Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty will host “Pyaar Ka Pressure Cooker,” a reality series that pushes couples in stalled or undefined relationships to decide their future, for streamer JioHotstar and Hindi-language channel Colors.
The show is being billed by the two JioStar-owned outlets as India’s first “relationship clarity show.”
Participants will range from couples in early, label-free arrangements to long-term partners who have never taken the next step. They will live together in a single house and be confronted with the questions they have been sidestepping, while their parents are brought in to give them a blunt assessment. Each pairing is pushed toward a clear answer, summed up in the show’s defining call, “Jodo Ya Todo,” Hindi for “Pair or Break.”
The title plays on the kitchen staple. A pressure cooker whistle, dubbed the “Clarity Ki Seeti” (“clarity whistle”), is the show’s signature sound cue and goes off whenever a participant finally comes clean.
“Relationships today come with a whole new vocabulary, from situationships and breadcrumbing to benching, and somewhere along the way, clarity got lost,” Shetty said. “Whether it’s a new or a long-term relationship stuck for years, there comes a point when someone has to ask the real questions. What excites me about ‘Pyaar Ka Pressure Cooker’ is its fresh take on the reality format, and as India’s first relationship show where parents deliver the reality check. It’s relatable for couples, and just as much for the parents watching, who are just as curious about what is going on.”
Alok Jain, head of Hindi and English entertainment across streaming, TV and studios at JioStar, said young Indians sit at the center of the company’s programming and that it is always looking for ideas that mirror their lives and conversations.
“Relationships are among the most talked-about subjects for this generation, but rarely get an honest conversation, least of all with parents,” Jain said. “‘Pyaar Ka Pressure Cooker’ brings both sides to the table with humor, heart and a clear point of view.”
Casting is open. Couples can apply by submitting their stories at pyaarkapressurecooker.com, and parents can use the same site to nominate sons or daughters they feel are stuck in their relationships.
Source: variety.com
