Sa Re Ga Ma Challenge 2005 is one of my favourite programs on TV. This year the talent hunt show is set up differently. Four leading music directors fanned out all over the country to shortlist around 48 contestants. The show began with the final number of contestants trimmed down to 32 and separated into four gharanas headed by the four MDs. Each MD being a mentor to the students in their gharanas. Each show has six participants who are judged by two eminent judges. The mentors sit on each show and comment on performances of the other gharanas. The show has almost reached its final stages so most of you should know the format.
Jai Ho Gharana
This is Aadesh Shrivastav’s gharana. Aadesh has come across as an able teacher. He selects the right songs for his participants and sometimes experiments by giving different kind of songs to his students. He seems to be very encouraging and always has the right pep talk for his students.
Top participants:
Himani: A very good singer who handles all types of songs. In one of the recent episode she fainted after her song as she was not feeling well. Himani has been breezing through the rounds except for one round. She is in the final.
Rajeev: A cook from small town Chamba in HP. He had to borrow money to make the trip to Bombay. He has had no formal training in music but his voice has a raw edge and sings from his heart. He is in the final.
Rakthima: She began with a very nasal voice but in the last few episodes she has come of age. She hits the high notes with ease. Her mother suffered a mild heart attack after Raktima couldn’t get the green card in the first attempt in one of the episodes.
Vishwas: Initially he was a standby, but after getting in, he won two episodes with ease. A solid singer. Sings with lots of feeling. He is out but could still make it with viewers support.
Hemchandra: A singer with total control of sur. He has a bass voice and eased through to the final without any difficulty. He is an overwhelming favourite to win in the final.
Dum Ho Gharana
Headed by the successful duo of Jatin-Lalit. JL’s song selection has not been very good and one participant Sapthak, was eliminated due to their mistake. They have been hard on some participants from other gharanas, noticeably Joyeeta and Vinit. Lalit also took issue with one of the senior judge Khayyam after their singer got eliminated.
Top participants:
Swananda : She has sung some outstanding songs so far. She has come all the way from UK. JL has high hopes for her. She is another singer who has complete control over sur. A singer in the Lata mould according to JL.
Ujjaini: A clean voice and conveys a kind of purity in her singing. She has improved by leaps and bounds. Some of her renditions has been top class. She was ousted last week but could still come back with viewer’s votes.
Sharib: A very non-descript singer who has reached the final. A classically trained singer who has shown some range too. He proved his mettle when his rendition of ‘Lagi man ki lagan’ impressed all when he sounded better than the original singer
Abhijeet: A front runner who failed to make the final. JL had high hopes for him.
Rock Gharana
Himesh Reshmaiyya heads this gharana. He seemed to have the weakest gharana and it proved to be so with only one participant –Vinit- remaining so far, albeit in the final. He always has encouraging words for all the participants.
Top participants:
Vinit : A good singer who has reached the final. But he seems to lack the extra something to make it really big
Joyeeta: A very emotional singer who bursts into tears at some harsh comments. She is classically trained but her voice doesn’t seem to suit all kinds of songs.
Yalgaar Gharana
Ismail Darbar’s gharana has the best participants. He is a hard taskmaster and can be very rude with his students. He expects the best and gets irritated if the young singers don’t perform well.
Top participants:
Nihira: The first pick has proved her credentials. She has a lovely voice and has charmed all the mentors and judges. Her voice is very melodious. The final is for her to lose.
Debojit: He has chucked his well paid job and reached Bombay to be a singer. He has a solid all round voice. He could be winner if he sings to his potential.
Twinkle: A confident and bubbly girl. Her forte seems to be fast paced songs which she sings very well. Two of her renditions have been difficult songs that have impressed the judges. A worthy candidate in the final.
Some of the best performances:
‘Lagi man ki lagan’ – Sharib
‘Jaane kya baat hai’ – Swananda
‘Aaja meri jaan’ – Vishwas
‘Ae subah shabnami’ – Debojit
‘Daiyya yeh main’ – Twinkle
‘Mausam ki adala badali - ’’ by Ujjaini
SRGMP has given the industry good singers like Shreya Ghosal, Shweta Pandit and Kunal Gnajewala. Hoepfully the next star is born again. I’m betting on Nihira and Debojit to win it all….