Games people play

Shivli Tyagi / TNN / Mar 18, 2006, 21:39 IST

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Talent hunt shows mean big money and have become serious business.

Talent hunt shows mean big money and have become serious business.
Talent hunt shows are no longer 'just a game'. They mean big money and have become serious business. So serious that one sees protests, walk-outs and a charged up audience ready to take to the streets for their favourite singing sensation. Was this what it was all meant to be?
It's not a fun show anymore, says Prajakta Sukre, one of the big names to emerge from a reality show in recent times.
"There's more pressure in a show which has a voting system. But there has been a vast change in people's attitude over the last year. It is no longer only friendly competition."

Music composer Lalit Pandit feels it might all be orchestrated. "It is a game after all. If the judges start protesting, then there is no meaning to the whole exercise. But yes, judges need to be a bit more practical about the selection process."
Controversies were bound to happen, feels singer Ila Arun. "One doesn't know if the antics on screen are make believe or real. But these controversies are a natural outcome of different minds trying to come to a common conclusion.

But I appreciate the honesty of judges who protest unfair voting patterns," she says, citing the example of her own rift with Javed Akhtar on another reality show.
But is the new SMS voting system and its lack of transparency the real devil? The process is definitely being questioned.
Abhijeet Sawant, who shot to stardom and became a singing 'idol' in 2005 feels: "This voting system is not right. One can get hundreds of friends and relatives to vote and judges can't do anything when a talented singer is voted out.
But then one can't do away with the system either. It is because of the people that singers like me have become popular. Why would the audience be interested in watching a show unless they can be a part of it."
Of course with all the walkouts and protests, the contest winner may end up being the biggest loser.
Rex D'souza, a runner up in one such show, feels that though the judges maybe right in voicing their protest and the people in showing their anger - somewhere one is forgetting the 'poor winner'.
"If a singer is being unfairly knocked out, it is not the fault of the person who has won. When big names who are judges, show their anger and even promise the loser better assignments, he or she is demoralising the actual winner," says D'souza.
"The winner is blamed for all the controversy. It is very difficult especially because the industry can be a tough place to survive if you have enemies," adds Sawant.
shivli.tyagi@timesgroup.com

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