Season 1 of Shark Tank India premiered on December 20, 2021. The business reality show in Hindi was massively popular, raking the charts with 8+ IMDB ratings for most of its 35 episodes. The first iteration of the show last aired on February 4, 2022, making an indelible mark on the annals of television history. Startups, entrepreneurship, funding, and sharks became the buzzwords among the lay. And India learned a new takia kalam (catchphrase) ‘Doglapan’ courtesy of everyone’s favourite and ever-mercurial shark, Ashneer Grover. The much-anticipated Season 2 of the show aired on January 2, 2023. And boy, it did disappoint! Here are five of the many reasons why, as felt by viewers.
Scripted Reality Show | Saas Bahu Drama
Fans accused Shark Tank India 2 of being a scripted reality show like Indian Idol, with judges getting melodramatic. While there were friendly banters between the sharks that spiced up some of the episodes, it all felt rehearsed at some point. It couldn’t successfully piggyback on season one’s spectacular success and TRP.
In Shark Tank only Piyush and Anupam looks like a genuine entrepreneur. Others look like that they just got lucky. Season 2 looks more like Indian Idol(Neha Kakkar’s Version). They seriously need Ashneer Grover back. #SharkTankIndiaS2 #SharkTankIndiaSeason2
— Ayush Srivastava (@ayush_sr007) January 6, 2023
Scripted season @sharktankindia
slowly becoming Indian Idol, and @AnupamMittal is the new Neha Kakkar. @amitjain @peyushbansal @amangupta0303 @namitathapar
Seems like @ashneer took a good decision by opting out from Shark Tank India Season 2. What a flop show going on!!!— Indian (@iBhartiyaJan) March 11, 2023
Lack Of Brand Recall | No Jugaadu Kamlesh Moment
Season two had a whopping 50 episodes, compared to 35 in season one. While season 2 had some cool pitches like Zillionaire and Zanitri, among others, barring Flathead’s emotional moment, the show failed to cater to memorable brands on the telly. It lacked the heartwarming ‘Jugaadu Kamlesh’ pitch, the quirky ‘Heart Up My Sleeves’, the delectable Skippi Ice Pops, and the lip smacking Beyond Snack banana chips. And how can you forget this belly button shaper gem?
Spiralling IMDB Ratings | A Dull Dud Season
Season finale episode number 35 was the top-rated episode of the first season, with a rating of 8.9 out of 10. While most episodes of season one ranked between 7 and 8 on IMDB, the only episode with a substandard rating was its special 36th episode with a 6.8 rating. The episode featured entrepreneurs from the audience. Meanwhile, most episodes of season two failed to impress the fans, drawing average to poor ratings, with a handful of shows earning 8+ ratings.
Delayed Funding Scam | What Is This Doglapan?
The accusation of funding delays by some of the founders who appeared in Seasons 1 and 2 dented the credibility of the show and sharks to some extent. While boAt’s founder Aman Gupta and Shaadi Dot Com’s Anupam Mittal countered the allegations, former shark Ashneer Grover said (in a now deleted tweet)
Missing Grover’s Chutzpah | No More Memes
Amit Jain of CarDekho replaced Ashneer Grover in the second season, even as Ghazal Alagh of Mamaearth took a hiatus from the show. The BharatPe row probably left no options for the showmakers to continue with the face of Shark Tank India. Within the first two episodes of S2, fans went on an online tirade campaigning to get back Ashneer. Some even expected he would join as a wild card shark in the finale. None of that happened, even as Grover himself dissed the show on occasions. Fans missed the truth bombs by Gover, spittin’ facts in shuddh desi colloquial Hindi.
In season three, the show has introduced a cavalry of 12 new sharks. Can’t wait for the episodes to air, with zing and zest. Op Eds will continue to take sides, but it’s the fans who will ultimately decide if the consecutive seasons are magik or meh!
See Also: Ashneer Grover Throws Shade At Shark Tank India 3 For Introducing 12 Sharks; ‘Wish Quantity Solves For Quality’
