They wait in lines for hours …with their Shuffles®, their Walkmans®,their moms, sisters and friends ……and sometimes with nothing or no one else except with a lot of positive energy. Smiling and sometimes crying … hoping to get to the next round … and the next and the next.No one complains about the heat in the waiting area,the missed tests in school, the lost pay on a day away from work or the long train ride from the unknown town.Some do not do well.They beg ….”one more chance Ma’m”….they cry on national television – “next year I will be back”. Some thrill the judges so much that they stand on their feet to applaud.But end of the day they are all winners….and I will explain why !!
Meet Ajesh….winner of the Airtel Super Singer 2008® – a music talent show aired on Vijay TV® – a Tamil channel from the Star TV® group .Congratulations!! But this post is not about him …..it is about something bigger of which both he and I are a part.His role was to perform and mine was to sit in and enjoy his performance !! In spite of this vast difference in the nature of our participation,I am sure we both will agree on one basic precept – this must be one of best talent shows that India has ever witnessed.This post is about my perspective – someone whose mother tongue is not Tamil….and I am floored !!
If I had to do a comparative analysis of this show with some of the more popular ones (read: Meri Awaaz Suno® ,Zee Sa Re Ga Ma® and Indian Idol®) it would mean,me being brutally honest and in turn mean about what I believe is lacking in most of them.I would have to lie, to tell you that I agree with all the regulations and how the winners are selected. So I decided to try and summarize why I am so impressed with this one and not worry about the others so much … though I would love to get started ……!!
Judges:The judges on this show are singers.They are no music directors, not composers, ….they sing as a profession, every judge from the first day of screening till the grand finale.These are extremely talented artists who know every note, every bend and twist …and that makes all the difference. Unni Krishnan, Srinivas and Sujata have been the judges for the last few months with guest judges like Mano, Chitra, Karthik and Harini on the show. They have watched and listened to these talented individuals grow from unsure contestants to confident performers. They have encouraged them to improve on strengths and advised them on how to override weaknesses.For those of you who do not know who these three singers are – they are three artists who have lent their voices to ARR, several times and have some solid classical Carnatic musical background. The gamut of musical knowledge that they bring to the show should send a lot of others (read:judges on the other shows) into some serious self analysis (about judging skills).
Range:Contestants (whether they liked it or not) have been tried in every area – from classical, to rock n roll, to pop, to “gaana” style!! They have been asked to sing in groups and in duet combinations and have been tested as solo artists over several phases of the show. The music accompaniment has not been highly sophisticated (deliberate move to test talent) and any variations or experimentations from the contestants have been encouraged. Guest judges like Mahalaxmi Iyer have seen them do western numbers while Chinmaayi Sripada created magic with them on middle eastern tunes.During these episodes, contestants have had to go through some rigorous scrutiny and that is what helped build the final “four”. I have not witnessed so much variety in any other show which claims to honor good talent…..at least not in the Indian television world ..
Targets: According to me – This is a talent show which happens to boast of a huge audience, unlike an audience show which happens to entertain talent as one of the elements of publicity, (other than the zillion endorsements) that they tend to offer as the main theme.There is no propaganda other than the obvious mention of the key sponsor and the timed commercial breaks.The only promotions within the show are those that bring out another area of creativity which the contestants can improvise on – like singing romantic songs from the 70’s in costumes as becoming of that age.The effect is tremendous and you keep wanting more and more, rooting for your favorite contestant to win…even for someone like me who barely understands Tamil ……
Unlike what this post seems like, I am not a spokesperson for the mobile phone company.I am just someone who loves music and was floored by this show….in a world where everything is all about “enhancements” here is something which screams of honesty and true talent …. keep up the good work guys !!
Photo Courtesy:here
LEB- the minute I saw Ajeesh on this post, I was thinking 'wow.. some one sitting so far away in the US, a non tamil watching this program.. imgaine the reach'. Why Im saying this is, on Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma and Star TV's Voice Of India, there are hardly any contestants representing south india.. though there is no dearth of talent down south..as regards the post, I agree to everything you say, I in particular was floored by the judges (Srini, Suj and Unni) coz of the efforts they took to make note of every small and big mistake/ creativity, the contestants had to offer rather than just saying the usual 'mindblowing, earthshattering, u rock, and the likes.. it showed they took a lot of interest in genuinely grooming the contestants (or so it seemed)..regarding the range, these days other channels (the biggies) also dwell on similar lines, remember Meri Awaz Suno (where a young Sunidhi Chauhan was crowned winner), i remember host Anu Kapoor (there was a section that way if i remember right) asking contestants to sing all kinds of songs (happy, sad, romantic, pining, et all)..sorry LEB for taking so much of ur comments space.. but when it comes to music, I cant hold back..and thanks so very much for a wonderful post..Mindblowing!!
Thanks for your comments Aparna.Please do not worry about the space.I am glad we share a common interest.Yes,MAS was very classy and it did have the range.But nothing compared to what SS has.I have seen both worlds of competition – north and south and I think SS is the best so far.If they can hold on to this quality, they will have discovered a lot of talent.
Ramesh emailed :Well said Ron. Fully second your thoughts in your first para – they are all heroes.I continue to be amazed by your versatality. You watch Tamil TV programs, though you don't speak the language. You are a true Indian – perhaps an example of many a thing that's good about an Indian.Regards Ramesh
Thanks Ramesh.You are too kind.Just that I am a big fan of music and I was moved by this show.
We have a similar show in Andhra, being aired on Zee Telugu I guess, I don't watch it but how I know is my Mom n Dad are gr8 fans of it. I think nobody's any longer limiting music talent shows to Zee TV Saregama only coz its still stuck in the ol days. Reality shows are a big hit especially when the audience feels that they are honest n no diplomacy or partiality's going on.
Irony is all these winner move into oblivion after the show is over. So is it something wrong in the process of choosing talent or shows are rigged to satisfy TRP hungry advertisers?Lets hope Ajesh does justice to his talent.
@ Rads – I know they have a popular show on MAA TV.The audience participation according to me should be limited to wathching and not sending sms messages !! @ Adesh- Ajesh will be singing in Yuvan Shankar Raja's next production. He is the son of Illayaraja.I think it is a little different with the way these work in the South than how it works in Bollywood.But true talent always shines !!
the more i read ..the more south centric te blog seems to me.. kichu aro lekho