Travel shows on India are hottest thing on television

When Indian televisions were invaded by international production houses, apart from all the wildlife programmes, a strange guest entered our living room. He or she would talk to us as if we were right there, taking us through wondrous lands we had only read of in geography books or seen maps of.

From Ian Wright, Bobby Chinn, Megan McCormick, Anthony Bourdain to even Bridget Marquardt, an actor who’s better known for portraying the role of a Playboy bunny in the film The Girls Next Door, travel shows have literally become our windows to the world. And a country like India, which is fascinated with history and travelling, it was only a matter of time, that similar shows began being hosted by Indian presenters.

From shows that take us through perilous journeys across the Indian terrain to cities tucked away in a city no one would visit otherwise, every inch of India is today up for grabs — at least on TV.

Recently, VJ and actor Purab Kohli signed the dotted line to host a show where he takes a shot of doing things he’s dreamt of all his life. And with that, he’d pick regular citizens (chosen through a contest) to travel with him.

Vineet Bhatia, a Michelin star chef and owner of the restaurant Rasoi, is now going for a wild ride into 13 different iconic food cities of India to understand the culture of each of these places.

“We go and explore the most hidden secrets of these cities, even at a few restaurants (if you can call them that) and dissect the whole gastronomical situation of the places. Then, I try to create the same dish back in a kitchen, giving it a personal take. It just made us realise how much we have in our own country and how we can strive to make it better,” says Vineet, adding, “This travel show took me to places I have never seen and I have discovered things that I didn’t know existed — from a food perspective that is!”

Vineet also says that shows like these capture the real essence of India — the real country and where its heart and soul lies. “India is in its secret folds; not in large cities that get talked about so much!” says the chef.

While food related shows continue to rule the roost when it comes to travel shows on television, even jewellery seems to have become a focal point. Model and actor Lisa Ray made her foray into television with the show Oh My Gold! where she travels to cities in India, known for its jewellery, trying to unravel the various cultural influences.

And if you thought that is amazing, take this. What’s With Indian Men? is a show that takes us through various cities, exploring unforgettable encounters with men! And no there’s no sleaze in there. Supermodel Indrani Dasgupta and actor Sugandha Garg visit 10 different cities to find out what makes Indian men tick.

“What’s With Indian Men? is not your usual travel show where the anchors stay in luxury resorts or rough it out to explore new destinations. It is all about finding out how these cities have shaped their men. It was a new experience for me, far from the glitz and glamour of the fashion world. Sugandha and I discovered something new and interesting everyday about the men in this country,” says Indrani. And as Suganda puts it, “It’s like doing a doctorate show on Indian men!”

Looks like author Mark Twain got it right when he said, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”