Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Indian Idol and other shows

Indian Idol (the Indian version of American Idol) is one the worst programs to watch. (Then, why do I watch? My wife does...I dont have a choice). Worse still, it is pathetic from the point of view of good contestants; I say 'good contestants' because, it does more harm in the long run. It is good for mediocre contestants who can get come into the limelight, even though briefly.
One question is: What is the motive behind the show? As claimed by the promoters of the show: To create good playback singers? But why then do the judges ask the contestants to concentrate on performance? In the US, there is a big market for private albums. Past winners of American Idol have gone on to become Grammy winners. They have been extremely successful and the show was a platform for them to launch their careers. But there is no such market as private albums. Even if there is one, one need not have to win a talent contest to cut an album. So, the motive behind the show is to create singers for live shows that are held by musicians in various parts of the world. The winners can only hope to achieve this and nothing more. As noted earlier, this is good for mediocre singers and not good singers.
What happened to earlier winners? I am not sure; I know that Abhijith Sawanth cut 2 albums (in 3 years or 4?); Dont know what happened to Sandeep and Prashanth. The same is the case with other shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. What happened to all the offers promised by all the music directors?
Then, there are these new voices (most of them 'unconventional') who are doing so well, singing good songs in Bollywood. They never had any talent show back them!
To be honest, these days such shows are more like a 'reality show'. I guess it would be better if the promoters admit and market it that way. U have some controversy (almost always created by the show's host or judges) running every week and who doesn't want controveries and rumors? The sad part is that young boys and girls (most of whom are sincere, honest, hardworking kids) become part of the drama without their knowledge.
So, take a pick, 'Bigg Boss' or 'Indian Idol'? I would certainly go with Bigg Boss...atleast the promoters are not claiming to mend the characters of the participants!

1 comment:

  1. i think its participants fault to fall into the trap .show producer will produce as long as ad revenues exists .

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