Mass appeal

In their second season,both the shows have now auditioned in as many as 14 tier two centres like Lucknow,Jaipur,Rajkot and Bhopal. “This season,aptly named India’s Got Talent Khoj 2,is going deeper into the country to look for ordinary people with extraordinary talents,” says Ashvini Yardi,programming head,Colors. While IGT will focus on giving talented individuals a chance,the sole purpose of Entertainment Ke Liye will be to “entertain”,says Ajay Bhalwankar,programming head,Sony. He,however,wants to get a larger chunk of India to show its quirky talents. “This time we will also have the TV viewing audience involved,who can challenge the contestants and come on the show.”

IGT’s first season managed to change the lives of many contestants,including Prince Dance Group,a group of labourers from Behrampur,Orissa witha passion for dancing,which won the competition. The show attempts to recreate the magic by going to the interiors of India. “Most city people get a chance to showcase their talent. But for those from small towns,IGT provides a great chance,” feels Krishna,from the Prince Dance Group. He feels that their victory has shown the way to many other small town aspirants. The troupe will now be performing at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

Television has reached the interiors of India like no other medium. And with reality shows aiming to get the interiors involved,it is a step towards development feels Namit Sharma,business head,Wizcraft,producers of Entertainment Ke Liye. “In our new format,we have also increased the amount by one rupee. This time we will give the participants Rs 1,112,” says Sharma. Sunjoy Mandal from Bengal,one of the participants on this year’s IGT feels that the glamour and television world which earlier belonged to people settled in Mumbai,has today reached the masses.

Every individual has some kind of quirky trait which needs to be explored. And the man who knows it best is Manoj Karam,a member of Indian Whistler’s Association. He performed with his group on Entertainment Ke Liye. “A trait like whistling was always looked down upon,but even this could be a talent if well presented,” says Karam. For Vinod Thakur,a legless dancer from Delhi,this year’s IGT audition is what got him noticed in a world obsessed with people who are considered “normal”. “Just like many others,my dream was to be on television one day. When I watched the first season of IGT,I knew I had a chance. I practised regularly for a year and got through,” he says.

With IGT and Entertainment Ke Liye going on air on Colors and Sony respectively,the amazing talents from across the country are sure to stay in focus for weeks now.

Road To Success
Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega: Rahul Ingle made a very dynamic entry with his imitation of the calls of various animals. In fact,later,he even imitated what a whole animal orchestra would sound like. Just when we thought the fun was over,Ingle tickled everyone’s funny bone with his interpretation of how Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan would sound if they were animals. Now,he is called upon to perform at various dos.

India’s Got Talent: Meher Malik,a belly dancer from Mumbai performed in the first season,discarding all notions that

Indians couldn’t belly dance. As the business at her dance studio soars to new heights,a group of her students are participating in IGT’s second season.