I am a master in India

Chapter 347 Talent Show
SunTV is now India’s premier private television station, with a peak viewership of over 30 million.

More than 75% of television viewers watch SunTV, which is also India's second-largest television network, after the free-to-air All India Television.

The success of "China's Got Talent" in overtaking competitors in the market within just a year and a half is largely due to its contribution.

The show premiered at the beginning of the year, and the first episode became an instant hit.

It was like a drop of water falling into a pot of boiling oil, causing the entire Indian society to boil over.

The novelty and shock of the content left major newspapers speechless; they couldn't even come up with a suitable headline.

However, this silence was short-lived, and soon a flood of editorial commentators arrived.

They were chattering and arguing, some furious and demanding that SunTV stop broadcasting such programs. Others supported freedom of entertainment, claiming that SunTV pioneered variety shows in India.

However, no one cared, because the public was still caught up in the aftermath of "Got Talent" and couldn't shake it off for a long time.

What did they see? Take the first performer, for example.

He's a street performer who plays with fire; throwing fireballs and such is child's play for him.

This guy directly rubbed his scalp with the torch! After he finished rubbing, he swallowed it in one gulp and breathed a long flame into the sky for more than ten seconds.

It wasn't over yet. The most shocking thing was that he took a lit rope and pulled it back and forth between his pants!
A raging fire burned in his crotch as he danced disco steps to the music.

Occasionally, he would unbuckle his belt, stuff a piece of fire into his underwear, and finally end the performance by extinguishing the fire with his anus.

Not only is the work ruthless, but it's also highly entertaining, which is impressive.

Urmila, one of the judges, was so frightened that she didn't dare open her eyes and almost hid under the table.

When the performance ended, the whole audience cheered, and everyone stood up to applaud the performers.

This is so exciting! Even though the Indians are very knowledgeable, they rarely see such novel performances.

Judge Amit Bachchan stated that the performer was a true Indian artist. He excitedly went on stage to take a photo with the performer and even used his judge privileges.

Each of the four judges on "China's Got Talent" has one special privilege during the entire season.

That is to select the best player in your mind and then give them a trophy with their signature to complete the level.

The performer who won the trophy also received a prize of 50 rupees on the spot.

Yes, cash, stacks of rupees, were handed to the performers right there on set.

50 rupees—that was an astronomical figure for Indians in 96.

The performer was so excited that his legs went weak, and he couldn't hold the money in his hands.

This greatly motivated the contestants on the talent show, who all gave it their all.

Following closely behind, several wonderful performances were produced in the first episode.

There are breathtaking contortionist performances by yoga dancers, balancing acts with ten cups and jugs on their heads, and dazzling Bharata dance performances.

The quality was extremely high, with no dull moments, and the audience screamed throughout.

After the first episode aired, SunTV even gave the fire-playing performer a nickname: Flamingo.

This is Ron's quirky sense of humor. It's not too much to give a nickname to someone who can win a 500,000 dollar prize.

The airing of "China's Got Talent" sparked a wave of discussion throughout society.

The audience had never seen a performance like this before; it was absolutely brilliant. That's why it's called a talent show.

Most acrobatic acts wouldn't pass the auditions because the Indians' standards have already been raised.

The first episode was packed with exciting moments, and the feeling of watching it on television was especially unique.

With increased public discussion, more people will naturally want to participate in the talent show.

India has a population of one billion, so there's no shortage of people with wildly imaginative ideas.

Most importantly, the 500,000 rupees was the highest prize money in the history of Indian television programs.

At that time, the average salary in India was only around 1,500 rupees, so 500,000 rupees meant becoming rich overnight and defying fate.

In the eyes of many Indian brothers, receiving 500,000 yuan is equivalent to being able to live a life of comfort and wealth for the rest of their lives.

Yes, in their eyes, having 500,000 rupees is what makes someone truly rich.

Each of the four judges on the talent show has this privilege once.

The big name Amit Bachchan has already used his spot once, leaving three judges remaining.

Without a doubt, as the show progresses, opportunities will inevitably become fewer and fewer.

This is a chance to get rich overnight and change your fate. How can you remain indifferent?

A few days after the program aired, people started coming to the Sun TV broadcasting center, asking to participate in the program.

The TV station told them there would be a special audition, and they just needed to wait for further notice.

Before the previous group of people could be dealt with, more and more people started coming to their door.

In just half a month, tens of thousands of performers gathered in Zhuhu District.

The Sun TV broadcasting center was packed with people, and the impatient performers simply started juggling on the street outside the gate.

Bollywood, which is next door, also suffered, with a large influx of outsiders causing many filming studios to be unable to proceed normally.

Many people think that if they can't go on talent shows, they can at least be extras in Bollywood.

Meanwhile, people from all over the country continued to arrive, and everyone underestimated the allure of 500,000 rupees for the lower classes.

As more and more people arrived, Zhu Hu District was overwhelmed, so Ron had no choice but to call Aijie.

Police intervened to disperse the crowd, and Sun TV interrupted its broadcast to suspend the auditions, as the program had already been recorded.

The situation gradually came under control after that, but many people still refused to leave.

Influenced by the first episode of Got Talent, the performances in subsequent episodes gradually became outrageous. One Dalit group from Bihar performed in a way that could only be described as brutal.

Breaking a boulder on one's chest, crushing a light bulb and eating glass, pulling a car with one's eyelids, balancing a steel bar on one's throat, swallowing a long sword alive, sleeping on a bed of nails.
That's right, all of these demanding tasks were accomplished by a single team.

They don't know any hard qigong, nor do they know how to hide glass in their mouths, pull their eyelids open while enduring pain, push steel bars against their necks, and stab longswords directly into their throats. Their beds of nails are genuine, and they rely entirely on their skin to endure the pain.
After the performance, all the Dalits were injured, their arms and backs covered in blood and gore.

The person who ate the glass had clumps of blood gushing from their mouth.

There are no special skills involved; it's all about physical willpower.

Ron's girlfriend, Urmila, was so frightened that she burst into tears; she had never seen such a bloody scene before.

But the group of Dalits didn't care at all; they stood there, their bodies covered in blood, waiting for the judges to announce the results.

Their eyes held stubbornness, longing, and a final struggle against fate.

They were Dalits, untouchables, not recognized by their fellow Dalits, and treated as a different species.

The talent show stage is their last chance to shine; if they fail, they will wither away in death.

They were prepared for the worst; dying in Mumbai, on the stage of a talent show, might be cooler than being shot or lynched in some rural village in Bihar.

They succeeded, though battered and bruised, they stood tall.

They also received the completion trophy, thanks to Urmira's special privileges.

She was ultimately kind-hearted and was impressed by their courage.

With 500,000 rupees, this group of Dalits successfully defied fate.

Not only did it cause a sensation at the scene, but after the program aired, it seemed to send shivers down the spines of the entire Indian society.

This was a performance destined to go down in history, touching on the most sensitive and darkest areas of the Indian system, namely caste and destiny.

SunTV was thrust into the spotlight, with criticism, accusations, and protests dominating newspaper headlines.

During this period, Sun TV has been the center of attention, with "China's Got Talent" receiving an extremely high level of attention.

Finally, even the Information and Broadcasting Department of New Delhi spoke out, saying that stage performances should not be too inhumane, and at the very least, should not cause any deaths.

Considering the social impact, SunTV added a rule after discussion: no bloodshed on stage.

They were also worried that, influenced by the Dalits, subsequent performers would imitate this style of performance.

If someone really dies, the social impact will indeed be negative.

Even after the rules were changed, it still couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of those taking the stage.

Indians may seem to have a lot of work to do, but most of it is just the same old tricks, mainly relying on novelty.

Such highly technical performances as those in the first episode are rare and hard to come by.

For example, there was a guy in the back who claimed to be a master of ancient Indian martial arts, and he was going to perform breaking bricks with his head.

One headbutt knocked him unconscious, and his assistants couldn't lift him up no matter what they tried. Even after groggily regaining his balance, he refused to leave the stage and continued chopping bricks with his hands.

They desperately wanted to be famous. This was the first variety show to feature ordinary people on stage, making it exceptionally significant.

Everyone who takes the stage sees it as an opportunity, a chance to change their destiny.

Even if you don't earn 500,000, becoming famous still brings many benefits, a level that many people can never reach in their entire lives.

Of course, besides these slightly bloody performances, "China's Got Talent" also has many truly bizarre programs.

For example, folk artists who use cow dung to create various deities and animals on the spot.

Ron instinctively covered his nose while watching the show.

Sure enough, he knew it; cow dung might be late, but it would never be absent.

There are even people who play songs by farting; it's absolutely disgusting.

The judges' expressions of covering their faces, laughing, leaving their seats, or showing disbelief all contribute to the entertainment value of the show.

The show was a success, an unprecedented success. Leaving aside the buzz, the number of subscribers skyrocketed.

Almost no one keeps changing the channel after watching the show for a while.

"Got Talent" has rightfully become SunTV's flagship program, with its ratings once surpassing those of ALL India TV during its run.

Ron didn't care what kind of antics his three brothers would pull on the show; as long as no one died, he was open to anything.

He is concerned with ratings, subscribers, and sponsorship fees.

The sponsor for the first quarter of this year is Tata Motors, a major client.

Last year, the "Celebrity Chef Competition" successfully brought Sun TV into the mainstream, with Suer Electric Appliances personally sponsoring the program.

The results were excellent, and after gaining fame, Tata spent a large sum of money to secure the naming rights.

1.2 million rupees, SunTV's highest single advertising revenue to date.

For a phenomenal variety show, this fee is actually not high; Tata has made a fortune.

The car that the performer was pulling with his eyelids on stage was a Tata brand car – a blatant product placement.

The first season of the talent show had an outstanding impact, significantly boosting Tata Motors' brand awareness by more than one level, making the 1.2 million rupee advertising fee absolutely worthwhile.

Of course, the title sponsorship fee for the next season will be different; we'll have to discuss that further.

Ron is going to a meeting at the TV station to discuss future development strategies.

Furthermore, the broadcasting center in Zhuhu District is still too small and needs to be expanded.

However, Chopra came to him with a movie he wanted to make, but it was proving to be a bit complicated.

(End of this chapter)