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GUys Read This

See How they Shoot Episode

It ain't all song n dance!


Mondays are frantic at Mumbai's Famous Studios in Mahalakshmi. A harried Gajendrra Singh, week old stubble in place, presides over the organized chaos that's the Ek Main Aur Ek Tu set. Usha Thomas got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the music talent hunt that's building to a climax currently.

Tuning in


Getting better everyday
The recording begins every Monday at 2.30 pm and goes on for an excruciating 12 hours. The songs for the eight wannabe playback pairs are selected by the music director duo of Anand Sharma (who's been with Gajendrra since the birth of Antakshari) and Anujj Kapoor, both of whom Gajendrra calls the "true force of the show".

There are times when contestants are not happy over their songs, like when Twinkle and Prajakta fought over the songs given to them. But finally, it's Singh's word that rules.

The singers are given original CDs of the songs. "From Tuesday to Sunday, it's a disciplined, tough regime that the singers have to follow. It teaches them everything they need to know about being singing stars. And as the series progresses, they learn more about performing- using their body, singing while dancing, breathing properly, basic vocal coaching, singing techniques to industry tips to everything in between. And it's all through firsthand experience," says Sharma.


Shane works his magic on the participants
"For two hours every morning, I make sure the singers undergo classical training. I notice the improvement in the voices with the training given to them," he says.

"Viewers only get to see the drama"


Kapoor takes over after their morning riyaaz. "They first practice on the harmonium. After three days, they practice on the track. There are no weekends off. Viewers only see the drama. It's only we who notice the refinement that comes in every day."

Monday is performance day. Hectic is putting it mildly, as both episodes for the week are shot back to back. On Monday, the only free time they get is waiting for the others to rehearse. But here too, one notices that the talk ranges only about music, if they can stop practicing their songs on others!

Most of the participants are Bengali and the jovial interaction between them in the make-up room in mostly in that lingo, as they rib each other while their hair and make up is done by Shane Clerk.

Make up for the musical soul


Sagar Mhadolkar - tough job on his hands
Shane helps to highlight their best features and fights the designer's suggestions to do anything that would not suit the singers. Care is taken to ensure that not a single lock of hair will dare interfere with their performances.

Contestants wend in and out of the make up room to the designer's room, singing away loudly, asking for reactions from the group. The fact that music is their only priority is evident in the manner they trust Shane and the fashion designer Sonal Shahani blindly for the look and outfits. Again, it is Gajendrra who keeps a close eye on the make up and clothes stylization, keeping in mind the episode theme.

Choreographer Sagar Mhadolkar says, "The contestants are more relaxed when learning steps for the opening tracks on each episode, but are shy when performing as a jodi. One has to remember that they are singers first and dancing does not come naturally to them. Parental fear and fear of the judges too can be big distractions."


The invocations before the shoots
"Surprisingly it's the married couple, Prajakta and Hrishikesh, that's extremely conscious when it comes to dancing. I have to keep everyone's wishes in mind before choreographing," laughs Sagar.

Before that show goes on the air, they have to fine tune their medley and focus on the dance moves that go along with it. From 10 30 am to 12 30 pm they rehearse under the scrutiny of the music directors, camera men, choreographer. lightmen, sound technicians, musical band, set designer and others.

Man on the move

Gajendrra is everywhere as he watches the progress on and off the sets, co-ordinating with technicians, designer's of the set, team, anchors, make up artists, outfit designers. He is thinking ahead for the next shoot too, yet always has an encouraging word for the pressured contestants. No one takes respite to eat, sips of water seem to sustain everyone well!

The Thursday show has a Punjabi crowd complete with bhangra dancers with their musical instruments as the show celebrates Baisakhi. Production co-ordinator Jatinder Arya mingles with the audience, warning them that they must not be seen scratching, yawning, talking on cell phones or most importantly, looking disinterested! The jodis are introduced to the audience and their cheers and claps are canned.


Ishita - getting ready for the rigorous shoot
15 minutes before showtime, Arya once again comes on stage to warm up the crowd. He speaks over the microphone, making sure the audience is in the mood to watch a reality talent hunt take place live in front of them. Posters are distributed to help them root for their favourite jodi.

The host with the most

Ek Main Aur Ek Tu's biggest draw, perhaps, is host Shaan. And this time round, he has Ishita for company. "I have known Ishita a long time and completely agreed with Gajji on his decision to take her as my co-anchor. She prefers sticking to the script as she comes from a theatre background," says Shaan.

Shaan says it's not enough for the singers to recognize that they have talent, but it's more important that they remember who made them successful - the audience. "The manner the audience is voting reveals that they are closely watching the performance and judging them accordingly. Which though a good thing has its disadvantage as sometimes, based on a single performance, good singers are voted out."

Says Ishita, 'They are small town kids with big aspirations and if they fail on any one day, it is important to give them that humane touch. I can't sneer at the singers. At times, I steer away from the script, much to Gajendrraji's indignation to lend that much needed humane touch to the contestants before and after their performance. He reminds me that it is a hard core reality show," she laughs.


The EMAET set - no mean feat
The hosts can't risk goofing up, as it's just one take, no repeats or chances given". The SMS results too are handed directly to Shaan on the shoot and that's where they have no script to help them. So other than knowing the theme of each episode, they have to host the show on real time, expecting sudden changes and unknown reactions from the contestants and singers at every moment of the shoot!

It is the first time that the groovy guru's Hariharan and Leslie Lewis are judging an entire series of a talent hunt competition. Hariharan said his aim is to see the best jodi win and music is the only determining factor. He says, "The beauty of this concept will be to see how the chemistry and compatibility between the two singers that form a pair is enhanced with the training they are given."


Leslie Lewis and Hariharan
Leslie Lewis says, "I do notice that the singers are getting distracted trying to get their lines right as they appeal to voters to SMS, concentrate on getting that perfect screen presence and getting the viewers to notice them. But, this is reflective of our changing times and a talent hunt aims to showcase these young talented singers, so all that goes in to help achieve that must be respected."

So what is it they are looking for? "Good singers who understand the technicalities of music, not just performers who sing to win votes," is the response from both judges.


An eye on the vote bank

But before India can cast its votes, the jodis must win over the show's two judges in the Friday episode. The singers go through the same routine of make up, changing their outfits and rehearsing in the two hours break they get before the next episode is shot. The judges' remarks are taken in good spirit as they discuss their performances.

A young college crowd is the audience for this episode. Celeb judge Himesh Reshammiya turns up late, but makes up with a striking entry and endearing himself saying, "It just feels like coming back home."


Gajendrra Siingh - always in control
In the control room, Gajendrra keeps an eye on all monitors as they give him a 360 degree view on the sets and he navigates the show till final cut. He is focused in giving the jodis a platform that serves as a blueprint for rest of their career.


After the Friday episode, it is another six days for India to vote. And, it is another six days for the singers and the team of the show to work tirelessly for the week ahead.

At the end of a hard shoot on Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, everyone's a winner.

👏

bitu y didnt u put dat article in TV club.. 😭

thr is not even mentiond antara name 😭 😆

No sweet heart I posted there also

but i just wanted to tell u ppl how does the realitty show shoot the episode 😆

Sweet heart

I hope u read the long article 😊

because i dint read it 😆

Hey Twinkle vishwas answerd My questions

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sorry nothing realted to antara 😊

Hi Muqui How r u

I m fine , u know Twinkle and vishwas naswered my question , i m so happy

👏 👏 👏

one more article to read

Fifteen seconds of fame
- The lure of celebritydom

Frenzied fans greet Abhijeet Sawant, the Indian Idol. A Telegraph file picture
As the country gets ready to welcome yet another superstar once the results of Indian Idol 2 gets announced within a few days, the one trend that will surely witness an unprecedented rise with every such victory is the rise in the number of teenagers, who want to achieve instant success and grab their 15 seconds of fame on television.

Neha Singh (name changed) a student from a reputed city school travels to and from Ranchi frequently to participate in a weekly television show. The reason is simple, her parents cannot afford to look after a family and Neha at an young age is chipping in to save the family in times of crisis. Moreover, the 15 seconds of fame on the small screen is too hard a temptation to resist.

Genuine cases like Neha can be one in a million, but the fallout of reality television has surely been on the teenagers today.

Urge to get instant fame, money and a classy lifestyle in a metro, such dreams have given many teenagers a reason to run after television and silver screen, often at a price.

With every success story like that of, Abhijit Sawant, Debojit Saha and Amit Sana, there are many other unknown faces that never get to see the arclights. When many enter the tinsel town they are unaware that these professions require as many hard hours of work and toil as any other. Therefore, the chances of a burnout is quicker and more prominent.

According to a study conducted in the United Kingdom, the lure of celebritydom is so great among teenagers that almost one in 10 would readily abandon their education if they had the chance to appear on television. Although the odds of hitting the jackpot through reality television are 30 million to one — greater than those for winning the lottery — a considerable chunk of teenagers believe they are ready to take the leap of faith.

With the recent generation fed with reality shows, big money, the poll of nearly 800 youngsters in the 16 to 19 age group, commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), found that money and success were their main motivating factors. Experts feel: "For many young people, trying to be famous through reality television can be tempting, particularly if they are unsure of the direction they want their lives to take." And the stories of Richard Branson, J.K. Rowling and David Beckham whose almost over-night fame is alluring enough.

Question remains how "glamourous" are these shows in real-life. City girl Jigisha Chanda who had participated in two rounds of a successful music shows on a popular Bengali music channel has a different story to tell.

"The pressure to perform and to prove oneself is tremendous mostly resulting in depression, its almost like a rat race. Nervous breakdowns are a very common thing, but at last it all depends on how a participant takes it into his stride," says Jigisha.

P. Ghoshal, a city musician who had participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa about two years ago seconds her opinion. "The reality that lies behind the camera, is totally different from what is being shown on television and the hardwork that goes behind it is tremendous. There is no glamour behind these so-called glamourous shows," says Ghoshal.

But that is hardly deterring millions of teenagers across the globe, who rather hit the bullseye with one shot.

"I think education is important but for me I do not think a 9-to-5 job would be good enough. I would not like to go to the same job every day. I do not think you can become really rich with a normal job. I think you can just be comfortable. When you are really rich you can do whatever you want. Being comfortable is not the same thing," rues a school student from Jamshedpur.

Though leading city doctors refute such cases as one in a million and not such an alarming trend in the city, but Aatrayee Chandra, psychologist at Telco Hospital recalls a particular case that she had to deal with recently.

She recalls the case of a teenaged girl, who wanted to be a model, but was not ready to put in any hardwork in the form of exercises or going in for a healthy diet. Instead, she blamed her mother for all her failures.

"The girl's mother had some skin problem, which she inherited. She kept on blaming her mother for her inability to perform," says Aatrayee.

When brought to the hospital, the girl was told about the major pitfalls of choosing a career in modelling, but what startled most was the desperation the she showed in achieving her dreams.

"She was completely aware of the kind of exploitation one has to go through. But she was ready for everything," says Aatrayee. This type of obsession leads to a state of extreme depression if there is failure of some sort. Doctors feel that the only way to break this stupor is to show these youngsters the real picture behind the camera.

And then there is counselling. Experts feel that counselling can help in a great extent to solve these problems and make students come out of a make-belief world. "In most cases, the craze leads to extreme depression and the only treatment left thereafter is treating depression, which in itself is a long drawn process," added Aatrayee.


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i hv not read

pls do read 😆 😆 😆