Nikhil Chinapa wears many hats — host, DJ, festival curator, and Roadies judge — with ease. His association with the show has been longstanding — first as a host for three seasons and more recently, as a gang leader.
Nikhil talks to Metrolife about the show’s latest season and the experience of hosting auditions online.
How would you describe the evolution of Roadies through the years?
The show has gone through several adapts, iterations, and changes in format — from being a travel show with a group of adventure seekers, to being an action-adventure reality show, filled with all the emotions that constitute a classic Greek tragedy. Bringing gangs into the format has also added a new dimension to the show, which audiences have loved.
Do you think the perception of Roadies has changed in the minds of viewers?
Not just perception, the audience themselves have changed. The show has been on-air for 17 years and a lot has changed in that time. What has not changed though is the action and the fun which have both held audiences through the years.
What are your expectations from this season?
The latest season is going to mark a watershed moment on the show. The theme is ‘Roadies Revolution’ and it is a name not chosen lightly.
This season we are embarking on a journey to try and change the way people think; about each other, life on our fragile planet and the issues faced by all of humanity globally.
Your thoughts on the virtual auditions that have been held this year? Does this in any way take away from the essence of a typical Roadies audition?
The virtual auditions are a brilliant adaptation to the times we live in, what we are all calling the Covid-19 era. Through it we have discovered some brilliant individuals — just the way we do at the on-ground auditions and the task of selecting just one (or maybe two) for the eventual journey is going to be a tough one.
How has the show adapted to the current scenario?
True to the never-give-up spirit of MTV Roadies, we as a team have adapted to the current scenario faced by the world and spun what was a setback into a brilliant new format on the show.
While the world in lockdown was fixated with Instagram live, we chose to abandon the platform and instead decided to do a multi-person audition using a different platform, streamed on our MTV Roadies Facebook page. While the world was slowly turning its back on Facebook, we chose to do the opposite, with some clever tweaks and adapts — the result is apparent in the millions of organic views that the online episodes have generated.
Do you think a virtual format for reality television is tenable?
It absolutely is. A virtual world comes with its share of setbacks but it also comes with tremendous opportunity and potential with advances in streaming technology, multiple platforms, and most importantly Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. You heard it here first – the world’s first imaginary, virtual, or augmented reality show is being planned by someone, somewhere right now – and it is going to hit us soon.
(Roadies Revolution airs every Saturday at 7pm on MTV.)