WARNING !!! This is a review on SRGMP EK main Aur Ek Tu !!!
SaReGaMaPa: until recently. when I heard that name, images of immensely talented young people flashed before my eyes, Himani singing “Kache Dhage”, Vinit singing “Fiza”, and Hemu, well him just singing!!!
The very first disappointment hit when Nihira was voted out, she was all out the favorite with all the mentors, who agreed early on that she was going to win this competition. The second disappointment came when Himani was voted out. All through the competition the girls were always short changed. Then the antics of the mentors, starting with the OH-so-supposedly great Himesh Reshamiya, (I refer to him as Himesh the CHAMIYA!!!)
Him and his vinit love stories, were the absolute limit, week after week, “Aap agar chahtein hain ke Vinit ka pyar Safal ho, to us ke liye vote kigiye (what does teenage infactuation have to so with receiving votes), unless they were having a swayamvwar for Vinit, that made no sense to me.
Then came the last and final blow, when Hemu got voted out. Everyone knew that he was the best, his songs, from Sathiya, Taal both Ramta Jogi and Nahi Samne (which by the way was the best of the competition.!!!!! As admitted by Shaan himself) (and admit it Subhash Ghai is no fool, to offer Hemu a contract, that was for his own selfish reasons, knowing how good Hemu is)
So after Hemu was out I stopped watching SRGMP, and decided I did not care who won that challenge, it did not matter anymore. A few weeks back, I started to listen to the Indian Idol competition, and lo and behold, Karunya won my heart with his renditions. (Turns out he is Hemu’s cousin) But then again he lost and sandeep won with this whole voting system. (And endless debate on regionalism)
Then came the SRGMP Ek Main Aur Ek Tu…… And Gajji, brought back all the eliminated participants from challenge 2005. The format of the show is, everybody is paired up. The participants were given a choice, where in they had to choose two people from the opposite sex, that would like to sing with, and based on which the judges (the Colonial Cousins) would make a judgment. Right there the Drama started with Sharib and Twinkle chose only each other, right from the start the show made it out like there was some kind of romantic thing going on.
After a lot of hulla bullu and eventually the judges just completely over riding most choices and then they compete, just to hype up the drama, they brought in a married couple. And drama is what came out of it, Vishwas immediately opposed the move and went on and on about how it’s a disadvantage to all of them, and threw in some crap about chemistry.
At the present the voting system is also left to the public and they decide who go and who stay, throw in emotional drama, unnecessary chemistry requirement, a lot of back stabbing, a lot more arrogance and unwanted forced romance and what you get is the kind of crap that we watch week after week, in the form of SRGMP
Now, I do not deny that the intention of the show is good; it is still a stage to give talent a chance to make it big. What I object to is how that is done. I want to be fair and so I will list out the things I like and the things I don’t about this show.
FIRST THINGS I LIKE:
Shaan Does a wonderful job handling all the various elements. He is always smiling, always encourages the participants and has been in the past and still remains a peacemaker when conflicts break out.
Ishita Started out quite loud, but is a perfect compliment to Shaan. Also Ishita, has come to become the voice of the participants and openly support them when most needed. I also like the fact that she asks the participants what a lot of us are thinking. She is also quite knowledgeable about music, mainly because of her grandmother.
Colonial Cousins There is no denying that, they are masters of music. Hariharan is revered universally for his magical voice. I bet everyone remembers the Colonial cousins Debut album, Also the song “something bout the way you smile” Come you know you like it.
NOW THINGS I DON’T LIKE:
Couple system – This may be the greatest flaw by all standards. Especially with the judges deciding who sings with whom, because now, if a strong participant lands with a weak one and gets eliminated the responsibility lies with the judges.
The supposed Romance – This ties in with the couple concept, I can even disregard the above point but, please for god’s sake, STOP THE ROMANCE DRAMA !!!! or suggestion of the same…we have had enough of that CRAP with the VINIT and CHAMIYA !!!!
The public voting system – This is the method that has been proven flawed over and over again (SRGMP Challenge 2005 and Indian Idol). The public vote has nothing to do with who sings well and who doesn’t, it has come down to, sob stories, and regionalism. That is not the point of this competition, Gajji needs to figure a way out of this..like say give the judges vote some weightage. Otherwise what is the point of them giving participants stars when the public voting is not the reflection of it?
MY SUGGESTION: We have enough drama with all the mind numbing hindi serials running day and night. We need to cut down on all the peripherals and concentrate on talent. The participants now are graded equally on the singing and dancing/chemistry/forced love. Well for a singer singing well is more important than maroing THUMKA on stage, and I feel the, marking should reflect that.!!!!!!!
So Gajji if your reading, we already have tear jerking, puke inducing drama round the clock, what we need from you is what we have come to expect from SRGMP…..Showcasing Talent. Stop the downward spiral…
Fake love stories don’t cut it anymore. !!!!!!