Reetha’ is. What irony it could be for someone dealing with cosmetics in India! And the shame call happened after Kasturi took a jibe at her saying, ‘Reetha toh reetha hi hai na’, ‘aap usi main kam karte hai, aapko toh pata hi hoga’. The episode sparked headlines with netizens trolling Vineeta Singh.

The Scripted Shark Fights

This happened too many times in the second sequel of Shark Tank. Each shark taking digs at the other, pulling one down, calling their failures out. When Peyush Bansal and Anupam Mittal got into a war of words, blaming each other blatantly on the screen. When Anupam Mittal called Aman Gupta ‘Dalbadlu’, Namita asked Anupam Mittal to keep his ego in check during a hair colour brand’s pitch.

The fights viably looked like they were pre-destined. We already knew what was coming up next, and no wonder the makers catered for these glimpses and glances as ‘promotions’ on social media to lure attention from the audience.

More of a ‘Loan’ Tank

Every alternative deal was based on ‘debts,’ which almost came to us as a surprise. As said in reports by Business Today, “Out of the 148 pitches that were aired, 95 pitchers were offered a deal, out of which 32 deals included debt as of 3 March. This means every third deal offered was a debt deal.” The creditor must receive regular or lump sum payments of the loans. From ambiguous budget deficits, the interest could become challenging to access. This could place the whole firm in jeopardy and even result in its collapse.

We are all fully cognizant of the global downturn that impacted the globe in 2008, forcing companies from every continent to redistribute their assets and fire numerous staff members. It significantly caused IT professionals in India, who evolved intense job-related fear and immediately started looking for alternative ways to receive assistance.

The young nation was rattled by this fear, connected with an unquenchable hunger to demonstrate grit and determination. Consequently, its people broke free from the logistics of banality and stepped up to the challenge, bringing forth innovative startups.

Therefore, the rise of startups is inevitable. Still, with Shark Tank India and its jejune melodramatic episodes, it has almost become a joke, especially for the country’s aspiring entrepreneurs, because on a broader spectrum, the youth did look up to the show as a ‘ray’ of hope.

About The Author
Shatakshi Ganguly

An ardent writer with a cinephile heart, who likes to theorise every screenplay beyond roots. When not writing, she can be seen scrutinizing books and trekking in the mountains.