What’s it about?When tabloid favourite Rakhi Sawant decides to hunt for a groom on national television, it’s bound to draw eyeballs. The last time we were so riveted by television was when the Big B descended to the small screen to host one of India’s most successful TV shows. The fact that Sawant, as the coy bride, is generating as much interest as Bachchan did with his turn as a quizmaster shouldn’t be surprising—it’s an indication of how far Indian television has gone. The line between film stardom, television stardom and self-declared stardom has only become thinner and this show proves it.

The show is what it claims to be —in typical swayamvar style, men from all over the country will compete to claim Sawant’s hand in marriage. And the lady herself will sit in judgment and will be guided by her own instincts and a few advisors.

Who’s in it?Sawant will of course, be present in almost every frame of the show. Dressed in relatively modest lehengas and sumptuous jewellery, she plays the part of a bride to be quite convincingly —simpering and giggling as and when required. Hosting the show is Ram Kapoor who, we’re sorry to note, is no longer the heartthrob we first saw on Ghar Ek Mandir. The only thing that could get us to take our eyes off Rakhi’s humungous maang tikka is Kapoor’s humungous frame.

We’re told that there will also be occasional guests, such as

Bhojpuri superstar, Ravi Kissen, who played the role of Sawant’s loving and responsible older brother and asked all the uncomfortable questions about financial stability and career plans.

What’s hot?Swayamvar touches a level of humour—intentional or otherwise—to an extent not achieved by any other reality show. So we have a 21-year-old boy declaring that he’s been in love with Sawant for the past eight years, while another yells “amazing” every time she says a word. The high point for us was when one man tried to impress the bride by dancing and another contestant told her, “We should definitely get him to dance at our wedding.” Ouch!

But what really gets us is that Sawant seems sincere in her efforts to look for a husband on TV. Her questions about her suitors’ concept of love and marriage seem entirely relevant and seem to come from the heart. However, the same cannot be said of the suitors themselves, many of whom are attached to the entertainment industry and that makes us highly suspicious of their motives.

What’s not?That Sawant’s ex-boyfriend’s close friend Atirek Sharma is also one of the suitors seems rather strange. But what’s worse is that it seems scripted specially to give the show shock-value. That’s not the best way to convince viewers that Sawant is indeed serious about getting married on TV.