May 01, 2007 07:51 PM
15495 Views
(Updated May 01, 2007 07:53 PM)
Find the odd ones out.
Deewane Parwaane Mastaane. Annu Kapoor. Gajendra Singh. Antakshari. ZEE TV.
You did? Okay.
Now.
North ki Shaan. Central ki Aan. West ka Maan. East ka.whatever. Annu Kapoor. Gajendra Singh. Antakshari. STAR One. Hmmm.No odd ones this time.
Gajendra Singh revolutionised the talent hunt show in India way back in early 90s.The twin shows of Sa Re Ga Ma *andClose up Antakshari **were so popular and still are. The hosts have changed. The stages have become grander. The TRPs have mounted. The patterns have been changed innumerable times. Most of the time they have met with success. The only time it failed in Antakshari was when they started distributing money to winners in the wake of KBC's success.
Gajendra Singh also went on to do a forgettable'Sawaal Dus Crore ka' which is exactly the amount they lost on producing the serial. Anyway, thats a different story altogether.
As per reports, Gajendra Singh was becoming too big to handle for ZEE. He changed loyalties
and was grabbed by the current hot channel STAR One. The other constants in the current format of Antakshari remain the male host Annu Kapoor, the musicians(dada log), the production team to an extent. The reality effect that was added by ZEE and Gajendra Singh to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in the form of challenge 2005 is still there. There are fake altercations. There are fake tears. The participants know that they are being watched by a great number of people(at least inside the studio or rather the stadium with different stands for different zones supporters). We also have a new female host - our Kumkum Juhi Parmar. Surprisingly she is doing a good job. Her knowledge about tunes and lyrics though not very good remain appreciable. She improvises on teh sets and has good sense of humour too which is required for such shows. Her'jaadoo ki jhappi' to cheer up and encourage the participants has become quite popular.
The current format:
The teams represent the zones - East, West, North and Central(Obviously South won't have enough Hindi speaking population). The show goes on from Friday to Sunday(8 pm to 9pm everyday). There are different rounds everyday and on each day there is an elimination of the lowest scoring team. So, on a sunday two zondal teams remain. And the ones which goes out has to be replaced through fresh auditions in the coming week. Dont ask me further details as you can find them out on the Star One website. All I know is there will be a Mega Finale some day hoping that this version of Antakshari wont go on forever like the Cricket World Cup 2007!
So, whats new other than the cast and crew and format?
Well, the rounds have been increased. And there are obviously a lot of interesting ones too. In order to make it a little bit ugly at times as per the demands of the reality show format, there are objection rounds too. So, If I start Kajra Re song with "Mera chain wain sab ujda", you as an opposition team can immediately press the buzzer to object and Mr Annu Kapoor would start having his epileptic effect and would rush towards you to sing the song in your way. Juhi Parmar normally is left with the task of providing the rules and announcing the scores as all his past female co-hosts have been asked to do. But still, I stand by what I have written about Juhi Parmar before. She has done a commendable job.
Why I like the show still.
I am an avid music fan of course. And in this age of fast paced world where you dont get enough time to listen to all your old and new favouritues(unless you keep your iPod plugged into ears even at work), Antakshari does the job by reminding you of your favourite songs. I like guessing what the tune maybe and singing along when the participants get it right. Annu Kapoor has lived this show as Tulsi aka Smriti Irani has lived "Kyunki Saas bhi kabhi Bahu thi". You can almost guess what he is going to do the next moment as you've watched him do that for years. For example he would squat, go for an impromptu jig and yes cry like a baby when he hears anyone singing songs of the bygone era. Whatever the eceentrities of the man maybe, he sure has passion for music. Well, that must not be the only thing that has kept him going for so long. I am not too sure whats his signing amount at the moment. The Dada log - the musicians have been playing some good music for all these years. The background score is good. The set is massive. Lighting is good. Camerawork is good too.
Editing needs a special mention.Thats done by Mr Gajendra Singh himself. All the drama and action and'reality' flavour is mainly the handiwork of clever editing.
What I dont like.
Some rounds sound idiotic to me. And some of them are hardly innovative. I specially hate the round where they dial the number in a special rival zone, only to be picked by a certain Mrs Sharma/Verma/D'souza and asking him/her to ask the rival team a'tough' question which they can't answer in order to get points for their own zone. Also, deducting amrks from other team if one team gets an answer right in some of the rounds, though good for competitive attitude adds to bad blood between participants and their supporters/ relatives sitting in the audience.
There is a special celeb round too where the celeb asks questions. Duh! All these so called'celebs' are losing out on their exclusivity if they are actually a celeb. And some of them get to know that they are actually a'celeb' when they are invited. Anyway, I dont blame them. The format and so many rounds demand all kind of rounds. So, be it!
Also, talking about celebs, I never ever like a episodes of a show where we have celebs
participating - KBC, Antakshari or whatever.
FInally, let the show go on. Despite a few greay points, the show provides wholesome time pass entertainment. Recommended!
