The good news is that most contestants are now singing mostly in sur and taal, and so when they slip, it does seem like an aberration. There is really no bad news, unless you like me are really, REALLY getting tired of the emotional dramas. But that is another topic, isn't it?
The program started with Sumitra who sang the title song from 'Basera.' Her beginning was weak, but somewhere along the way she made it up. This is one of Lata Mangeshkar's very shrill songs (I actually dislike it for this reason). Sumitra seemed to be singing higher than is easy for her; it would have been better had she taken it a notch lower. But something about the latter part of her performance was really nice. Expression, perhaps.
I have been a consistent supporter of an increasingly inconsistent Sumitra. However, where other contestants have shown tremendous drive to improve and to win, she gives the impression that she is content with where she is. Now, unlike many, I think this is a pretty good standard already, but it is not enough. No level of competence is a resting place for an artiste. She also has the misfortune of mentors who are not challenging their contestants. IF she survives to the last four or two, she is likely to be the only girl, and I hope Alka does what she did in L'il Champs and insists on coaching her. She needs that kind of coaching desperately: a demanding, challenging coaching rather than 'yeh to gaa legi, bas abhi doosra dekho.'
Irfan's singing has that strange quality. Sometimes it is really just so-so but something about his voice, his breath control and his sincere effort just pull his performances out from the 'jaws of death.' When I say sincerity, I don't mean a quality of character in this instance as much as his evident, sincere effort to improve and his determination to make it. Impossible to write him off, I say, even though he still needs to be more surefooted in both sur and taal. And this song that he sang is one of those many AR Rahman songs that grows on you and gets under your skin. Like Dil Se which he sang a few weeks ago.
Mirande sang a song that I did not notice in the movie but that Karishma Kini sang beautifully at her audition. At her worst, Mirande is very competent but her throat is still not at 100% okay and I think it is showing. This is a voice I want to hear for a very long time, and so I am actually quite content with her elimination. She needs to rest it and nurture it and come back another time to wipe the floor with her rivals. And her grace at the moment of her departure reminded me of young Pavni. Attagirl!
Ishmeet did not need Boost today, he had parathe from his mother. There was energy and more expression than usual in his performance. Still, this boy impresses me more as a nice boy than as a great singer. Too bad!
Harshit was good last night. Very good. All the missing pieces came together, at last. He is usually technically fine. He can be expressive, and he can be energetic and recently he has been both together. Last night, the magic ingredient was a spark of life that I always have missed. The result: the Harshit that can be. Very nice.
Abhilasha has her mascot--Alka, and Harshit his--Dadiji. But when I watched Harshit's segment last night, with the entrance of Dadiji, the subsequent interactions and his performance, I thought of the missing ingredient in Sumitra's. Three words: 'whatever it takes.' Harshit gave it his all, and the result was a moving performance.
I thought Abhilasha was excellent. Yes, she did slip in one place in sur, but the song was so incredibly difficult that it was virtually a virtuoso performance. I want to see her in the final of this show, only so I have a few more weeks of hearing her sing. No matter who wins, she is the find of this show.
Abhaas is inimitable. One moment he is flashing his baby jhabla and the next moment he sings like a man who has seen the world. And this boy's steady sur shook once this week, which is happening more than it has and at this stage should, but I cannot say it marred his performance. His brother also sings very well. Abhilasha is the find of this show, but for my money, Abhaas is the Voice of India.
Everyone sang well--from decently enough to wonderfully--and yet, the show made less of an impact on me than it should. I think it is because they all talk so much. All the talking, 'feeling' and crying, just exhaust me. I would rather people came and went like an assembly line and with all the extra time, they sang a second round of songs.
Whoever did clothes yesterday deserves đ, and by contrast to previous weeks, actually, a standing ovation. Makeup is still a little more than necessary, but the clothes were actually very nice. Keep this person, GS, and pay them in gold or in chaat or CDs or whatever.
Pushpa Impossible
