Anchor Shaan in Calcutta. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Monty Sharma, Sukhwinder Singh and Ismail Durbar. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

It’s not often that Calcutta witnesses the shoot of a to-be-beamed reality show on national television. But the second season of STAR Voice of India decided to not only pick the city to shoot the first few episodes, but also to launch the STAR Plus show. Last weekend, the crew — anchor, judges, participants and musicians — toiled for three long days at Netaji Indoor Stadium putting together the inaugural episodes of the reality music show. t2 had a ringside view of the action…

A lazy Friday afternoon is the second day of the shoot and dressed in a white suit and a green shirt, anchor Shaan is touching up his make-up. The contestants — 24 from 24 states — sit on raised podiums, awaiting their turn at the microphone. Divided into ‘Voice of West Bengal’, ‘Voice of Maharashtra’, ‘Voice of Manipur’ and so on, the galleries are packed with supporters cheering lustily for their home states. Kids, mothers, families, college-goers — despite the frequent interruptions and the million takes, no one takes their eyes off the proceedings. There is a constant buzz as colourful flags proclaiming the names of the various states are thrust into the hands of the supporters.

The three judges —music composers Ismail Darbar and Monty Sharma and singer Sukhwinder Singh — listen with rapt attention as Arghya, a contestant from Tamil Nadu, belts out Chak De! India’s Maula mere lele meri jaan. Song over, Shaan rushes on to the stage as Arghya, in a gold cap (Himesh, anyone?), awaits the verdict of the judges. “Aap veg ho ya non-veg?” is the surprise query from Monty. Arghya is at a loss for words, but that doesn’t stop the Saawariya man. “Aap Bangali ho, aapne Calcutta mein aake machli khayi hai?” The contestant manages a feeble ‘yes’, looking as stumped as ever. Food talk over, all the three judges heap praise on the young singer. “Aapke gaane mein ek spirituality hai. Usko aap kho nahin dijiyega,” says Sukhwinder.

Taaliyaan: The audience cheers on cue. The buzz is growing by the minute. Catcalls and wolf whistles can be heard.

Shaan meanwhile has a tough time getting his math right. “Chaubees mein se ab sirf paanch gayak reh gaye hain. Toh aaj aapke saamne ab tak pandrah gayak aa chuke hain,” he says and realises his mistake immediately. Cut (orders director Gajendrra Singh). Shaan begins again: “Chaubees mein se ab sirf paanch gayak reh gaye hain. Toh aaj aapke saamne ab tak satrah gayak aa chuke hain.” Cut (again). “Haan, haan, unnees unnees,” mumbles Shaan. Finally getting the numbers right, the ace anchor introduces the next singer — Mukul Soni from Madhya Pradesh.

Five minutes go in touching up hair and make-up before the contestant makes her way to the stage. The soulful strains of Shagird’s Ruk jaa ae hawa fill the stadium. The crowd breaks into thunderous applause the minute the song ends. “Contrary to the general trend of reality shows, the day so far has been about the girls doing much better than the boys,” says Sukhwinder. Seconds Ismail Darbar: “Shayad iss baar ek ladki winner ban sakti hai,” he smiles.

THE MASHALLAH MAN

Music composer and judge Monty Sharma. Picture by Pabitra Das

Actors are known to make blockbuster debuts. But the soulful compositions in his first film Saawariya have made Monty Sharma hot property in Bollywood. The music man was in town for the national launch of the second season of STAR Voice of India, where he sits in judgment. t2 caught up with him…

You are scoring the music for a lot of films. And now you are a judge on STAR Voice of India. How do you juggle all this?

I am working on 21 films at the moment. I now work 18 hours a day. It is very taxing and I am in the studios all the time. But this is what I have always wanted to do. I am extremely passionate about music and for me, making music is not merely a job. It’s a passion, an integral part of my life. It is definitely tough managing so many things at the same time, but I am having a great time too.

Is that what prompted you to be a judge on the show?

Definitely. I love music in all its forms, irrespective of the platform. And I think that reality shows are providing the country’s talent with a great platform. Besides, the fact that I am working on so many projects also means that I am constantly scouting for new talent. And what better place to hunt for new singers than reality shows? In Voice of India, if a voice touches my heart, I will sign on the singer without thinking twice. I want to use new singers because then I can groom them well.

You get to be with Ismail Darbar, Sukhwinder Singh and Shaan…

It’s a great line-up. Ismail and I go back a long way. He learnt music from my grandfather Pandit Ram Prasad Sharma. Ismail used to fetch me from school when I was a kid in shorts! Sukhwinder is a great singer. And Shaan has sung brilliantly for me in Saawariya. It’s going to be wonderful being on the show with all of them.

Besides films, you are also working on music albums…

There is an album with Tulsi Kumar and one with Kunal Ganjawala and his wife Gayatri. And then there is an album with Abhaas (Joshi), who was the second runner-up at Voice of India last year. I think he has a great voice.

How is the music scene in today’s Bollywood different?

In the past, the music of a film received little or no publicity. But that’s not the case anymore, Now there are reality show, FM channels…. The remix version of a song is created even before the original song is put on air. Earlier, people used to work from their hearts. Now almost everything has become extremely commercialised. Music composers now not only have to listen to directors, they even have to keep the wishes of the actors in mind.

Many music directors have tested their skills behind the microphone. Do you have similar plans?

None at all. Making music is all that I am concerned with at the present moment.