MUSBA HASHMI brings you a report on how singing reality shows have evolved to keep the audience engaged

The number of reality shows on Indian TV is growing. For a few years now, genres have mushroomed and the audience increased. From the singular SaReGaMaPa to the newest ones, the change has been not just in concept but also presentation.

The newest trend is live singing and voting, Love Me India being the latest one in that format. The show is the first ever kids-based live singing show and the makers talk of how this format with children will break the monotony and familiarity around singing shows, as also provide a sound platform for young talent to kick-start their career in the music industry by showcasing their inherent talent.

Evolution

Abhijeet Sawant who is judging the show, tells you how reality shows have evolved. “There is a huge change in reality shows from when I started. At that time, people needed to spend money to vote for their favourite contestants but now on most platforms it's free. Also, everything is very polished now. When we started off, everything was raw, we used to look forward to international sources to see how they were doing it but now we have our own reality show ideas. Even the talent that is coming is well rounded. No matter from where they come, they know all the details about the show and the shooting process," he tells you.

Another big name in the industry who has seen the evolution in the reality shows and is a part of SaReGaMaPa is  Shekhar Ravjiani who says: “From being a judge and a mentor in more than 12 music reality shows, I have had the opportunity to closely witness the journey and growth of this phenomenon. Originally conceived as niche, small-sized shows, singing reality programmes have grown over the years into massive platforms for people from every walk of life to showcase their talent and get a chance to shine. We now see newer formats emerging with every new show, but what remains the same is the basic foundation of what it takes to be a good singer and performer and that pure talent must ultimately win above all else.”.

Industry exposure

Reality shows are a boon for a person’s career. These shows give contestants all the name, fame and the required exposure, but maintaining that spark after the show goes off-air depends on the hard work of a participant. “The most wonderful thing about singing reality shows is that they can make national sensations out of simple everyday people who find their voice on the platform.  However, with that fame comes great responsibility. There are ultimately no shortcuts in life and even a winner of a show has to work just as hard as anyone else in the industry. The chance to be heard and known by stalwarts is the most valuable prize that these shows offer. But after that, it all depends on each individual’s ability to convert the opportunity into something more,” Ravjiani says.

“These reality shows are a great platform for every singer to come out, sing for people and gather an audience. But after that, it all depends on the people and the plus point is that now the struggle has also reduced to an extent. Earlier, the playback singers used to struggle for 10-11 years to get a break. We now skip this struggle and are able to directly step into somebody’s studio, thanks to these shows,” Sawant says.

“Most singers in the industry today are from reality shows. Be it Neeti Mohan or Neha Kakkar, they all have done one or the other reality show and they have become successful after that,” he added.

Live trend

This latest trend will only add to the weight of singing shows. As everything continues to become more transparent and audience friendly on TV, live singing is seen as more engaging by the audience. “Live singing has raised the bar in reality shows for sure. Like any other format, this one too has to keep reinventing itself and the challenge of performing live is a great way to make the truly superior singers stand apart from the huge number of talented individuals that our country boasts of,” Ravjiani said.

Bhoomi Trivedi, the other judge on Love Me India, feels that live singing shows are interesting but difficult. “The best and the hardest part of live shows is that there are no retakes and it is absolutely unfiltered. The show is only for an hour but there is so much hard work and rehearsals that go into it. We have to practice for hours to be able to perform live. For people, it is just one hour of entertainment but for us it is hours of hard work. The other good thing about this trend is that contestants get votes on the spot and everyone can see how many votes and support a contestant is receiving,” she says.