Love Is a Game (Show).(in India arranged marriage is a game show)(Brief Article)

A young couple sits side by side on a romantic swing propped up by pink bolsters. Although they've just met, Vinod Deshpande, 28, and Meenakshi Wagh, 27, are hesitantly trying to figure out if they should spend the rest of their lives together. "Would you allow me to carry on working after marriage?" asks Wagh, a former professional badminton champion who now coaches full time. "Absolutely," says Deshpande, a tender look spreading across his face. "I want an independent wife with a career and opinions of her own." In the background, their families earnestly discuss their children's compatibility: they seem to share a passion for sports, and Deshpande's line of work selling health-care products is similar to Wagh's father's.

Such intimate discussions normally take place behind closed doors. But tonight, TV viewers across India hang on every word. "Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai" ("There's Someone, Somewhere Made for You") has turned India's tradition of arranged marriages into a game show--the latest attempt to cash in on reality TV, which has thus far failed to take off in the land of Bollywood. Cable channel AXN screened "Survivor" earlier this year, but the show bombed with viewers alarmed by its ruthlessness. "Temptation Island" was hastily pulled after it provoked outrage over the wanton sexual antics of young couples. An Indian version of "Weakest Link," the wildly popular quiz show, drew hate mail for its cruel emcee. Only "Kaun Banega Crorepati," the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," has been a runaway ratings success.

Producers hope "Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai" will follow in "Millionaire's" footsteps. The show, hosted by eclipsed Bollywood megastar Madhuri Dixit, who sings over opening credits as dancers gyrate behind her, trades on one of India's most enduring traditions. In urban areas, half of couples are still matched by their families; in the villages, the share is far higher. "Indians are so reclusive I didn't know if it would work," says the show's creative director, Zarina Mehta. "But on camera they're totally honest. They discuss everything--dowry, whatever. We've broken many taboos."

In a nod to modernity, the show allows female contestants to choose from several men, rather than the other way around. (Producers felt audiences wouldn't react well to women being rejected.) From detailed dossiers describing each of eight possible matches, the woman chooses three contestants to appear with her on TV. Over the course of three prime-time 30-minute shows, ...