Mohabbatein lutaunga, mein ched keh mann ka saaz…
Desis who watched reality singing shows in the 2000s would know which singer sang this song. Abhijeet Sawant, who has today sung scores of songs for Hindi films and released several individual albums, rose to fame after he became the winner of Indian Idol-Season 1.
But recently, Sawant called out the makers of the show for focusing on fake love stories and poverty instead of the talent of the contestants in the recent seasons.
The Indian Express quoted him saying, “If you look at the regional reality shows, then the audience will hardly know about the background of the contestants.”
“Their focus is only on singing, but in Hindi reality shows, the tragic and sad stories of contestants are redeemed. The focus is only on that.”
He further added, “These days, the makers are more interested in whether the participant can polish shoes or how poor he is, rather than his talent. You should watch regional reality shows where viewers may not know anything about the background of their favourite contestants. Their focus is only on singing, but in Hindi reality shows, the tragic and sad stories of contestants are shown. The focus is only on that.”
Going down memory lane, the “Mar Jaavan Mit Jaavan” singer said that at the time when he was a contestant in the show, he’d forgotten the lyrics of the song while performing on stage.
“The judges decided among themselves that I should be given another chance. But I can tell you with confidence that had it happened today, it would have been served to the audience with full dramatic effects of thunder and shock. But the viewers are also responsible. Hindi language public is always hunting for more spice,” Hindustan Times quoted him saying.
Earlier, Kishore Kumar’s son and singer-composer Amit Kumar said that he didn’t enjoy the ‘Kishore Kumar special’ episode in Indian Idol 12 adding that he wanted to leave the show mid-way, reported IE. Later, the host of the show Aditya Narayan responded to his comments.
TBH, even I feel reality TV shows today try to multiply their TRP by cashing in on a contestant’s background and his life story instead of his talent. What are your opinions on this? Let us know.