Indian Idol's 'Scripted Reality' Exposed?

A recent social media post has confirmed long-standing suspicions about the authenticity of reality shows. During a Holi special episode of Indian Idol, guest judge Hema Malini was spotted holding a script with exact lines written in Devnagri script. The script instructed her to describe Mathura's Lath Maar Holi, revealing that her conversations were pre-planned.

Screenshots from the episode, where Hema wore a white saree and spoke to someone off-camera, showed the script in her hand. This discovery shocked social media users, who expressed disappointment and amusement.

One user commented, “This is so embarrassing tbh,” while another shared their backstage experience from a dance reality show, claiming that even comedian Bharti Singh’s punchlines and guest judge Govinda’s comments were scripted.

While some users were surprised, others argued that scripting in reality shows is common practice to maintain entertainment value. Hema Malini was joined by regular judges Shreya Ghoshal, Vishal Dadlani, and Badshah on the show's 15th season.