alent, determination and networking coupled with a bit of luck may propel a participant towards success but not necessarily win a reality talent show. Take for instance, Jennifer Hudson. She had participated in an edition of American Idol but did not win the title. However, as a soul singer in Dreamgirls she was a frontrunner for the best supporting actress honours at the 79th annual Oscars in March this year that she won hands down despite some stiff competition. Like Jennifer, there are several contestants of reality TV shows in India like Indian Idol,
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Zee Cinestar Ki Khoj who did not win the contests but are doing very well in their respective careers. On the other hand, the winners of these talent hunts like Sandeep Acharya and Debojit are almost out of sight and out of mind. While Sarwar Ahuja and Aditi Sharma, the winners of the first edition of Cinestar Ki Khoj, are still knocking at the doors of success, many of their co-contestants are doing pretty well for themselves. Naman Shaw, who came from Kolkata to participate in Cinestar Ki Khoj didn't make it to the finals of the show but he is acting in three successful Balaji dailies. Priti Amin, another participant of the show, is also acting in a daily on Zee.
Amit Tandon who finished 10th in Indian Idol 1 has made it big as an actor though he has not given up on singing. N C Karunya who lost the Indian Idol 2 title to Sandeep Acharya is hugely in demand for stage shows in India as well as abroad. Karunya's co-contestant Meenal Jain who finished sixth cut her maiden album Mehram three months ago. She is also a busy singer in stage shows. "Talent-hunt shows give you some exposure and take you one step ahead in getting an entry in showbiz," says Naman who had to go through the usual process of struggle to get a break in acting. "It was bit easier for me to give auditions and make contacts, but getting work was solely my job. What the show gave me was confidence
." Amit says that Indian Idol gave him an opening but after being voted out of the show he had to carry on entirely on his own. "I was among the first to be voted out. I may not have impressed viewers with my voice but Ekta was pretty impressed with my looks, performance and presentation style. She offered me the second lead in Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai and later Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi ," says the singer-turned-actor who feels that both talent and luck play an important role in getting the right break. "You got to be at the right place at the right time, no matter whether you are a winner or loser in a talent contest."
Meenal Jain is of the view that winning a contest does help because it gives huge exposure and makes the approach road easy. "But winning alone is not the most important thing. All of us who didn't make it to the finals of Indian Idol are doing pretty well with stage shows and recordings. Talent contests make your struggle bit easy but ultimately it's your talent, luck and approach to work that determine your road to success," says Meenal, adding, "Talent contests bring you in the limelight but do not ensure success." Priti Amin who finished sixth in the first edition of Zee-Cinestar Ki Khoj agrees, "The show didn't do anything for my career except the fact that it brought me from Hyderabad to Mumbai where I could meet new people and make some right contacts. Having done commercials and regional television in my hometown, I didn't expect much from the show and knew that it will not take me anywhere in terms of work. Whatever work I have done in the last two years is entirely because of own efforts and talent."
Twinkle Bajpai, the protagonist of Zee's Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyaan and a singer who finished eighth in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005, is a successful actress now. "Because of my association with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, I did music shows for Zee which was advising me on the kind of work I should do. I was told to give acting a try and was offered the role of Lakshmi in Betiyaan," says the young singer-turned-actress who is glad that she switched to acting where she sees a bright career ahead.
What it all means is that winning a talent contest doesn't ensure success. What ensures success is real talent and right career moves. As Gajendra Singh says, "Talent-hunts offer a platform, but taking the journey ahead is entirely dependent on individual talent." And that journey is indeed an uphill task. Most participants of reality talent-hunt shows have realized that the real struggle begins after the shows end. Promises are made but are rarely kept. Music director Aadesh Shrivastava says most of the singers that he listens to on reality shows are not good cinematic voices. "It is not easy to be a Sonu Nigam overnight. It requires years of riyaaz and very strict discipline. You can be a stage singer but to be a playback singer is a very tough job. That is why most singers of such shows end up as stage singers," says Aadesh.
"Talent is the key word," says singer Udit Narayan. "But talent should be a combination of good voice, diction, sur and taal. Besides one needs to take many a setback in one's stride without losing focus. Success always comes in small doses. To make it as a successful singer is a journey of hurdles and setbacks. Talent-hunt shows definitely make the journey easy by lessening the struggle because of the huge exposure they give."
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