Posted:
I am really disappointed by the whole Ankita backlash. People have restricted this competition to creating average-good playback singers rather than bonafide popstars, when so many of these kids have the potential to crossover into an ailing Pop Music market in India that is currently standing on the shoulders of Pakistani Crossovers and UK/Dubai Imports. The reason the entertainment industry is so excited about Ankita is because they finally have someone on Indian Idol who can lead the way, a girl who is not going to recycle an old classic into a lameass single and dress up like a bimbo in the video, but a girl who can actually sing very well and understands music as a form of expression enough to emote as well as she does. She has got kids who generally despise Indian TV, excited about her, because instead of a fake Suhit Ghosain for the wannabes and the aspirers, they have got the real deal in Ankita Mishra. Another thing, if y'all have noticed, is that her fellow contestants have taken a leaf out of her pocket and tried to focus on delivering a great performance and whenever they have, they have been criticised for their singing (See Puja, Parleen and co from last week). The only problem for Ankita is that she is so far and beyond a better performer than anyone else in this competition that her singing has been left highly underrated because of the mould she has been placed in, "The Performer".
Backlash against her simply represents this mentality that you can either be a great performer or a great singer and that girls and boys are automatically relegated to the "singer" and "performer" mould based on their gender. You see these cliches so strongly represented in these kids. We have Emon saying that Ankita has the "boy" thing too because she performs, and Padmanav essentially making fun of the fact that she dances while performing. These kids have been told too much about the surs and taals and not enough about the fact that they will get a 100 takes to record a song and the reason why all the major playback singers today are so successful isn't because they are the best singers but that they bring that something extra, and that this trip at the Galas is probably the biggest Self-marketing project they will ever have to tackle with, and Ankita is marketing herself the best. To elaborate on the uniqueness factor, For Sunidhi, its that sultry sexy voice, Rekha's voice is like a throw back to old movies... To highlight why uniqueness is so important, pick any song from Sunidhi's repertoire and have Alka sing it and I can guarantee you Alka will suck all the sexuality out of it.
Backlash against her simply represents this mentality that you can either be a great performer or a great singer and that girls and boys are automatically relegated to the "singer" and "performer" mould based on their gender. You see these cliches so strongly represented in these kids. We have Emon saying that Ankita has the "boy" thing too because she performs, and Padmanav essentially making fun of the fact that she dances while performing. These kids have been told too much about the surs and taals and not enough about the fact that they will get a 100 takes to record a song and the reason why all the major playback singers today are so successful isn't because they are the best singers but that they bring that something extra, and that this trip at the Galas is probably the biggest Self-marketing project they will ever have to tackle with, and Ankita is marketing herself the best. To elaborate on the uniqueness factor, For Sunidhi, its that sultry sexy voice, Rekha's voice is like a throw back to old movies... To highlight why uniqueness is so important, pick any song from Sunidhi's repertoire and have Alka sing it and I can guarantee you Alka will suck all the sexuality out of it.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Indian Mythology
