I stumbled across the Malayalam reality show Idea Star Singer yesterday. In its final phase, it is those rounds in which the contestants test their skills on Indian Classical Music.
Yesterday’s contestant Thushar delivered his performance which put most of the judges maudlin and all those. You know, this is a programme which takes that precious 1 hour which used to screen all those vile and vicious mega-serials. Asianet, knows the need for some crying and emotional outbursts which are so typical in all these mega serials which get all the spectators riveted; so there were all the judges crying or sobbing for what i don’t know.
Then, the dialogue by the contestant that literally won him the contest. Flavour of this season is spiritual melodramas; variety of that non sense is all over all the channels catering to different religions except Islam. So; what next for a reality show to keep up with flavour of the season. Here comes Tushar who definitely had a divine intervention while singing – he claims, as he was crying during the performance. So, that was right there, right upon the stage and that should have been a live miracle which many of the believers took for granted, not to mention the judges. Now that he got stupendous score for his performance and then vouching for that “divine intervention”, i suppose he is the real hero.
So what will an “all literate” kerala do? They will inevitably vote for Tushar and his divine intervention which will win him the contest. Why? The other major contenders for the title are Muslims and it might not go well with the so called ’secular malayali” society that they can sing Indian Classical and emerge victorious. And they might not be as overt as an Hindu who would claim every where and anywhere the vision of god.
Music is blissful, agreed but claiming “the divine intervention” on Idea Star singer stage is a cheap and third rate gimmick, which is going to work in favour of this contestant.
First of all, you haven’t heard him sing. Secondly, you are not an artist in any form: dance, music…! You don’t have a critical eye towards aspiring artists.
I can relate to Tushar when he talks about divine intervention. It is that point when you cease being yourself while performing and feel that something or someone is prompting the artist within you. Now, how I can be so resolute about it, because I have felt it.
Before you criticize, hear him sing, secondly shed the pseudo nature in your character, and finally, have the spine to speak for yourself, and stop analyzing things that are beyond, much beyond your scope of understanding!
Comment by dhanya — April 2, 2008 @ 11:05 am
Well said Dhanya! I didnt think of Hindu Muslim factor in Idea star singer.. But Some fanatics see everything in that angle Only.. Try to Enjoy Music and stop discriminating Music on the basis of religion
Comment by Diya — April 2, 2008 @ 1:10 pm
Nothing much to understand; thats how our society thinks. I could see that in people….thats my scope,thats my interest … it is not the music i am talking about.
i agree, its a show with some fine singers and some “different” ones; i followed it for a pretty while.
Comment by clash — April 2, 2008 @ 2:31 pm
Mathew Says “I guess yesterday will be a special day in my musical appreciation history. I have always heard that music has an enchanting quality and when it is renditioned at a supernatural level it will transport us to a different world. Yesterday I think Tushar is absolutely right when he said that at some point – it was not really him – there was the presence of a divinity there – and the voice just came out – quite an experience to me even though I was watching on TV so far away !! And he made a 96 – I guess everyone knows when they have been touched !!!”
Mallu says “Looks like Thushar might have an ace up his sleeve. I like that guy and his attitude. That is of course in addition to his singing. It will be interesting if Thushar scores higher than the rest at this juncture and provide some kind of a competition for King Najim.”
Read more comments at http://www.simplymalayalees.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=35&PN=13
Comment by Simplymalayalees.com — April 2, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
oh seems like i am going to be slaughtered! another one in the name of music???
Comment by clash — April 2, 2008 @ 3:58 pm
n happy birthday, bum!
Comment by dhanya — April 3, 2008 @ 10:15 am
“When Madhavi Kapoor wanted to sell her flat in Pune and found that her efforts were being thwarted because her buyer was a Muslim, she did some thing unusual. Instead of humming and hawing to her buyer and fobbing him off with vague answers and then identifying another buyer, she took on the housing society head on.”
http://desicritics.org/2008/04/04/052530.php
Read on… this is how our great society works and we bullshit all about the Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam or something… Kerala has not reached there yet. But there is an increasing apprehension among the Hindu community. I see that everyday,i see people bickering in my neighbor hood about the increasing Muslim population… Balls to everyone who try to make me convince, its music and all that. Its more than that, if they taken in to account the SMS’s they receive.
Comment by clash — April 4, 2008 @ 5:12 pm
great imagination.. talents wins irrespective of caste creed or religion.. Dont be nuts in your thoughts
Comment by Kannan — April 5, 2008 @ 9:12 pm
Mr.clash..I don’t understand ur point of Hindu-Muslim factor in a reality show.I agree that the idea of Vasudeiva Kudumbakam and such are not existing in Kerala or India as a whole.But what Tushar felt can happen to any artist,inspite the nature of his/her artform.I am a dancer and I have experienced the same feeling of ‘divine intervention’ a couple of times…
Maybe the same can happen to Najim also,it depends upon ur time and ur hardwork..
Hope you may also experience this divine intervention in your life one day.
Comment by shanti — April 8, 2008 @ 10:53 am
“I don’t understand ur point of Hindu-Muslim factor in a reality show.” –
@shanti : Thats where you get it wrong. A reality show in which the SMS’s are taken in to account while deciding the eventual winner of the show, a comment like the one which tushar made can make a lot of difference. If time allows , i recommend you to read that link provided above. Thats how the society works. And if you thought i was talking about the divine intervention, you were wrong. Although i am waiting for one for myself to experience it.
Comment by clash — April 8, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
its people like u who bring in such hindu-muslm factors (never imagined of) and create problems. if u cannot appreciate, there ia a different way of expressing it. do not talk such bullshit and spoil people’s minds as a whole.
Comment by lolitha — April 14, 2008 @ 11:03 pm
You dont have to imagine.. its all real… read the above link to get a grip about the whole issue. try to understand the way a society work… its not just in Star Singer.. its everywhere…
Comment by clash — April 15, 2008 @ 3:47 pm
i wrote after reading that link. i do not understand why u need to bring that here. people like u r always the cause of communal riots and then speak of secularism. kashtam thanne!
Comment by lolitha — April 18, 2008 @ 2:18 am
This space is where i try to write about my perceptions and opinions… but everyone is welcome to share their thoughts too. To my comprehension, i have been a thorough secularist, who has never been a cause for a communal riot or fracas yet. But i do see the shimmering hatred and suspicion towards Muslims in our society. I can comment on that authoritatively as i come from a Muslim dominated area. Constant bickering about them happens behind their back and Idea Star singer is no exception. People languishing here in the virtual world might be secular and would not have spend their valuable time in analysing these aspects of malayali society. On the periphery we might feel ourselves as the most secular and ‘educated” ones but i dont share that view point. Now, if this view point of mine instigates a communal riot, i will be a bit too embarrassed and helpless.
By the way thanks for all your comments ,view points and for christening me a “communal rioter”!!
Comment by clash — April 18, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
I never christened u anyway. What I wrote was also my train of thoughts. sorry if i hurt u.
Comment by lolitha — April 18, 2008 @ 7:21 pm
i think najim will win….i sings so well!!!!!!
Comment by uiy — April 19, 2008 @ 2:21 pm
[...] Revelation : The Winner of Idea Star Singer is…I stumbled across the Malayalam reality show Idea Star Singer yesterday. In its final phase, it is those rounds in which the contestants test their skills on Indian Classical Music. Yesterday’s contestant Thushar delivered his …fighting it out – http://tushizap.wordpress.com [...]
Pingback by idea star singer winner | Hottags — April 19, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
I agree with Dhanaya and she had explained it well. I have stopped watching regularly since I could find a slow drifting in judgement!! There are so many people here of the opinion that Thushar should have been the winner! The judgement should be based purely on the basis of knwoledge and the way one renders it and not on the basis of SMS!!
Anyway let us wait for the next event that is coming!!
Comment by Krishna Kumar — April 26, 2008 @ 8:09 am
Durga Viswanath is far better than Najim & Thushar
She is the perfect package…and her versetality is appreciated.
She is well in Classical, Melody & Performance
Najim not well in Classical and Thushar not apt in Performance
No Doubt DURGA VISWANATH is perfect package…
Comment by Riya Peter — April 29, 2008 @ 4:10 am
Even i think, the title should have gone to Durga on pure musical sense. She is a great singer, got a good range and carry off any type of songs with ease. She has a great voice too. I think, what worked for Najim is the typcial affection for that “male malayalee voice”. This confirms as a society, our choices have not changed much!
Comment by clash — April 29, 2008 @ 4:54 am
I am diverting to this to different level altogether. Najim is the eventual winner, it is kind of pacifying for this blaspheming cynic. On that “divine intervention day” many opinions had gone in favor of thushar, i was being a cracky cynical that day, i suppose.
Politically, i felt really happy. After all things have not yet reached that far but i seriously think we don’t have enough time to rescue us from reaching there.
Comment by clash — April 29, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
Asianet cheating the music lovers.
Comment by truth — June 20, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
Muslima voted for Najim and Asianet executed their hidden agenda to crown Najim. It is a shame. Thushar or Durga shoul have bbemn selected for the star singer. The great Balamuralikrisha even did not impress with Najinm’s performance like many other viewers……….Shame on asinet..really shame
Comment by reality — June 20, 2008 @ 6:43 pm
[...] Not that i am trying to be yet another god man, i was proved wrong when i made a dubious prediction in my Caste/Communal blog about Kerala l… [...]
Pingback by Name leaves you without sponsorship.. in Indian Football « Corporate Social Negligence! — July 12, 2008 @ 4:16 am
there is no reality in these reality shows
Comment by dhilip — July 12, 2008 @ 6:14 am
Amrutha should not have been eliminated. Thushar should have been crowned.
Comment by dhilip — July 12, 2008 @ 6:15 am
Just to put matters in perspective! When you see a muslim I am sure someone will mention, He is a muslim, does anyone say “He/She is a Hindu/X’ian”? Is a a musiim an outcast?
My dear friends, you are all mistaken when you say that Kerala is secular, however it is the exact opposite to it. Where else do you so much political activism among the Hindu’s, X’ians and the Musilms? Being raised an Hindu, are you willing to believe Quran and the Bible (and the other way too)? No 99% of the Pseudo secularist who have commented here cannot because you cannot see the difference between religion and theology! Well most of the theologists in our kerala try to make theology part of religion!
Take the example of the recent text book contorversy! As I see it there is nothing much in this text book worth controversy then why does the church dispise it so much? (Money).
But to say one’s ability is devine intervention is nothing but gaining sympathy!
Comment by Nikhil — July 14, 2008 @ 7:50 am
Ho.. ho Nikhil.. atlast, a reply that i wished will pop up here but that never happened. I was very much vilified here for my stand. Now that the competition is over and Najim is the eventual winner, i have been proven wrong. But, for me that is not important. When i visited Kerala after Thushar’s maudlin divine intervention perfomance, i saw a lot of opinion in favour of him. i even asked some of them, why this sudden affinity and the usual reasons of “how nice and god fearing the guy is” and all started coming up.
There were other singers who were equally good, but noone could pull a scoop like Thushar did, the god thing. He did it, and it helped him in gathering a lot of good will. Probably, people whom i saw never wanted to spend money by Smsing.
Comment by clash — July 14, 2008 @ 8:38 am
clash is a fucking muslim fanatic.dude u rthroat wil be slitted n will be send back to pakistan if u dare to open ya shitty ass again. eat the shit of hindus u fucking bastard moslem terrorist so that ya brain gets clear. all moslems are bastards n its our RIGHT to slit the throat of these bloody ass hole moslems.all moslems wll be send back 2 the bloody pakistan…u fucking muslim ass hole..
Comment by kiran — April 24, 2009 @ 5:35 am
Above is the perfect example for a sane “mallu hindu”. So let us not talk much about this anymore.
As long as we have creatures like these “Kiran” exists, my theory over Idea Star Singer as a reality show and the plain reality involved in it will stay true!
And dont you see some Varun Gandhi in those “slits”?? The ugly head popping up again!
And by the way, I am a born Hindu but dont ascribe my decent existence to this religion.
Comment by clash — April 24, 2009 @ 6:12 am
True Clash… Kiran’s Comment was a ____________ disgrace…!!!!
Comment by Adz — May 13, 2009 @ 4:50 pm
Fanatic ……………. what more to say. its better to leave this world for good than see people like these make comments and makes life miserable on this earth. what really guides them, what channels their thought like this needs to be looked upon.
Comment by Lalson — December 5, 2009 @ 7:09 am