Sanath Jayasurya in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5? How sad!

When it is all about monetary gains, international celebrities don’t mind mopping the floors (remember Pamela Anderson in “Bigg Boss 4”), whipping up Indian fare (Andrews Symonds made chapattis in “Bigg Boss 5”) and taking up reality shows despite a war of words (Jade Goody argued Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother) to entertain Indian viewers! Even though Indian films especially Bollywood manages to remain the centre of everyone’s attention, international celebs don’t mind giving Indian shows a shot. That’s precisely why Indian TV has succeeded in giving its desi audience a fair share of videsi feel and interestingly, the firangs are only willing. Why wouldn’t they when huge bucks are at stake!

Former Sri Lanka cricketer, Sanath Jayasurya, has now been roped in for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’s forthcoming season! And it is only expected that the cricketer is being paid huge amount for his stint. But will the viewers be interested in Sanath looking perplexed when the judges will joke, lash out and comment in Hindi? Or will they be flattered to see him say oh-so-repetitive “Namaste” and “Hindi aata hai lekin thoda thoda”? Or will he simply end up looking like a fool, who’d leave for Sri Lanka after he learns a few desi steps and is soon ousted from the competition?  

Cricket enthusiasts aren’t keen on watching Sanath gyrate to desi beats. When we spoke to them, they didn’t look too impressed with the news. Here’s what they said…

Jyoti Budhraja: “Who is interested in watching non-dancers gyrate to music? I have watched Sanath play cricket and have appreciated his efforts. It will be sad to watch him make a fool of himself!”

Rahul Saxena: “If the cricketer has accepted the offer only because of the money that has been offered to him, he has disappointed his fans.”

Rajjat Sharma: “I think his participation will be a disaster. What’s the point in insulting popular sportspersons by making them do steps which don’t complement their persona?”

Bharat Tripathi: “I wouldn’t mind seeing him perform because he has had his share of success in the past. Probably this stint will help him renew his decaying popularity. After all, all kinds of publicity stunts are good for the celebs across the globe. It keeps the tongues wagging and rumour mills thrive on them too.”