India's youth is getting mammoth platforms to show its stuff, even if the audience is as much hooked by the dramatic elements of every reality show – the triumphs, the tears and the emotional titillation - as to the melody (or lack of it). But the question nags: Is all this going to give us a future Sonu Nigam or Sunidhi Chauhan, and dare we dream of another singer of the calibre of Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar?
Gajendra Singh, the brain behind Amul Star Voice Of India (ASVOI) who incidentally fathered the original Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee in 1995 and also its current avatar Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007, says quite succinctly that the progress of any contestant, winner, finalist or otherwise, depends on his own talent and initiative. He also stresses that a new talent exposed on a show needs time to make it: "Kunal Ganjawala who was first noticed on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa when I was doing the show, took several years to make a mark, but today he's unstoppable."
Singh argues that the talents who come in directly into the profession take the same time or longer, but that his shows present them with a platform. Stating that the viewership ratings of his new show do not match the other two shows only because it is in its first season, Singh insists that ASVOI has a transparency that none of the others have. "All my shows are geared only to promote the cause of music. Unlike the rest, where the audition-process is not shown or is shown just for the entertainment factor, we decided to keep everything transparent. The audience is getting to see why and how they will get the singers who actually graduate to contesting in the show."
Agreeing with Singh on the progress of individual talent, Ashish Kaul, executive vice-president, Zee Network, scoffs at the transparency element. Says Kaul, "We are not into charity. Every loser has a compassionate story, and we cannot show hurt egos either. Even in a small town like Lucknow, about half a million registered for auditions. If we show even some select ones, we will have to keep the show going round the year!"
Proud that his show is the oldest and pioneering show of its kind, Kaul adds, "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is the longest-lasting of all such shows on television in the world. Our TRPs have remained unshakeable, and reinvention and innovation have been our mantras and will remain so. We are leading despite minimum publicity solely on merit as a serious show whose sole objective is to choose that one golden-voiced top-quality playback singer."
Kaul points out that so many of today's top singers have been first heard on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and have reached different stages of success. "The list includes Kunal Ganjawala, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan and moves on to Vinit, Himani and others. We are proud to say that even today we get calls from producers wanting a new voice in their films – and they do not even want only the finalists," notes Kaul.
In a trenchant dig at Indian Idol and several other shows of the past, Kaul points out, "We are not in the business of promoting and marketing poster-boys and poster-girls and promising them albums. In fact, it is our overall credibility that puts pressure on us because the leader has to stay ahead of its followers!"
However, Albert Almeida, executive vice-president and business head, Sony Entertainment Television, is unfazed by the image of Indian Idol vis-à-vis the competition. "We are in the third season and we know that Zee's show is marginally ahead in TRPs, but the scene in 2007 is different – there's greater fragmentation and the share in the pie has to be smaller."
He adds, "We have no pretensions about being a hunt for the best playback singer. We are looking at a complete package that is chosen by India as its own idol. If he is not the best musically, so be it, for that's how democracy works. But yes, because the public isn't always discerning, we are ironing out some creases in the process so that we do not miss out on a Sachin Tendulkar mid-way by introducing a wildcard round."
Accepting that Indian Idol is into entertaining the audience in the process, be it through the display of those who think that they are singers to the 'heart-wrenching exit of talented singers at different stages', Almeida declares that Indian Idol is still about polishing that uncut diamond among the contestants who has it all.
Denying that past idols Abhijeet Sawant and Sandeep Acharya have not been successful, Almeida reveals that Abhijeet is in heavy demand for shows and commands a price of Rs 10 lakhs. "He is also cutting his second album with Sony-BMG ," says Almeida. "As for Sandeep, maybe we should give him time."
Whatever their intentions, the public obviously cannot have enough of the reality music shows, even if some, like Channel [V] Super Singer, Fame Gurukul and Channel [V] Popstars have not really shaken the TRPs. In short, reality music talent-hunt shows sell. Concludes Almeida, "We have been defined as a nation of a middle-class that is striving to get more out of life – and now we can. Shows like this fill the basic need of those who want a platform to make it big. As for the all-important viewers, they vicariously live out their aspirations for those they care about through the participants."
To the rescue of local talent
With music talent hunt shows popular on mainstream television, it didn't take much time for regional channels to follow suit. In Kannada, programmes like Ede Tumbi Haduvenu, anchored by playback singer S P Balasubramanyam on ETV Kannada became hugely popular, thanks to the emphasis given to genres other than film songs. The programme went on to capture the imagination of Kannadiga audience with its simple format and painstaking research, helping the programme to maintain its quality.
Zee Kannada, which began its innings recently managed to ensnare viewers, mainly the youth, with its Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa. In the recently concluded finals, future engineers Chinmay and Soumyashree emerged winners.
Udaya TV too has a similar programme. All these shows have more or less tried injecting some originality in their formats. Just as in Indian Idol, winners were offered albums, playback singing and a whole lot of other goodies.
With veterans in the field, including C Ashwath, Ratnamala Prakash, B K Sumitra, composers Hamsalekha, R P Patnaik and others, the quality of these programmes has been excellent to say the least.
These shows have provided the much needed platform for local talent to showcase and even hone their skills. However, music director Hamsalekha feels true talent hardly makes the cut through these programmes. "It is always better to come prepared to take part in such shows. Nervousness and awkwardness spoil the chances. Your training is what will stand you in good stead," he says.
These programmes collaborate with music companies, composers and others to promote the winners.
Take for instance, Chinmay, winner of Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa. He has been promised an album with Ashwini Audio and a chance to sing for composer R P Patnaik, both in Kannada and Telugu. He will also be teaming up with the other winner Sowmyashree, performing in a show organised by the channel to be held in Dharwad soon.
However, in Chinmay's case, all these promises were put on hold as he had to complete his exams. Now, he is taking up on those offers, while training under Ustad Fayaz Khan.
Remains to be seen if these shows will truly be the golden bridge between talent and success.
--B S Srivani
Remote control singing
Who was it who said music is spiritual, the music business is not? The yodhas of Zee TV's 'sangeeth mahayudh' (great war, no less!) would vehemently disagree. It is everyday nirvana for the yodhas of the Rock Gharana or Style Gharana or whatever- gharana lorded over by Himesh Reshammiya (of the cap and "I will make your career" stance). They probably peer into spirituality's very soul in his crinkly eyes. For every time, something akin to passable music comes out of their burning-with-ambition throats, Himesh valiantly stands up and announces, "aap mera next film ka next gaana zaroor gayenge."
Arre bhai, Himesh Reshammiya ka ho tho zaroor hit bhi hoga . That's not said. Implied, of course. And then 'Yalgaar Gharana's guru (as an aside, what on earth is an 'Yalgaar Gharana', somebody please lemme know), Ismail Durbar goes all mushy and sentimental and tells a long tale about how he came with his father to VT station with nothing but music in his heart and how he is now all ready (with claws out) to make stars out of ordinary singers…Himesh, you have competition. By the way, all this happens in the tackiest set I have ever seen on TV with Udit Narayan's son trying desperately to look and act cute with 'mahaguru' Asha Bhonsle. There are some good singers of course (there are no dearth of them in India), but their talent is not as important to the show as the announcements of maha yudh and gurus squabbling over whose gharana is the best…
Cut to Sony's Indian Idol. Here, it is Anu Malik's fiefdom. He is told, I am sure, to behave as badly as he wants to (that's what makes the TRP ratings zoom). He has also been instructed to fight lazily with Javed Akthar once in a while, you know, just to spice things up. Meanwhile, Udit Narayan smiles. And smiles and smiles. A Cheshire cat if there was one! And insists on mouthing unintentionally funny English sentences (This is a greet pleetform for new singers…) The show has a good assortment of interesting characters that has helped it maintain audience interest. There is a singer-policeman, a cutie-pie called Chang (!), a cry-baby of a girl, a spoilt 16-year-old…all of whom make for very good ratings.
And whew! If you still have the ears for it, at around the same primetime, Star Plus has its own singer-hunt show. There are too many judges to count and the action takes place on an intimidating huge stage. Abhijeet takes over the role of Anu Malik here. He constantly shouts that the Star Plus talent hunt is not about attitude or style or presentation but about pure unadulterated bore..sorry singing. "If you don't know to sing very well, go to other shows," he screams, once in a while, just in case you didn't hear him earlier. Also, the show organisers have decided that a fight between him and Alka Yagnik every second or third episode does do wonders. And poor Shaan, looks on, with that perplexed look plastered on his face.
And I look on too, with one hand on the remote that flits between these three channels. If I see Udit smiling, I shift to his son's show. And If see him acting cute, I come back to Abhijeet's antics. What makes me do all this? Not music, surely? Well, I am yet to discover.
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