‘Trolls are people you know’

‘Trolls are people you know’

TV producer Vikas Gupta believes that those creating reality shows keep forgetting that such shows are kind of human experiments. “Reality shows can actually change a person from within and they can find their inner self while being a part of it,” says Vikas who will be back as the host and mastermind of the second season of MTV Ace of Space, which premieres today. 

The former Bigg Boss contestant says that during the first season, they had tried introducing a lot of elements, hoping that it would work. “And it did work in our case. I did not want it to become like any other reality show which has lots of unnecessary stuff and drama. There were several contestants who, by the end of it, understood a lot more about life,” he says adding that in the first season, the contestants’ head and heart were put to test, this time round, their beliefs will be put to test.  

In its debut season, the quirky reality show Ace of Space called for contestants to fight it out in 18x18ft rooms and test their endurance and patience. In season 2, Ace of Space house will be divided into two parts. Vikas says that his role as a host will also evolve in the second one. 

“Whenever you create something new, a lot more work goes into every department. I have always worked in a way that we feel responsible for everything we do. This time, we know our duties and the departments are handled by Endemol and MTV. I just have to see that the aesthetics are right and why we have made the show,” he says, adding, “MTV and I totally believe that there is a reason for making a show like this because the channel already has similar shows, for example, Splitsvilla and Roadies. It’s not just about relationships but offers a lot more.” 
 
He believes that captive reality shows like Bigg Boss have a huge audience and fan following. “I was in Dubai and I got such an amazing response there as people remember me even after two years. What happens with a captive reality show is that people get to see who the contestants really are. You can’t be faking it for months where you are captured 24x7, ” he explains.   

After Bigg Boss, Vikas participated in several reality shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi, Ace of Space, Khatra Khatra Khatra. Sharing his experience, he says, “My journey on Bigg Boss started by chance, following which I was offered a lot of fiction but I wasn’t very keen. I did Khatron Ke Khiladi because my family wanted to see me on television once again.” He adds that Ace of Space happened because MTV and he had decided to do a project and they zeroed in on this one. 
“Luckily, for me, all these shows did extremely well. As a contestant, I believe, you need to tell a story beautifully and you have to be real — you have to behave yourself,” he says. 

Vikas, who under his own production studio Lost Boy Productions has created many popular television series like Gumrah: End of Innocence, Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan, V The Serial and several others, says that reality shows are not life but a small part of one’s (the contestant) life. “So, don’t take them so seriously because they are not the start or end everything. Somehow, these reality shows can make a person believe that this is the end of everything and that’s when you have to realise it’s a project you are doing. If this doesn’t work out, something else will.”  

A lot of time the authenticity of these reality shows are questioned. But Vikas says that there is no fiction involved. “The fictionalised part happens when some contestants, for whom it’s a make or break, start doing things which are unrealistic,” he says.

As a producer, Vikas returned with a web series Punch Beat, which became one of the most popular youth-based series on ALTBalaji. He says that after the success of House of 2017, they are ready with Class of 2019. “The first season was a small show with a big heart but this one is going to be a big show with even a bigger heart. We are also working on two other web series,” he shares.  

Not just his shows but Vikas also makes headlines because he is constantly trolled on social media. “In the past one year, I realised that trolls are people you know. Normal people do not like to troll others for no reason. Most of the time, people, who do not like you or are jealous of you, create fake IDs and troll you because they know you well. Their purpose is to hurt you.” Recently, there was a post which mentioned something nasty about his family and it received 300 likes. “I went to that profile and realised that it doesn’t have a single follower,” he says.         

ST Reader Service 
Ace of Space will premiere on MTV on August 24 at 6 pm 

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