The ongoing Covid pandemic has not only witnessed a rise in consumption of shows and movies available on various online streaming platforms but even allowed makers to step out of their comfort zones and experiment with various kinds of content. And given the popularity of competitive reality shows in our country, Sony LIV has gone on to introduced the Indian audience to a desi-version of ‘Shark Tank’.

The show which comprises of a jury of seven members aims to provide a platform to budding entrepreneurs, who pitch their creative and unique business in front of real-life investors (jury also referred to as Sharks on the show), who evaluate the product and the ideas before sharing their opinion. Despite mixed reviews, the competitive reality show continues to trend on social media.

Shark Tank’s Origin

While many think that the desi-version of Sony LIV’s show is inspired by the popular US version of ‘Shark Tank’ which first premiered in 2009 and is currently in its thirteenth season, the very first version of the business show originated in Japan. Titled ‘Tigers of Money’, the reality show was launched in 2001 by Nippon TV. Post which the UK adopted the same format and came out with their own version, ‘Dragon’s Den’, in 2005, before being launched in the US.

Know a little more about the Sharks/Judges

‘Shark Tank India’ features a jury of seven judges, who are called Sharks on the show. These are real-life investors, who are ready to invest in ideas and products pitched to them on the show by young budding entrepreneurs. The panel comprises of seven sharks, namely, Ashneer Grover (co-founder of BharatPe), Peyush Bansal (co-founder of Lenskart), Ghazal Alagh (co-founder of MamaEarth), Vineeta Singh (co-founder of SUGAR), Namita Thapar (Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Aman Gupta (BoAt co-founder) and Anupam Mittal (founder of People Group).

Controversies

Despite several efforts and positive feedback to contestants participating in the reality show, ‘Shark Tank India’ has been mired in a couple of controversies since its premiere (December 2021).

While judges try to be pretty encouraging and upbeat with their reviews, it was Lenskart co-founder Peyush Bansal’s comment ‘Ek advice hai, CA se durr raho’ that offended a couple of netizens, who expressed their discontent on social media. While a petition to remove Bansal from the panel gained over twenty thousand signatures, the Lenskart co-founder was quick to post a formal apology. Bansal was quick to come online with a formal apology on social media.

A message from the heart… pic.twitter.com/0bV9OKlmMQ

— Peyush Bansal (@peyushbansal) January 10, 2022

BharatPe founder Ashneer Grover became the second judge to face the ire of netizens when a video clip of him and his family member allegedly slamming a Kotak employee went viral on the internet. In addition to the viral clip, Grover’s arrogant behaviour on the show added more fuel to the fire.

We found new meme template in #SharkTankIndia #AshneerGrover pic.twitter.com/C0kJiLrOrE

— padosii (@padosiii) January 22, 2022

Comics join the party

Given the popularity of the show and the flak that the previously mentioned judges received online, popular Indian comics like Biswa Kalyan Rath, Uroof Ashfaq and Mallika Dua joined the bandwagon by sharing their own versions of the reality show judges, leaving everyone in splits. If you don’t believe us then check out this post shared by Biswa here:

SEE ALSO: From Ashneer Grover To Aman Gupta; Here’s The Net Worth Of The Sharks In ‘Shark Tank’ India

Cover Image: Twitter