'I know more than 1000 songs byheart word to word'-Urmila Matondkar

The recent trend of Bollywood celebrities entering the arena of anchoring television shows is now being followed by the talented Urmila Matondkar as she joins the bandwagon with her upcoming television musical reality show on Sony Entertainment Television, ‘Waar Parriwar'. The ravishing Urmila loves the ongoing IPL and sees it as a rocking concept introduced in Cricket, but now urges the viewers to get glued to seeing the Musical Families who set foot on Waar Parriwar.

Here is the actress cum anchor in conversation..

Being a non –musician, what attracted you to this show?
I think there are very less people who know that I know more than 1000 songs by heart and that too, word to word. I come from a musically trained family and my uncle is a singer. Even though I am not a trained singer, you all must be aware that I have sung along with the legend Ashaji. Even if I had learnt singing, my spontaneous reaction would have been towards dance as I am a dancer. I also wish to say that having heard so many types of music, I have some basic knowledge of music and am attracted towards it. I feel hosting this show is not a bad start after all!!

Is it challenging to anchor a musical show?
I think it is not only very challenging but also exciting. I personally feel that the anchor is the face of the show and provides the direct connection between the contestants and the viewers. I owe my success to my fans and I feel this is the best platform to remain connected to the audience.

There are reality shows almost on every other channel, so what according to you is the USP of this show?
Music, the families participating in the contest, and the great singing standards to be seen in this show are the three major USP factors. I feel in the days to come, people will know more about the show.

How much do you like reality shows personally?
I feel that people connect easily to reality shows because after a time, all the fiction shows look the same, but in reality shows we get to see the real people in real time, which really stands out. That’s what I have seen here and also in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

How do you connect to this show?
As I already said, I have enjoyed music and the various kind of music, ranging from Marathi Natya sangeet to Hindi movie songs to hip hop, rock and jazz. When a show is related to music or dance, I feel I am directly connected to the show. One more thing that is best with this show is that Gajendrra Siingh will be producing and directing it. He is a very famous name in Indian television who has been a pioneer for many a popular musical reality shows.

We will soon be seeing a ‘Waar’ between families in this show, but we also see a ‘Waar’ between Bollywood stars aiming to make it big in television. What do you say about this? I think every concept is different and every individual is different. At the end of the day, all the celebrities are doing their job, so there shouldn’t be any comparisons whatsoever.

Who is your favorite reality show anchor?
There have been so many, but I think Amitji has been fantastic and Shahrukh is wonderful. I think they have ruled the television world in the same way as they have been ruling the big screen. They have the right approach to stay connected with the audience.

Lastly, will you also be seen singing in this show?
For that, you have to wait and watch the show.. (But she finally ended up singing a song Jane kya tune kahi….)

Author and Reporter: Binita Ramchandani