Done and Dusted: Are Indian award shows turning out to be a snooze fest?

The first few weeks of the new year are usually flooded with award shows in Bollywood as well as in Hollywood. However, there is a stark contrast in the kind of award shows that are held in the West and back home. For the unversed, majority of the award shows in Hollywood like the Oscars, Golden Globes and Grammys witnessed its lowest viewership this year. Should this come as a shocker? Well, not really. The dipping trend in award shows viewership has only been downhill since the last few years. A similar trend has been witnessed for Bollywood award shows which have failed to attract a huge audience in the recent years.

What has caused this downward spiral?  

In this day and age, when news, gossip and paparazzi pictures are hard to ignore on social media, award shows are aired days after the entire buzz about celebrities and their red carpet appearances has died down. Actors and actresses themselves do not hold back from sharing their red carpet pictures or their wins on social media leaving almost nothing to look forward to during the actual airing of the big night.

Unlike the West, Indian award shows are not even telecasted live. This quashes any hope of catching the superstars in their most candid avatar. All we see is an edited version and repeated shots of celebs clapping and cheering over and over again. They are also never to the point. 

How much is too much?

Year after year, the number of celebrities attending these award nights has dropped considerably. For example, none of the superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan or Amitabh Bachchan were present this year at the 65th Filmfare Awards in Assam. Among the female actresses big names like Kangana Ranaut, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Vidya Balan also gave the show a miss despite their films being nominated.

Apart from the star factor missing, award shows also do not check boxes on many levels. For starters, the never-ending performances. Dressed in garish costumes on an equally jarring set, we often get to see actors dancing to their own hit tunes and do moves which we have seen them do quite a few times before. Another major dampener is the length of these shows. Given that more and more people are consuming content that is shorter and catchy, sitting for hours when you already know who the big winners are just doesn't make sense anymore. Other bummers include some really cringe-worthy jokes and multiple award shows which have the same format. Moreover, rumours of these award shows being rigged is a huge turn off which eventually ends up in a snooze fest.

Do you think Indian award nights need a fresh lease of life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.