Indian Television, in recent years, has not garnered the reputation of providing anything which is informative and meaningful. It restricts itself to largely providing what is purely entertaining. Almost all popular channels feature the same old ideas for serials running on a loop. That might have made for an entertaining watch for a vast section of people but the connection with the millennials and Gen Z was lost. In this context, one can opine that Indian Television has made arguably an excellent decision of introducing something like Shark Tank into the scene.
The show has taken the Internet and social media by storm and rightfully so. Those who are familiar with the OG Shark Tank from American TV might also be familiar with the basic concept. Entrepreneurs from across the country who are running their own startups, present their pitches in front of a panel of investors, also called ‘sharks’, to get them to invest in their business.
Yeah, it might not sound interesting to a lot of people but once you start watching the show, there is no going back. My friends and I are a testament to this. When I first saw hoardings on metro stations about ‘Shark Tank India’, it did get me excited but I kept my expectation on a low ebb, hoping that the makers might dramatize it a bit too much. However, the show doesn’t disappoint.
The show has introduced the Indian audience to so many new startups that even if they don’t get investments, they definitely get several eyeballs and new customers. One of the most interesting parts of the show has to be the back and forth between the sharks and pitchers for agreeing on a deal. It is very intriguing and always entertaining. Apart from all this, the show has also made people across the country aware of how rich India is when it comes to startups.
The sharks on the show are successful self-made entrepreneurs who built their own businesses from scratch. The panel includes Boat’s Co-Founder Aman Gupta, BharatePe’s Founder Ashneer Grover, Lenskart’s Founder Piyush Bansal, Shadi.com's founder Anupam Mittal, Sugar Cosmetics’ Co-Founder Vineeta Singh, Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals Namita Thapar and MamaEarth’s Co-founder Ghazal Alagh.
We all also owe it to this show to introduce us to such an interesting panel of sharks. These are the people who have garnered loads of success but not fame. The show has put these sharks in highlight and they make for a very important part of Shark Tank. Aman’s quirkiness, Anupam’s mannerisms, Ashneers’s brutally honest remarks, Vineeta’s hand gestures have given us great content. The content creators on social media are feeding on them. Be it Biswa’s impression of Anupam or several podcasts with the sharks of the show, everything is entertaining and informative at the same time.
The pitchers on the show are also nothing short of interesting personalities. Their business may not have what it takes to raise investment but their pitches are always compelling. It is also nice to see people from humble backgrounds coming on not just in front of sharks but of the whole country to present their businesses. It certainly takes a strong spirit to receive harsh feedback and rejections from the sharks. And mind you, the sharks do not sugarcoat when it comes to speaking out about what they really think of the businesses. If you have seen the show, you must remember the pitch of a product that supposedly makes the navel round and deep (weird and creepy, yes!). Ashneer Grover through his brutally honest remarks not just rejected the pitch but asked the pitcher to stop doing the business altogether and it is something you’ll hear him say often to the ideas he doesn’t like.
Yes, it is very likely to have some weird pitches, however, the other entrepreneurs on the show have come up with some brilliant and innovative ideas. There are budding businesses in all industries, ranging from healthcare and food to electric vehicles and fitness apps. You’ll also meet people like Jugadu Kamlesh from Malegaon, a young man working towards making the life of farmers easier.
No doubt the show is entertaining and informative, however, the biggest takeaway from it is the hope it gives to several potential entrepreneurs who have not started their journey yet. It inspires them to start working on that idea, take that risk and build that business. It shows how personal experiences can trigger new ideas and how those ideas have potential. If you haven’t watched the show yet, you are really missing out. It airs from Monday to Saturday on Sony TV at 9 pm. You can also catch it on the SonyLiv app.
