Article:Let the music play

G etting a 2 plus TRP in the first week has not deterred his enthusiasm or the belief that his kind of musical talent-hunt shows will eventually score. Gajendrra Siingh on his maiden venture on Star Plus – Voice of India. Is it true that you are in talks with Lata Mangeshkar? All I can say is that I've met her. It's very humbling to hear her say that she is watching my every move. She has always appreciated my efforts and encouraged me. She compli- mented the talented youngsters in Voice of India. It's a huge boost to hear it since she represents lakhs of music lovers in India. Do negative reports worry you as you set out to establish your own identity? No..Any kind publicity works well for a show. Besides, at the end of the day, my team and the channel are more focused to work harder and deliver a better product. I couldn't have done this with- out Sameer Nair's support. Even after he's left, Harsh Rohtagi and the entire Star team have backed me 100 per cent. Lets start with rumours of techni- cal glitches during Mumbai audi- tions, rains in Jaipur and a unit hand being electrocuted due to negligence. Clarify? I was not satisified with the tech- nical arrangements for the Mum- bai audition and took a risk by calling off the shoot. I don't com- promise on anything ..Star, Shaan and the judges supported my decision. We held it on anoth- er day..the crowds were so huge that the police had to be called in to manage them. Again at Jaipur, heavy rain ruined our sets. The next day, as against three contestants, the judges ended up selecting nine. The support from the local pub- lic was amazing. Jatin was so moved by the voices that he car- ried a contestant in his arms. Mishaps like the man falling are routine incidents in our work place. No one was hurt or killed as reported. Those who are turned away end up spreading rumours that they weren't allowed to audition. We haven't turned away anyone. How does your show stand apart from others? The format is such that the ini- tial episodes show the intensive round of ground events in Mum- bai, Kolkata, Indore, Delhi, Jaipur and Lucknow. My effort is purely to show- case the singers in this round. I don't feel the need to glamourise them and take away from the essence of young kids who have been selected from thousands of hopefuls. I want the viewers to hear talented singers, not be dis- tracted by fancy sets and tamasha. All I want to do is pro- vide a platform for singing sen- sations. Have you pre-selected the singers? No, the auditions are there for all to see. It can't get more transpar- ent than televising the ground event and having a group of sev- en local judges, along with our panel of judges- Alka Yagnik, Jatin Pandit, Lalit Pandit, Abhi- jeet and Aadesh Srivastava. Viewers voting will also come in only at a later stage so that emotions and regional bias don't ruin the chances of deserving talent. Any competition from Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa? None at all. Are you monitoring TRPs? I've been in this business long enough to know how much time a new show takes to settle down. It's Star Plus' first reality musical tal- ent hunt show. Everyone had written off Antakshari on Star One in its first week but the fol- lowing it has proved them wrong. What next? Antakshari - The Great Challenge will be a weekday on Star Plus from June 4. This time we're playing antakshari with kids. usha.thomas@hindustantimes.com