* http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/TV_Buzz/India_on_song/articleshow/2704915.cms * ** *India, on song *17 Jan 2008, 0000 hrs IST,TANVI TRIVEDI ,TNN Print<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2704915,prtpage-1.cms> Save <javascript:showdivlayer('2704915','t','close');> EMail<javascript:openWindowmail('/mail/2704915.cms');> Write to Editor<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/TV_Buzz/India_on_song/articleshow/2704915.cms#write> [image: /photo.cms?msid=2705032] <http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2551933.cms> Varun Badola & Rajeshwari Sachdev. (TOI Photo) More pics <http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2551933.cms>
Even as soap-box addicts get set to be spoilt for choice with newer entertainment channels raiding your homes, the sheer number of music reality shows on the small screen are mind-boggling. Every one who's a musician — aspiring, amateur and even successful — has a platform to croon from. If Sa Re Ga Ma and Antakshari set the musical spirit, it was up to Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul, Chhote Ustaad and now Jjhoom India, K for Kishore, Bol Baby Bol, Mission Ustaad, Say Shava Shava, Dhoom Macha De... t he list goes on, until you can reach for your remote. And while some shows encourage celebrities to discover their musical talent, others are musical shows with noble cause (one show even has a tie-up with the United Nations to create awareness about the UN Millennium Development Goals across India for the End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign). In some instances, the prize money and all profits received from SMSes will be contributed to charity, while others can win music contracts and hefty financial remuneration. The common point: each show has a panel of celeb judges ranging from the reticent A R Rahman, the feisty Shabana Azmi, the articulate Mahesh Bhatt and Javed Akhtar, to singers Kunal Ganjawala, Shreya Ghoshal and even Karan Johar and Lara Dutta who generously voice their opinion about each performance, shower praises lavishly and sometimes harshly run down performances. So, you have shrieks of rapture, hysteria, tearful breakdown on camera, served on prime time. The formats might be different, but really, what unites them is the same mode of elimination or survival — the SMS mode of public voting. But is there any reason why the small screen has a deluge of musical shows on air at this point of time? Are they major TRP-toppers? Deepak Gattani, director of Mission Ustaad, says, "Music is a language that reaches out to people all over India. Maybe there will be saturation of ideas for music shows too. What is important is the execution." Musical shows have enough dose of drama in every episode, especially when it comes to eliminating a participant. Do theatrics strike a chord with the audience and generate high TVRs (television rating points)? Albert Almeida, executive vice-president of a popular TV channel, says, "Melodrama is the staple diet of people in India. We thrive on it. So if we created something like a 'wild card' in our show, we will have to come with something even more wilder in our next season, as it is a cluttered environment." And do we see innovation in this clutter? Singer Babul Supriyo, who is contesting Dhoom Macha De Dhoom on a channel and hosting K for Kishore on another, says, "I think the responsibility of choosing unpolished talent should lie with the jury. The country has one Yash Chopra for several Shah Rukhs, so we can't let the public decide who can be the next Shah Rukh. The medium of art should not deteriorate." Agrees Gajendra Singh director and brain behind some of the most successful music shows on television. "There is a clutter but at the end of the day, the country is getting so much talent. Where would otherwise talent get such exposure? I agree that marketing gimmicks and good packaging don't always get us good talent, but sometimes we get lucky." There are certain formats that the shows have to continue with, as the TVRs tilt in their favour. Programming head of a TV channel, Kalyan Sundaram says, "Music connects with people and offer good TVRs. So, there is no running away from set formats and as of now, it looks like music shows are here to stay just like saas-bahu soaps." Does marketing gimmick help in finding good talent? Shailaja Kejriwal, executive vice-president, content, NDTV Imagine, says, "Broadcasters will have to follow this genre for many years even if the form keeps changing." Actor Shekhar Suman says, "I have got an opportunity to showcase my singing. So even if participants don't make a career out of music, the viewer enjoys every bit of these shows and that matters to us." And as long as remote-happy viewers notch up high TVRs, musical shows will continue to be small screen's tryst with reality. -- regards, Vithur A.R.RAHMAN - THE ABODE OF DIVINE MUSIC
