Aashiqana Season 1 Story:-
Serious entrepreneurs with innovative ideas abound, as seen in examples like the young women from Bangalore who operate a business selling packaged flowers for religious rituals, or the enthusiastic duo aiming to popularize Darjeeling tea. Additionally, there are couples hoping to revive traditional sari weaves, and earnest individuals who have developed products like a smartwatch for children, allowing parents to track and communicate with them, notes Deepa Gahlot.
Movie Ratings
| Release Date | 2 January 2023 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Genre | Game Show, Reality |
| Episodes | 51 |
| Cast | Peyush Bansal, Anupam Mittal, Aman Gupta, Vineeta Singh, Namita Thapar, Amit Jain |
| Production | Sony Pictures Television Studios |
| Certificate | 16+ |
The arrival of the Shark Tank franchise in India coincided perfectly with the COVID-19 pandemic, which drastically altered lives. While many faced job losses, there was also a surge in start-ups catering to the stay-at-home market, such as food delivery services, along with growth in the gig economy. As OTT audiences indulged in entertainment reality shows, they also began to develop financial awareness.
The concept of Shark Tank is straightforward: small entrepreneurs seeking funding to expand their businesses pitch their ideas to a panel of investors, known as “sharks,” who assess the proposals and decide whether to invest in exchange for equity. Although the legal and financial processes are complex and occur off-screen, the show focuses on the entertaining aspects of pitching, including presenting the idea, answering questions, and the emotional reactions of the entrepreneurs upon acceptance or rejection.
Originating from Japan as Money Tigers in 2001, the Dragon’s Den format gained popularity. Its American adaptation, Shark Tank, created by Mark Burnett in 2009, enjoyed 14 successful seasons, earning multiple Emmy awards.
The first season of Shark Tank India featured seven investors evaluating proposals over 34 episodes, becoming a surprise success. Investors like Ashneer Grover gained celebrity status. However, in Season 2, Grover is absent, and the first two episodes feature five recurring sharks from the previous season: Vineeta Singh, Namrata Thapar, Anupam Mittal, Peyush Bansal, and Aman Gupta, all successful entrepreneurs in their own right.
Season 2 of “Shark Tank India” could have introduced a different lineup of sharks, or perhaps a mix-and-match approach. However, it seems the producers opted to capitalize on the popularity of the investors from Season 1.
Thankfully, “Shark Tank India” does away with the studio audience, but the set design is garish, resembling more of a music or dance reality show than a business program.
Hosted by Rahul Dua, who has relatively little involvement, the show, under the creative direction of Payel Seth, manages to draw viewers in with its emotional content.
For example, there are moments of shock and tears when a participant shares a personal tragedy, such as the loss of family in a fire. Despite the emotional aspect, the show maintains viewer engagement by incorporating business jargon.
The sharks seldom display aggressive behavior (their reactions often seem exaggerated and artificially inserted), and generally offer encouragement and sympathy. However, the participants are positioned in front of them, resembling naughty students in the principal’s office.
In Season 2, the sharks are unreasonably harsh towards a duo pitching their home-grown makeup brand, partly due to their appearance not meeting certain standards, revealing underlying class biases. Additionally, their proposal is rejected because it would compete with Vineeta Singh’s cosmetics empire.
One pleasant surprise is the presence of serious entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, such as the young women from Bangalore selling packaged flowers for religious rituals, or the duo aiming to popularize Darjeeling tea. These entrepreneurs represent only a fraction of the thousands who apply to participate in the show.
While the show presents opportunities, there is also a risk of ideas being stolen or businesses failing. Given its newness, it’s difficult to track the progress or failure of the participants who receive investment offers.
Season 2 begins with Vineeta and Namrata revisiting two female entrepreneurs in Darbhanga, Bihar, who produce pickles, offering investment opportunities after rejecting their pitch in the previous season.
Despite its aggressive title, “Shark Tank India” offers viewers hope. The show demonstrates that ordinary, hard-working individuals with optimism and a viable business plan can succeed. If these entrepreneurs can make it this far, anyone with determination and smarts can too.
