Debo and Vinit !!

Debojit and Vinit to perform live in Delhi and Kolkata

While Pt Ravi Shankar and Asha Bhosle serve as celebrity judges in the grand finale of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa

Subhash K Jha

As Sa Re Ga Ma Pa inches towards the finishing line, the programme itinerary gets even more exciting. As a prelude to the grand finale, the two finalists will perform live in Delhi and Kolkata this week which will be telecast on February 16 and 17. As for the finals, sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and Asha Bhosle have consented to serve as celebrity judges.

For the final episodes, Debojit and Vinit will be joined by their mentors on stage for a rendering of the title song of Rang De Basanti, before they move on to their solo and duet performances.

"It's a very important event for both of us," says Debojit. "Our performance in Kolkata on Friday and Delhi on Sunday will determine to a large extent the mood, attitude and the voting patterns for the finals."

Adds Vinit, "We're both very nervous. Singing in the studio for the judges is fun. But in this scenario, we will be praised or condemned on the spot. Even if our respective mentors (Ismail Durbar and Himesh Reshammiya) are there, the experience will be different."

This move to make these two finalists perform in Delhi and Kolkata has been taken to gauge their effect on audiences outside their home region.

"It's obvious that Debojit will have audiences roaring for him in Kolkata because he's from Assam. And it's not surprising if Vinit gets more than his fair share of applause in Delhi (he's from Lucknow). The real measure of the two boys' reach would be in alien territory-how Vinit is received in Kolkata and how Debojit performs in Delhi is crucial," says producer-director of the show, Gajendra Singh.

The link http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=19&am p;articleid=212200621524906212200621426343