- By Tanya Garg
- Wed, 27 Nov 2024 11:08 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
The founder of MTV Roadies, Raghu Ram, shared an intriguing fact about the long-running and enormously successful reality show. Speaking about the Pakistani adaptation of Roadies, Raghu acknowledged that he wanted MTV to 'sue their pants off' during an appearance on Tanmay Bhat's YouTube channel. He found that the issue was that, despite four seasons, MTV had not obtained the copyrights for the reality TV show.
The Indian Express reported that Raghu was questioned if he was aware of Pakistani Roadies whilst playing a clip from the show. He clarified that following the fourth season of 'Roadies,' Waqar Zaka, the host of the show 'Living on the Edge,' changed the name of his program to 'Pakistani Roadies.' Raghu said, "He had a show called Living on the Edge. He rebranded it, calling it Pakistani Roadies, at the end of season four. Then I realised that these guys are co-opting the brand, so I went to my boss’ office and said, 'Sue the pants off these guys.' He said, 'We can't.' I said, 'Why not?' And he said, 'Because we haven’t copyrighted Roadies'."
Also Read: Raghu Ram Opens Up On Quitting Roadies, Says, 'It Doesn’t Own My A** And Never Has'
Raghu Ram called the error a personal insult to his work and that it frustrated him. The actor and film producer did, however, add in a hilarious way that he would have been much richer if he had owned the rights. He continued, 'This was after four seasons. I was like, 'What?' I took it very personally, because it was my life’s work. I said, ‘I’ll copyright it myself, I want to sue this guy’. So I went and threatened them, and two days later, they copyrighted it. Imagine if they hadn’t. I would’ve copyrighted Roadies. I would’ve never spoken to any of you guys. Mereko zarurat hi nahi padti (I wouldn’t have had to)."
'MTV Roadies' has carried on its tradition despite Raghu Ram's departure years ago, and it is currently preparing for its 20th season. The innovative format has continued to be a cultural sensation since its 2003 premiere, helping to launch the careers of prominent contestants like Prince Narula, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Rannvijay Singha.
It's interesting to note that, according to a January 2012 Hindustan Times report, Waqar Zaka had requested Raghu Ram to work with him on the concept of a mutual show, but the two reality show hosts never followed through because Raghu Ram was unavailable due to scheduling restrictions.
With its 2003 debut, MTV Roadies was hailed as a radical change to the Indian television scene. Ayushmann Khurrana, Prince Narula, Varun Sood, Rannvijay Singha, and others were among the candidates on the show. It'll be back soon for its twentieth season.