No oldies please!
Himesh insists that his students sing contemporary songs only on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, thus riling the other judges
Back to Section Stories Posted On Wednesday, June 06, 2007
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Subhash K Jha
Himesh Reshammiya
Whether it's for his recordings, acting ambitions or TV appearances, Himesh Reshammiya is constantly singled out for acting uppity. Recently on Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa he was caught up in another controversy over his rigid stance on the choice of songs for his protges.
A source from the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa team says, "Known for always being the one to discover true music, based only on talent and riyaaz, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has had participants who can sing to any genre. For instance, a participant is asked to sing a Kishore Kumar and a KK song in the same episode. And based on the versatility of the voice, the performer is given his points. But Himesh always asks his gharana to sing songs with a Sufi touch, so Rahat Fateh Ali and Atif Aslam are his favorites for his students."
This rigid stance of the musician-turned-actor does not go down well with the other judges like Vishal-Shekhar, Bappi Lahiri and Ismail Durbar.
The source adds, "The other gurus want the participants to sing various styles. Time and again we have told him to change his selection of songs and incorporate some old songs!
"But Himesh insists he isn't fond of old songs. He says that he doesn't want his gharana to starve without work, just sitting in a competition and experimenting. He wants them to earn money and if this style makes them become good singers, then it is only that style that Himesh will hone."
Reluctant to upset Himesh, the producers are playing along. But the other gurus are quite unhappy with his rigid stance.
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