AR Rahman at the Airtel Bandwagon grand finale shoot. Picture by Aranya Sen

AR Rahman has raised the bar for all reality shows to come on the Bengali beam.

Till now, Zee Bangla has been riding high on Mithun Chakraborty’s stardom in its talent hunt Dance Bangla Dance. Rival channel ETV Bangla, after trying to match with a smattering of Bollywood celebs like Mahima Chaudhury and Helen on its dance show Ritur Mela Jhoom Ta Ra Ra, has finally stolen a musical march.

Rahman is the judge in the grand finale of Airtel Bandwagon, a talent hunt for local bands on ETV Bangla. What makes it more special is the fact that Rahman fights shy of television appearances. His only other TV stint was as a judge on the 9X show Mission Ustaad.

“Rahman has been associated with Airtel for many years. The Airtel jingle is his creation. Since he is a youth icon who has always been associated with promoting new talent, we thought of having him on Bandwagon. Rahman, too, showed interest when we approached him to judge the final episode,” said an Airtel spokesperson.

Rahman, on his part, voices his fascination for Bengali music, dil se. “I like Baul music and I am looking forward to hearing some of the bands today,” the musician had told t2 before the Bandwagon shoot.

The final episode, which pits Aatmahatya against Aliens, was shot at Technician’s Studio on April 3. And the man who revolutionised the sound of Bollywood was full of questions even before the show could begin, said Bandwagon director Nilanjan.

“He liked Aatmahatya a lot and after their performance, he thanked them for introducing him to a new genre of music. He even took the phone numbers of three participants. Rahman was down with fever and had a flight to catch, but he insisted on judging the entire show and sat through four-and-a-half hours,” added Nilanjan.

ETV Bangla is upbeat about the impact Rahman will have on the channel’s image and ratings. “Bandwagon has become popular and a celebrity like AR Rahman boosted the spirit of the participants,” said Kaushik Datta Sharma, associate chief producer, ETV Bangla.

Rahman’s presence may work wonders for ETV Bangla, but its rivals are not jumping on to the celeb bandwagon in a hurry. “We appreciate the value of a celebrity on a show, but in our Dance Bangla Dance it is the participants who are instrumental in contributing to the show’s success,” said Rajib Chatterjee, the senior vice-president and business head of Zee Bangla.

Music channel Sangeet Bangla, however, does not rule out roping in a celebrity in future. “We have had Indian Idol participants and celebrities like Babul Supriyo on our shows. Although we don’t have a concrete plan in place, we will definitely try for celebrities of the stature of AR Rahman when we come up with a show,” said a spokesperson for Sangeet Bangla.

The Airtel Bandwagon grand finale, featuring Rahman and gigs by Fossils and Cactus, airs on May 11 at 9.30pm on ETV Bangla.

(Which other Bolly celeb should be a judge on a Bengali channel? Tell t2@abpmail.com)