Reflections and Analysis, Sept 21, 2007

What a delight it was to hear these old songs! I can't say that in their heyday they appealed to me as much as they do now, especially the super-popular ones. But I love 'Jeevan ke har mod pe' and am delighted it was sung in the medley, so the evening started with that special treat. I wish someone had sung "Jhootha kahin ka."

The contestants are improving on the whole, every one of them, and this shows what mentoring and practice can do.

Ishmeet's 'Main shayar to nahin' was pleasant. This is the kind of song his sukoon-giving voice is great for. But there is always something insipid somewhere that makes me very sad because this boy can sing.

Harshit was fine, I guess, even good. The young man has just a bit of a lisp which would sit better with a boy like Abhaas, but mars the performance of an adult singer who looks like an adult. Is there something GS can get someone to help him with? I can tell you he sang well technically, but I am still unable to rave about his singing.

Abhilasha was very, very, very good. Flawless and expressive. And enjoying herself too. A far cry from the mood of 'Mahalon ka raja' to which I am still listening. How long will the Find of the Series last now that the Voice of India has left?

I am not going to loudly lament the departure of the Voice of India, Abhaas. It is not his loss. And it will not be ours in the long run, because he will make it, and we will hear him without the threat of sms voting hanging over all our heads. Yesterday's performance was proof of that.

As Abhaas and Abhilasha took their places in the Chakravat seating, one could see how young they are. They just made themselves comfortable swivelling on their seats. Good for them, this is hardly a big deal!

I did not like Irfan's performance as much as I liked Abhaas'. I usually enjoy Irfan's singing, but I thought yesterday, he lacked energy. I felt his breath was weak and his voice therefore lacked substance. Maybe he was tired. He is probably fasting, right, and somedays you get more tired than others.

Sumitra should try singing a notch lower. I think she will do even better. I was not bowled over yesterday because her voice thins out when she does an Asha/Lata imitation rather than adaptation. But yes, she is confident and expressive and that carries the day.

And so Abhaas has left. They began talking about a wildcard but who will it bring back and will anyone be satisfied by it? I think they should leave it alone and say, we made up bad rules for this contest. Let us change them for next time. Abhaas gets a chance to learn some more, to study and to come back to Bombay and record or perform whenever he is called.

I say this is good for him. Exceptional talent should be cherished and nourished like a delicate sapling, not exposed to the harsh and indiscriminate glare and noise of celebrity for anyone's short-term gains.

Instead of a wild-card round, I would suggest that GS use his good offices to get some of these kids a chance to learn music with someone really good in Bombay, or get them a scholarship from a donor to learn wherever they are. I would send sms's in support of something long-term like that.

I am yet to get over Abhaas's elimination. To me he was the real VOI. I have a strong feeling next in line is Abhilasha and if that happens then SVOI is over for me. Who will take pains to download these video's to watch Ishmit or Sumitra.

But yes loved the show yesterday. It may even turn out to be the last really good episode. Sorry if I am sounding too negative but I am feeling such now. All good singers lost in this show. 😭

I will miss him dearly. He was my 2nd favorite contestant. Although I do have a concern about the wild card entry. They'll be promoting Toshi and now Abhaas to great levels. I wonder if only one of them will be able to get back or whether both of them would be acquired simultaneously..In any case, I can see the wild card entrants winning more votes over the remaining contestants, which may very well put them at a disadvantage. Oh well, at the end, there is only one winner of the show but I sincerely hope and wish Abhaas the very best in winning success in his career.

Cheers,
Sana~

I always love reading your review 😃

You have great analytical skills 👏 👏

Thanks Vanajakshi.Your updates are always a pleasure to read.

I don't mind the wild card as winning is not the goal here.A Contract with
Big music doesn't seem to be such a big deal.

As audience we would like to listen to Arshpreet,Toshi and Abhaas again
every weekend.I liked Prantik's voice too.

Originally posted by: vanajaakshi

Instead of a wild-card round, I would suggest that GS use his good offices to get some of these kids a chance to learn music with someone really good in Bombay, or get them a scholarship from a donor to learn wherever they are. I would send sms's in support of something long-term like that.

Great analysis Vanjakshi, you are a rare extinct breed on this forum. The very same thoughts crossed my mind about the futility of wild card round through SMS again. But Gajendra being more of a businessman than a true supporter of genuine music talent can we really expect such a noble gesture from him or the channel. He has been conducting these shows for the past 10 years but has never helped a single youngster to establish him/her in the music industry. Furthermore he goes to town beating his chest claiming that all the success of Shreya, Kunal & Nihira to be his own, whereas these people have struggled and come through with lot of hard work & genuine talent.

Now imagine Gajendra helping Aabhas get some opportunities in the music industry, the first thing that he will ensure is the returns & profits he is going to
earn from such an investment. Aabhas will become like a bonded labourer for Gajendra singh's worthless ventures.

Better Aabhas or Abhilasha or such kids become independent by escaping from the clutches of money sucking monsters like GS & the other musical show producers & channels.

Entirely agree with Vanajaakshi and Trishanku.Wild card entry is just a money making business.More contracted laborers wanted for GS.Will they wait for Abhilasha to be eliminated next before using wild card?Abhaas and Abhilasha have got enough national exposue to carve an independent career in life.Though we are aghast at Abhas's ouster and will be more so if Abhilasha leaves,it can be better for them than the contracted circus circuits.
Music scholarship idea is great.Sponsor the deserving losers for excellent base in classical music.Even Sonu had a stint with Ustad Gulam Mustafa to hone his natural talent.

One more thing that i hate about this show is the elimination part drama, which they conduct like a Greek tragedy. The depressing background music played, the high emotional dialogues delivered by the judges & the sad drooping faces of the contestants & especially Shaan look very fake & disgusting. They ramble on as though some catastophe has happened there is no escape from it.

It is highly irritating blaming the janta every time making them the villains of the plot as though they have committed some heinous crime whereas the actual culprits are lurking on the stage itself. There are lot of other things playing on the mind of janata like the devastating floods in Karnataka & Andhra, Bihar, Bengal & the north east, the RS.31500 cr pds scam which has kept millions of poor Indians hungry & malnourished etc etc and here we have the great Abhijit, Jatin, Lalit & Shaan passing snide & unwarranted comments about them.

Thanks for the wonderful analysis 👏
I really hope we can listen to Abhaas in the future. And hopefully, not in another music show, but in his own songs. Maybe ones composed by his brother.