Sa re ga ma challenge/ Updates/ Comments - Page 7

A very good discussion going on. I am in Toronto, Canada and here also this program is a hit. We also record all the episodes and I love replaying it again and again. Often me and my wife will have discussion on the results given by the judges but believe me whenever we rewind and hear again, we hardly differ and mostly feel that comments and results were appropriate. In fact now we have started understanding the nuances of singing and details on what all attributes one should have. No doubt India has many raw talents and what pleases me the most is that we have a bright future for Hindi music. What is so heartening to see is that most of these singers are learning classical and I wish that they continue learning and sing in the same way as our legends, Lata, Rafi,Manna Dey, Kishore and others have.
I feel that people on this message board are great and frank in their opinion.
I feel that all the singers should be given same song)preferably original composition) and then see how they perform. Also not one song alone but couple of songs of different moods as not everyone can fit in one style. also, there should be a choice for their own favorite so that real justice could be done. I know that format will be a very lengthy one but not necessarily all of them should be broadcast. But for the benefit of each singer that should be done. Why am I telling this because first of all in Jugalbandi round one could see very clearly the difference in class, however one song alone(that too already sung by a singer whom not everyone could feel comfortable with) can't make or break for someone. Also, I notice that some of the singers were brilliant but were eliminated because of one bad performance! I guess they will have a different format in the advanced stage.
But overall it is a very good program. I enjoy watching every moment of that. Shaan does a great job, he is very modest. Each gharana is well balanced and with sincere efforts from both mentors and participants, it is evenly poised.

Challenge straight from the UK!


Sa Re Ga Ma Pa challenge seems to be a competition that is attracting participants from as far as London, UK. Meet Swananda, who has flown all the way from London to be part of the SRGMP Challenge.


Swananda: making her mark!
"My husband is in London, and he saw the advertisement and then I went for the auditions. When I was selected, I came to Mumbai," says this 21-year old housewife.
Swananda, who has been chosen in the Jatin-Lalit gharana is very happy to be with her mentors and says that it is her dream to sing in front of them.

Swananda, like the contestants of Sony's Indian Idol, wants to settle down in Mumbai and try her luck in playback singing.

"My husband has promised me that we will settle down in the city, if I win the competition," says Swananda, who has received very little formal training. She believes that training is as important as actually listening to good music --her favorites being Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle.

So why did she choose SRGMP and not Indian Idol or Fame Gurukul for showcasing her talent, we ask-- "Here, talent is tested in all its aspects. Perfomance is important but not essential. You have to have a classical base and that is finetuned here. When I was in India, I had auditioned twice, but this time I was lucky!" laughs Swananda.

In Thursday's episode Swananda will sing the song Kabhi Neem Neem, Kabhi Shahed Shahed from the movie Yuva and we hope that she gets her gren card to the next level!

Like others, I am an avid follower of SRGMP. Unlike our fantasy-ridden serials, I love reality programs.

I look forward to an update on Thursday's episode (hopefully by Priti). I am from Sydney too and we are one week behind. I agree with Priti that Abhijeet is not a versatile singer but some how I like his classical style. Hemchandra has very good voice but he amy suffer from the diction.

Do you guys have any comment on the different slogans the mentors use to motivate their students. I particularly like 'jai ho - mangal mai ho'.

Even i like jai ho....i like aadesh's attitude too.

On thursday- 11/8/05

The celebrity judges for today's episode are Alka Yagnik and Jagjit Singh. First, participants from Jatin Lalit's gharana are called upon to sing.

Swananda sings the song "Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahed Shahed" and Bhumik sings "Ramta Jogi". Banjyotsna, from Himesh Reshamiya's gharana, mesmerized the audiences, with the song "Mar Gaye Ishq Main Ashique" while Dilshad sang "Allah Re Kyon Dil Bichade".

Twinkle and Niladri performed from Ismail Darbar's gharana. The popular consensus among the judges was that Twinkle was putting in an extra effort on her performance and did not concentrate on her singing. Lastly Adesh Shrivastav's gharana was represented by Hima Bindu and Rajeev.

Finally the wait is over. The verdict on the performances is out, Dilshad and Swananda get the green card, taking them to the next level, while the other contestants get another chance to display their talent the next day.


ps- i will post the detailed review later.

Hi all saregama lovers...

These are the contestant who took part in yesterday's episode-
Jatin Lalit- Swananda and Bhumik
Himesh reshamaiya- Banjyotsana and Dilshaad
Ismail Durbar-   ; Twinkle and Niladri
Aadesh Srivastava- hemabindu and Rajeev



As i had written in the preview swanands and Dilshaad were chosen- they were shown green cards and the rest were shown yellow cards meaning they have to perform again today.
The judges were Alka yagnik and jagjit singh

The songs sung by the participants-


Jatin Lalit Group
Swananda- Kabhi neem neem from yuva- she sang quite well, delicate voice though she did go strange in some places but overall impressive

Bhumik- Ramta Jogi from Taal.....sang very very ordinary- without any feeling.. I think the mood of the song was completely missing and he was singing very consciously- seemed nervous.

Aadesh said that swananda was good but bhumik was not good as lot was expected from him. Himesh said that it seemed that jatin lalit had done work on these. Ismail said that bhumik had chosen wrong song, and was not good, swananda had chosen a good song but could not do justice to it.

Himesh Reshamaiya Group

Banjyotsana- Ishq kabhi Kariyo na… I thought she sang bad
Dilshaad- I don't know the song so please fill in if somebody knows it....sang quite well…is voice is very suited for sad kind of songs.

The mentors were not impressed with banjyotsana. Jatin lalit said that Dilshaad should try some different kind of song.

Ismail Darbar Group

Twinkle- saiyan chodo mora baiyan.. she sang with too much of expressions- I thought her sur was going pretty haywire. Last time she had sung very well but was a disappointment this time.
Niladri- Chood aaye hum from Macchis ...very ordinary again- I think he needs to also work on his pronunciation…also when he singing in the lower notes his voice could be hardly heard

The mentors were not impressed. Himesh said that Niladri voice will sound very good in recording studio even if he was not good today.

Aadesh Shrivastav Group

Hemabindu- Piyu bole from parineeta- Not good again…the whole feeling of the song was missing and also lost the sur in places

Rajeev- Khali dil nayoo from kacche dhage....superb beginning…but soon lost the sur as well as the taal..pretty bad after that but his voice is very powerful and I think if he is little careful he can go till far.

The mentors said that hema was ok, but ismail darbar said that when Rajeev started singing he thought that this guy is going to be the winner but sadly he was pretty bad after that.

The winner among the girls was Swananda. Alka said that banjyotsana was trying to ape the singer in voice as well as mannerism which is not good as individuality is important. Also twinkle had too much of expression- more on the face than in singing. Twinkle said that she thought she sang very well. Ismail said twinkle don't worry you are the best. She said that her aim is not to just become a playback..singer but also a performer. Himesh said that first one has to be singer and then performer. Jatin lalit was annoyed and said that so much overconfidence in a newcomer is not good, when they were new they used to shiver before meeting people. Swananda kept on crying and jagjit said that why was she crying as she was the winner. Swananda said that she did not expect to win as she thought she did not sing upto her potential and will improve.

The winner among the boys was Dilshaad. Even Jagjit mentioned that Rajeev started very good but was letdown after that and should be careful as he had missed the taal as well. Himesh said that since dilshaad's strong point was this genre of songs- he will continue to guide him in that way.

Tomorrow the remaining six singers who got yellow card today will compete.

"Vikram styles Sa Re Ga Ma Pa participants

The contenders
in the Zee weekly, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005, are gearing up for a new look. Sources at the channel say that the effort is an attempt to boost the confidence levels of the contestants.

Tressed out

Fashion designer Vikram Phadnis has been styling the thirty-odd contestants on the show so far.

Recently, contestants were seen trooping down to Make Over, on Bzandra's Carter Road, to sport new hairdos. While some tresses bore the brunt of the scissors, the others were amazed that their untamed manes could look so neat.

Says Phadnis, "I don't want to make them feel uncomfortable on the stage, with heavy clothes and make-up. It is a continuous process and they are evolving for the final round."

Hum hain naye

Although the makeover is gradual, the contestants are ecstatic about their transformations.

Says Hima Bindu, from Hyderabad, " I can't believe that I can look so fresh and different. I had expressed reservations about wearing strappy clothes, so Vikram ensured that I wore pretty salwar suits."

Admits Rajeev, from Chamba, "I'm so excited about it. But I'm not too satisfied. I want to look my best.

Thanks Pmahesh for the wonderful updates! 👏
Please also give us update who had to leave this week!

Thanks again!

Pmahesh, thank you for the updates. Can you tell us the future structure of the challenge 2005. If I understand correctly, every week sees 4 out of 8 conestants get the Green Cards. That leaves us with 3 weeks of the current round including this week.
What happens after that? How many more weeks/episodes are left after the current rounds.

Apu