Double trouble Raghu and Rajiv create hell down under

First there was just one mean, nasty Raghu Ram. Then came two. His better half-his twin brother Rajiv Laxman joined him to wreak havoc. And together they make a lethal pair who is making life hell for those auditioning for Roadies – Hell Down Under. Known for their sharp tongues and vitriolic remarks the brothers are one of the most hated men on TV. Sure they may be just doing their jobs but those at the receiving end have no sweet memories of the duo. With Roadies – Hell Down Under soon to come on air, Raghu and Rajiv hope that the popularity of the new season will multiply and it will turn out to be better than ever before. But they do admit that success and failure is not in their hands. Tellychakkar met the brothers at the press conference of the show and had a hard time figuring out who was who. Finally when we did we nailed them down to an interview. What is essential to qualify as a Roadie? Raghu: A Roadie is someone who firstly has an open mind. Also somebody who is not conditioned by society because the society is corrupt in many ways, somebody who is open to new things, somebody who has a speaking mind, somebody who has an adventure spirit, somebody who is ready to face challenges and somebody who is not afraid of the unknown. Rajiv: Every body has their potential but it has to be realised. A Roadie to me is someone who is ready to know what his or her potential is and someone who is ready to push it to that extent of getting out of their comfort zone. The potential can lie anywhere but the person who keeps trying till he or she reaches that potential is a Roadie to me. One thing that you can’t stand in the Roadies candidates? Rajiv: Both me and Raghu can’t stand hypocrisy. People in our culture inherit a lot of prejudices like racism, chauvinism, prudish behavior, fundamentalism, sexism and communalism. These prejudices are expressed through behaviors like disrespect to women who are expressive or individualistic and many other things. We can’t stand the expression of these thoughts in their behavior. Our generation has to break free from these prejudices. How does it feel doing a show along side your brother? Raghu: In many ways we are an extension of the same personality. We are very much identical to each other’s thoughts. The audition standards had to be changed and there was no better option than Rajiv as he knows what we are looking for in the show, he knows the DNA of the show. Moreover, there is a great chemistry between the two of us and he is like me in many ways. He knows where I am taking a candidate and I know what he is up to in different situations during the auditions. Rajiv: Raghu and I have done a lot of things together in life. We have studied together or not studied together, bunked classes together and worked together. We had joined the same job and quit at the same time. Today, I am with MTV and he is with the production house Colosceum. We work best when we work together and working with Raghu is not work, it is fun. It is great to be associated with Raghu but I am mobbed a lot of times due to my resemblance to him and that really pisses me off. I can’t even have a cup of coffee at the coffee shops with peace. I don’t get privacy. And the worst part is that I am not mobbed because of my achievement but because I am a twin to someone who is popular. This has been adjusted now as I too will be judging the audition rounds and people are going to ask me if I am Raghu or Rajiv. What do your parents think of the work you do? Raghu: Our parents are the most honest, hard working and gentle persons on earth. Our dad is really sweet. They watch our shows and even give us suggestions. In fact, when we were making Splitsvilla my mother called me up to say, “Beta see to it that this show is different from Roadies. Why don’t you try this and why don’t you change that?” So you see they are so much involved with our work. Rajiv: But we never take their suggestions as their suggestions say that be nice to people, be polite… and we can’t always follow that. Don’t they object to your abusive language? Rajiv: Our parents have never abused. I don’t think they understand those abusive words as they are beeped! Raghu: No, they understand but they choose to let it be. We had a solid upbringing and they have a faith in us that can’t be shaken by me using abusive language or such language being used in our shows. I don’t see anything wrong in using cuss words unless it is meant that way. Splitsvilla was criticised on the grounds that the concept goes against Indian values? Raghu: Tell such people to shut up. These are the kind of people who rape women. I don’t give a s**t to what they say. Let them first peep in their houses. Are things like beating up lovers and parading women naked in the favour of our culture and values? Please don’t get me started about such moral police. Rajiv: If they don’t like our show, they can always change the channel instead of changing the world. We don’t make shows for such people. Splitsvilla was a success because it was riding on a real trend and it was a part of today’s youth culture. The people who say such things are out of touch with today’s youth and they don’t know our culture. Ask them to speak to me about Indian values and culture and I will take the pulp out of them. The weirdest thing that the two of you have done together? Rajiv: We once planned together to end our lives. Now when I look back, I can’t understand what went into our minds. We were in primary school at that time. Raghu: We decided to die out of the fear of failing in an exam. Though we were having a ball and leading a good childhood, we felt that it was the right time to end our lives. As a kid what did you want to become when you grew up? Raghu: I wanted to become a teacher or a musician. Rajiv too wanted to take up the same profession. I always thought that we would become musicians. Rajiv: We are so similar in the way we think that our choice of careers was also the same. You have often mentioned in your interviews that you used to be bullied in school. Was it the same with Rajiv? Raghu: We were too short and skinny so we used to be bullied a lot by others. Rajiv: Actually we were bullied because we allowed them to bully us. Our behaviour would read, ‘You want to bully someone. Come and bully me.’ We used to get beaten up every day during the lunch break. Inside the gym of our school, mats would be laid for physical activities where a group of boys would be working on Rajiv on one mat and me on the other. We used to get beaten up every day for thirty minutes and this continued for years. Raghu: But this has shaped our personality and such things are common in Delhi schools for kids who look skinny, short and intimidated. I can not stand people who bully others. If you notice, I do not bully every one. I bully those who bully others. If you are a bully, I am a bigger bully than you. People have called me a bully but it is true. Yes, I am a bully but for only for bullies. Then what was your reaction to Anmol and Shambhavi bullying Prabjoth in Roadies 5.0? Raghu: I reprimanded Anmol and Shambhavi once when I made an appearance in the game and even after the show got over. I told Prabjoth that I respect her for standing for herself. It is easy to pick someone and bully but it is difficult to stand for yourself and fight against the bully with dignity. Do you fear the expectations for the new season as the previous season of Roadies was a huge success? Raghu: It is not a fear but a positive energy to do better this time. There is no competition with others. The reality show that I make is completely different. My only competition is me and my previous seasons. We want to make it better every year, something that we would like. We do not make the show to please any one. I won’t say that I am not aware of the pressure but I don’t get bogged down by the pressure. We use this pressure to do better. Rajiv: When I started shooting for the audition episodes, I tried channelising the nervousness into the right direction. Shooting is a sacred ritual for us. Before the shoot starts, we have to be alert, we have to be on time and just be perfect. We have to reach a place in our mind and then we start shooting. Sitting next to Raghu is not an easy proposition. There is a level and a standard attached to what I am doing so I have to be careful. I feel more confident than ever sitting next to Raghu. Any advice you received from Raghu for judging the contestants? Rajiv: Yeah, he told me that Rajiv this is Roadies, not Laughter Challenge. I used to joke all the time. The thing is that I get uncomfortable with intensity some times. For instance, there is an intense situation where Raghu is grilling someone and he ends up saying something that can be interpreted in a funny way and I would laugh. Now he has to start from scratch to return to the previous situation. But all that was in the beginning of the competition. Now we have the right rhythm.