Gajendra Singh scouts for ’Voice of India

Gajendra Singh of Antakshari fame has another reality show lined up. After presenting another Antakshari on Star One, Singh is now ready with Amul Star Voice of India, one step ahead of his Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge on Star Plus. And the similarities don't just end here. Last season's anchor Shaan, judges Aadesh Srivastav and Jatin-Lalit also join Singh's new TV venture along with singers Alka Yagnik and Abhijit. The entire team was in Lucknow for selecting the participants for the new show. "The show has a different format and even the style of the auditions is different. While other shows have it indoors, we have organised the auditions in front of a live audience who has the final say in the selection of participants and can see who we are selecting and why," said singer Alka Yagnik. Abhijeet added, "We have a panel called saat hindustani comprising people from the audience and are given a chance to judge. This way, the judging of the final participants in the programme is kept as fair as possible." The judges feel they certainly have some of the best talents with them. "Our emphasis is solely on voice. We may like to present our contestants nicely, but makeovers and stuff are a complete no-no. It's all about voice," said Shaan. Lalit said that it's a serious show and the element of fun will not be involved. "We are looking for the voice of India, not the face of India," he said. Incidentally, this is not the first time that a music reality show is being shown on Indian TV. Earlier winners like Debojit (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005), Abhijeet Sawant and Sandeep Acharya (Indian Idol 1 and 2) and Qazi Tauqeer and Rooprekha Banerjee (Fame Gurukul) have disappeared after winning the competition, or are limited to performance in stage shows. "We are just giving a platform to talented people to show their talent to a larger audience. They are the winners amongst the participants and it's their destiny and their hard work that would lead them further,"said Alka Yagnik.

The show is on air on Star Plus from May 18 onwards.