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Journalism of Courage
News from the sets of yet another reality show
It was supposed to be a mood spoiler. Viva8217;s Anoushka Manchandani8217;s entry on the Star Plus8217;s Amul Voice of India was a well kept surprise, and we won8217;t deny the fact that the contestants were a little miffed. Nevertheless, the singers put up a brave front and carried on singing. Meanwhile, Malhar8217;s electrifying performance shot a wave of current. Hmm, a prospective Voice of India. On the other hand, it8217;s sad that Punjab da Puttar, Vipul, which they say is the next best thing that8217;s happened to VOI, is falling short of votes! Which brings us to the current tiff between the judges and the producers. 8220;We should increase the role of judges, at least we8217;ll see some genuine results,8221; Shaan takes the mike at a press interaction at Shivalik View. In town with the six contestants of VOI, Malhar, Vipul, Ravi, Saptaparna, Rohit and Ritisha along with Sukhwinder Singh, Shaan agrees that audience polls can get skewed sometimes. 8220;I guess it has more to do with a sense of climax and intrigue for the week-after-week suspense and drama ends up creating interesting television viewing. There8217;s no trade off other than this,8221; so far, he8217;s okay with the fact that this is a platform and this popularity shouldn8217;t be confused with success. 8220;We are making performers, entertainers out of these singers, grooming them, once out, they have to rough it out,8221; says Shaan. For him, reality shows are like crash courses. You make a base and move on. But what he8217;s unhappy with is children being subjected to this torture and dragged around in lure of money. 8220;It8217;s sad, and that8217;s why I opted out of Li8217;l Champs.8221;
Television is losing qualitative programming, and as Shaan puts is, 8220;it8217;s better to have less information than influx of bad information.8221; As we waited for Sukhwinder, we caught up with the contestants, at this stage, confident. 8220;The competition is there, but more with the self, to get better with each performance,8221; says Delhi lad Ravi. For them, reality shows are a platform where you get to interact with the Gurus. 8220;Which is not possible otherwise. We don8217;t say that this is instant stardom. There will be struggle after this too, but maybe lesser,8221; he adds. 8220;It8217;s a ticket to Bollywood,8221; chips in Vipul. 8220;If we8217;ve chosen it, then we8217;ll face the pressure,8221; vow Malhar and Rohit, while the girls back the recognition one gets post these shows.
Tick tock, and the legendary Sukhwinder Singh enters. His song, Jalwa from Fashion in 8220;typical Sukhi style,8221; he dimples, is rocking the dance floor, while he has taken centrestage with this show. After rejecting producers and makers for almost five years, Sukhwinder finally said yes to VOI. Why? 8220;Because I realised three things were missing in the children 8211; respect, love and manners. I felt, that as a senior, it8217;s my responsibility to teach them, groom them on these equally important aspects of their musical taleem,8221; says the soft spoken Sukhi who said an instant yes to the show when he was told Shaan8217;s hosting it. 8220;He8217;s an amazing person, and that8217;s the integrity and sincerity I am talking about.8221; He prefers to stay out of fights and non musical contents, but one thing8217;s for sure, 8220;the show8217;s taught me to talk more. I8217;m a shy guy, and expressing comes with great difficulty.8221;
You just cannot miss his bright patent leather red belt with a Gucci flashing in Swarowski, or his silver-toed cowboy shoes, but that8217;s Sukhi for you. A little loud, but never 8220;sounding or behaving like a celebrity!8221;
