⚡WHEN AN interview DOESN’T HAPPEN, BUT IS TELECAST ANYWAY
Journalism has many formats.
Interviews. Debates. Profiles. Conversations.
But what NDTV aired with Vijay may have just created a new global first:
An “interview” where the anchors explain why the interview didn’t happen — and that explanation itself is broadcast as the interview.
No questions.
No answers.
No confrontation.
Just narration.
Just obedience.
And somehow, this was passed off as journalism.
1️⃣ NDTV HAS INTERVIEWED EVERYONE — INCLUDING THOSE WHO FACE REAL HEAT
Let’s establish context before excuses begin.
NDTV has conducted hard, direct, no-comfort interviews with:
Prannoy Roy questioned M. K. Stalin over a decade ago
Karan Thapar grilling J. Jayalalithaa
The same karan Thapar questioning Narendra Modi
Even celebrity conversations like Priyanka Chopra speaking with Modi
These were not “safe spaces”.
These were face-to-face, unscripted, uncomfortable interactions.
So let’s kill the myth right now:
NDTV does not lack experience.
They lacked access — because Vijay refused scrutiny.
2️⃣ THE NDTV tamil NADU SUMMIT PROBLEM
Every major political figure in tamil Nadu has attended the NDTV tamil Nadu Summit, including the sitting Chief Minister, M. K. Stalin.
Public stage.
Public questions.
Public accountability.
Then comes Vijay’s condition:
“Don’t come to the studio. Come to Panaiyur. Off-camera.”
Not a request.
An order.
And NDTV… complied.
That moment should have ended the conversation.
Instead, it became the beginning of this farce.
3️⃣ WHEN THE HOST BECOMES THE SPOKESPERSON
Here’s where it crossed from awkward to absurd.
Instead of:
Asking Vijay questions
Challenging his political clarity
Testing his preparedness
NDTV’s anchors spent airtime explaining what Vijay said off-camera.
Let that sink in.
The subject didn’t speak.
The journalist narrated.
This is not an interview.
This is a press note with studio lighting.
4️⃣ A ‘PROXY INTERVIEW’ — NEVER SEEN BEFORE
This wasn’t selective editing.
This wasn’t format innovation.
This was a proxy interview:
No direct answers
No follow-ups
No accountability
The audience was expected to trust that:
“Yes, important things were said… but trust us bro.”
This is something even seasoned dictators don’t get.
And this came from an aspiring politician.
5️⃣ THE REAL QUESTION: WHY RUN FROM QUESTIONS?
Politics is not cinema.
There is no retake.
If someone cannot:
Articulate policy
Handle pushback
Think on their feet
Then the fear is obvious.
Not fear of media bias.
Fear of exposure.
Because unscripted interviews don’t expose ideology —
They expose intellectual depth.
Or the lack of it.
6️⃣ NDTV’S BIGGEST FAILURE: NORMALISING COWARDICE
By accepting these terms, NDTV didn’t just lower its standards.
It set a dangerous precedent:
If you’re powerful or popular enough, you don’t have to answer questions.
That is not journalism.
That is surrender.
If anchors start explaining interviews instead of conducting them, democracy becomes optional.
🧨 FINAL VERDICT: NO QUESTIONS, NO COURAGE, NO LEADERSHIP
Leadership begins where comfort ends.
Every serious leader — from stalin to jayalalithaa to Modi — has faced tough interviews. Some stumbled. Some fought back. But they showed up.
Vijay didn’t.
And when someone avoids questions at the starting line, imagine how they’ll behave once power is real.
This wasn’t a bad interview.
👉 It was proof that the interview was never meant to happen.
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