Disappointing showcase of talent

(Note: This is a dated review. Some of the wording that was relevant when this was first written, may not be relevant any more. However, the main message still holds.)

I did not have the opportunity to watch the original SaReGaMa that was conducted by Sonu Nigam, but I heard very good things about it. And I did see an occasional episode here or there and I was really impressed by it. So, I was very excited to hear about the new series SaReGaMaPa that was being presented by Shaan. But after watching the new series for a few months now, I am afraid to say that I have been quite disappointed by the show.

I am sure there is a lot more talent in our youth than this show seems to present. Most of the contestants on the show have been rather mediocre. Of course, there have been some exceptions too - Nihira Joshi, Saandeep, Gopal, Richa (Mukherjee?), to name a few. But overall, the quality of the singing has been less than pleasing. I believe the contestants need to put in more practice into their singing and try to improve their performance.

However, the bright point in the show’s history was the children’s special. Those young kids performed superbly and were far superior to the regular college age contestants.

The less said about the judging the better. The decisions have mostly seemed to be very arbitrary, and the scoring excessively generous. It is one thing to encourage youngsters in the development of their musical abilities, but quite another thing to overlook their flaws and pretend that they are awesome. Unfortunately, most of the judges have been doing the latter. A good judge would not only point out what the singers did wrong but also make suggestions on how they can improve themselves.

Overall, although I think the show is a brilliant idea to showcase the musical talent of our youth, the execution of this current series has failed to harness the real talent that continues to remain hidden from the world. In my opinion, this show is simply promoting mediocrity among our youth, instead of spurring them on to achieving greatness.

I know I am going to make some enemies by being so critical of this highly acclaimed show, but this is what I honestly felt on seeing the show. However, I still continue to watch the show regularly because the occasional good singer who does come on the show just makes the wait worth it all.

(Originally posted on MS on April 23, 2003)