Article:Shaan moves from Zee toStarplus

V iewers are in for a musical treat this summer. Zee and Sony have already announced their new season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Indian Idol respectively. Star Plus' first initiative in this genre Star Voice of India –Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa (SVOI) fea- tures Shaan as the host. The judges are Alka Yagnik, Jatin, Lalit, Abhijeet and Aadesh Sri- vastava. It is produced by Gajendrra Siingh's Saibaba Telefilms. Music all the way Siingh will also direct the 24-week long show. Like most of his con- cepts, this show is distinct from any other in the genre. He asserts, "Shaan has been a constant for my earlier editions of Sa Re on Zee and he as usual will be the soul of the show. Jatin is a talented composer and a classical singer. Ditto Lalit. Aadesh is an experimentalist. Alka and Abhi- jeet are gifted singers. They've been around for over two decades." Auditions will be held across Indore, Kolkata, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Jaipur. Siingh informs, "Innovation is the key. For the first time, the selected par- ticipants from each audition will get an opportunity to perform live in their respective cities before the show goes on air. This will make the selection process transparent." Train with the best Apart from the five judges, local celebrities like Girija Devi, Pan- dit Krishan Maharaj and Birju Maharaj from Lucknow and Rashid Khan and Usha Uthup from Kolkata will also be present at the auditions. Of the 12 selected participants, four from each city will come to Mumbai for studio rounds. They will be divided into teams and will train with judge duos like Lalit-Abhijeet and Aadesh-Alka to polish their music skills. Com- posers Anand Sharma and Anu- jj Kapoor will also be closely asso- ciated with the training.Jatin will be the neutral judge." Siingh continues, "The last phase may be a combination of results polled by the judges and the viewers." Right buzz Harsh Rohatgi, GM, marketing and content , Star India, says,"It's our biggest initiatve after Kaun Banega Crorepati. We will be pro- moting it on a similar scale like KBC. We're primarily known as a fiction channel. With Gajendrra's vast experience in such shows, we hope to create a buzz and attract more viewers." The promos will go on air with Shaan and judges in an all-white theme today. Rohtagi says, "That's because we're stressing on the purity of music." Saying that ex-CEO Star Sameer Nair is responsible for giving him the opportunity to pro- vide content for the channel, Siingh adds, "The fact that Antak- shari has created a buzz on Star One is heartening." Is he working on other shows? "I'm working on a concept for Zee now. My show on Sahara One is happening. I'm also developing new age fiction concepts," he signs off.