06 February,2017 09:11 AM IST | | Letty Mariam Abraham
The mantra for any talent show to have a successful run is to get exemplary talent on board and preferably pepper it with a sob story. The Rising Star almost stays true to that formula
The contestants and judges, Shankar Mahadevan and Diljit Dosanjh, on the set of The Rising Star
The contestants and judges, Shankar Mahadevan and Diljit Dosanjh, on the set of The Rising Star
The mantra for any talent show to have a successful run is to get exemplary talent on board and preferably pepper it with a sob story. The Rising Star almost stays true to that formula.
The makers claimed this would be India's first 'live' reality show and naturally, tempers were flying and everyone seemed to be on the edge. The crew apparently had been practising all day to avoid last-minute glitches. But, sometimes, you just cannot predict things. The first episode was indeed a big experiment and faced a fair number of hiccups.
The show began with the crew instructing everyone in the audience to be alert, look lively and keep the mood upbeat: 'Please look happy, guys' and indeed they did. Considering the audience was at the venue since 4pm it was a wonder how they managed to stay in their seats till 11pm.
The show began sharp at 9pm and we can say everyone was sh'tting bricks. As part of the audience, we tried to keep an eye on everything that happened. According to plan, the show was to last an hour-and-a-half, but the line of contestants and unnecessary ramblings pushed the runtime beyond two hours. The first episode ate into the rerun of Ekta Kapoor's Naagin 2, which was seriously not something we were expecting. Overall, about eight contestants could perform, but we hear, nine were lined up initially.
Coming to the talent, they were a mixed bag. At first glance, they seemed rather average, barring a few. So if you don't know the concept of the show, here it is - singers sing behind a wall; if their performance is loved by the junta (not counting the studio audience) they get votes. On securing 70 per cent votes, the wall raised, giving them an entry into the next level. Luckily, the judges Shankar Mahadevan, Monali Thakur and Diljit Dosanjh were extremely generous with their votes (Maybe, because it was the first episode?).
The responsibility of controlling people from rambling on stage was given to host Meiyang Chang, who tried his level best to cut short long speeches, hugs and impromptu dances on stage. But with co-host Raghav Juyal, who openly admits that he cannot remember scripts, he wasn't entirely successful. Nonetheless, they both kept it entertaining.
At some point, Shankar admitted that while everyone is talented, they need to bring their 'A' game to the stage. Sure, we are keeping our eyes peeled.
