MUMBAI: Music as a form of entertainment has no saturation point especially as the new digital platforms join in providing content, noted Zee TV (Hindi GECs) content head Ajay Bhalwankar on the occasion of announcing the final 15 contestants of music talent show ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012’.
“Music has no saturation point otherwise our franchise ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ should have been dead years. Internet has created a new platform for music to reach out to audiences through YouTube etc. I don’t see viewer fatigue setting in any soon – in India or abroad- internationally, all the music shows from ‘X Factor’ to ‘American Idol’ are doing well with people lining up for auditions in large numbers,” Bhalwankar told Radioandmusic.com.
Music has also left behind dance as a leading form entertainment with more channels and platforms offering it to audiences. Sa Re Ga… which holds the distinction of being the world’s first singing talent competition on television, now in its 18th season is still going strong with 1.25 lakh people lining up for its nationwide auditions. The show is one of the most anticipated shows of the season.
The show which begins 20 October will have 15 finalists competing for the grand prize. The contestants have the freedom to sing songs from any genre they like. The judges are music directors Sajid- Wajid and Shankar Mahadevan and fusion-folk rock band Indian Ocean vocalist/ bassist Rahul Ram. As reported by Radioandmusic.com earlier, the show will be anchored by former Sa Re Ga Lil Champs mentor and Bollywood singer Javed Ali.
The 15 final contestants are- Kunal Pandit, Vishwajeet Borwankar, Arsh mohammed and Subhrima bhadury from Mumbai, Jaspreet Sharma, Shenaz Aktar, Arshpreet Kaur from Punjab, Mohammed Aman, Renu Nagar from Rajasthan, Zain Ali Khan from Pakistan, Jasraj Joshi from Pune, Padmanav Bordoloi from Guwahati, Parul Mishra from Gorakhpur, Madhuri Dey from Calcutta, Mrunmayee Tirodkar from Goa.
Bhalwankar opined that Zee TV’s decision to telecast the show during the festive was based on the fact that consumption of television content usually increased during this period instead adversely affecting it.