Rannvijay Singha calls viral Shark Tank India memes ‘best thing that can happen to new show’

Apart from the seven ‘sharks,’ the one constant on the first season of reality show Shark Tank India was host Rannvijay Singha. The actor-anchor hosted the show, speaking to pitchers before and after they went in front of the sharks. But like the rest of the show, Rannvijay too, became fodder for countless memes as the show gained popularity.

As part of his hosting duties on the show, Rannvijay often had to present sponsor UpGrad’s certificate and diploma courses to pitchers. In one particular video that went viral, people made fun of Rannvijay for offering an UpGrad course to a person who was already a Ph.D from IIT. In a recent interview, Rannvijay said he actually found those memes and jokes funny and not hurtful at all. He even credited the memes to furthering the show’s popularity.

Speaking to ETimes, Rannvijay said, “I’ve done Splitsvilla and Roadies and by now I am used to memes, spoofs. The amount and the level spoofs were done on us, people can’t even imagine. In fact, some of them actually made a platform out of it. The first spoof that was made on us by a streaming platform, it gave that platform recognition. I know this as I like to keep myself current. When a meme is made on you it means you are doing something which is getting noticed and you are current.”

Rannvijay added that memes are actually good publicity for any show as they help expand the show’s reach on social media among people who do not follow it. He said, “Memes are the best thing that can happen to a new show, that’s what I feel. Because other people who don’t watch the show, they get their attention as well towards our show. I feel once you start taking jokes on yourself, you can lead a very peaceful life. I love watching the amount of creativity that people put in while creating these memes.”

Also read: EXCLUSIVE: End of an era? Rannvijay Singha quits Roadies, Sonu Sood to step in his shoes

Shark Tank India is a show where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of tycoons aka sharks, who offer their investment and guidance in exchange for equity. It aired on Sony Entertainment Television on weekdays at 9pm for over two months. The season one finale aired on February 4.