Shark Tank India review: A reality show with masterclass in innovation with feel-good factor

Language: Hindi

_Shark Tank India_, which premiered on Sony Entertainment Television on December 20, 2021, has come to a close after its spectacular first season clocking 35 episodes. This show became an instant favourite for primetime viewing at home. My parents and I sat glued to the television set from 9 pm to 10 pm every weekday until the last episode on 4 February, 2022.

Indians are familiar with reality shows where contestants are judged on their singing, dancing and other talents, so a show where potential investors or sharks judge business pitches is not a big leap. I tend to skip most reality shows because they are overly sentimental, seem to exploit personal tragedies, and zoom in on people’s eyes when they are crying. I warmed up to Shark Tank India because it celebrated ideas and ingenuity alongside heartfelt stories.

This show gave me an opportunity to learn about entrepreneurs from small towns who are looking for creative solutions to frustrating problems instead of waiting for the state to come in and solve things. They believe in their ability to create change at their local level, and to scale up with investment and mentoring. They do not want handouts. They want to take charge of the present, and script a prosperous future for themselves, and for India at large.

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Kamlesh Nanasaheb Ghumare from Malegaon in Maharashtra, who introduced himself on the show as Jugaadu Kamlesh, earned much love for his impressive pitch. He did not come from a coveted business school with a fancy degree but his pesticide-spraying cart was a design solution based on his deep understanding of the hardships that Indian farmers deal with. Reality shows thrive on championing the underdog. I think Shark Tank India did that well.

While the other sharks expressed admiration, and offered words of encouragement, Peyush Bansal, the co-founder and CEO of Lenskart, put his money where his mouth was. He made an offer of 10 lakh rupees for a 40 per cent stake in Jugaadu Kamlesh’s business, along with a loan of rupees 20 lakh at the interest rate of zero per cent. I was moved by Bansal’s conviction and confidence in the person that he chose to invest in. It was not charity. Bansal was my favourite shark this season. He spoke respectfully even when he chose not to invest.

Coming from an academic background in the humanities, this is hard and amusing to write because we were taught to distrust capitalism with a vengeance. My stance has changed a lot since then, especially because of the hypocrisies that I encountered in the non-profit sector. I have grown to respect people who create jobs, who adopt ethical and sustainable business practices, who set aside a significant part of their income for philanthropic activities, and who also mentor entrepreneurs without the same access to networks, training and capital.

Another aspect of Shark Tank India that I found appealing was shark Anupam Mittal’s ability to turn every episode into a teaching opportunity for people who are not familiar with the terminology that is commonly used in the start-up ecosystem. He is the Founder and CEO of Shaadi.com, a portal that grew out of his own quest for a life partner. It was entertaining to watch him beg other sharks for time to complete his sentences for they kept interrupting him.

Ghazal Alagh, who is the Co-founder of MamaEarth; Namita Thapar, who is the Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals; Vineeta Singh, who is the CEO and co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics; Aman Gupta, who is the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of boat; and Ashneer Grover, who is the Managing Director and Co-founder of BharatPe; were some of the other sharks on the show. It was terrifying to watch Grover shred people to bits. I wonder if he thought about how his harsh comments might affect people’s mental health.

It was annoying to watch Gupta and Grover mansplain about osteoporosis when they clearly had no idea of how widespread this condition is among women in India. Thapar kept saying that it is a serious issue but these men were unwilling to listen. I hope to see less of this in the second season. I tend to be optimistic, even though a part of me keeps giving myself a reality check. Patriarchy is omnipresent; it irritates me when I watch it on screen but, in my own life, I participate in it without batting an eyelid. Who am I to point fingers at anyone then?

If you haven’t watched Shark Tank India yet, you can watch the episodes on SonyLiv. This show is a masterclass in innovation, and it has a strong feel-good factor. The two pitches that I liked the most were about anti-suicide fans and comics on menstruation. The origin story of each business was fascinating to listen to, especially when the entrepreneurs stumbled into it while trying something new instead of setting out to build a business. Some entrepreneurs pitched alone. Others presented in pairs or teams. Their dynamics were fun to observe.

I wish Rannvijay Singha gets to do more in the next season than presenting certificates for lifelong learning on behalf of UpGrad, and urging entrepreneurs to sell products on Flipkart. I enjoyed the colourful shirts he wore but there is surely more to him than his pretty wardrobe.

Chintan Girish Modi is a freelance writer, journalist and book reviewer.