The very talented Shankar Mahadevan is all kicked to judge the new season of Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (produced by Esselvision). He is also looking forward to this year’s franchise of the singing reality show as it is different from the previous ones in many ways. The other judges include Sajid-Wajid and Indian Ocean band member, Rahul Ram. Talking about the new format Shankar observed, “In most of the singing shows, you see the singer standing in the centre of the stage with the musicians put in one corner. This year, we have changed that. This time we will make it look like a lovely musical show and the musicians will be on the stage with the singers. Secondly, the entire concept of judges going against the participants will not exist. We will be there as judges while the viewers and the audience will vote.” So will the audience vote be the final word? “Along with audience participation, we will make the final decision.” We also hear that there are going to be different kinds of singers. And also that nobody will be forced to sing a particular song. In this case won’t selecting a winner become difficult? “In that case, a person who is singing just Ghazals from the very first episodes will have to supersede the one who is singing an item song.” After a little pause he added, “We can’t compare one genre to the other. There has to be a spark in one’s singing and we are looking at that.” Out of hundreds of participants, we have few winners who come and go. So what do these reality shows give these participants? “Reaching someone’s dining room and bedroom itself means achieving something. The performances of these contestants are being telecast three times a week. Haven’t they achieved something,” Shankar asked. He continued, “Try calling Aneek Dhar or Abhijeet Sawant for an event and they will ask for 15 days as they are busy and can’t give you time. A lot of these contestants are travelling around the globe doing shows. These reality show contestants are earning better than any business executive and that is something that I can assure you. Their livelihood is taken care of.” Furthermore, India has been a country rich in diverse forms of music, but somehow reality shows have failed to capture the essence of it, restricting primarily to popular Bollywood songs. Why is it only now that Sa Re Ga Ma felt the need to incorporate a band member (Indian Ocean head Rahul Ram)? “We have so many genres of music but let us start somewhere and we are doing that,” the singer-music director declared. Is this change nothing but a fight for survival with so many singing reality shows on different GECs? “I would say that it is also a matter of survival. We too want to do different shows. We also get bored of the same thing. I’ve known Ajay Bhalwankar (Programming Head, Zee TV) from his Zee Marathi days. So, we sit and discuss things. We have come up with different ideas and are working towards them,” he added. Will we see any fights amongst judges on this show? “We are not going to fight. We have all decided not to fight. That is not what the viewers look at in a reality show and neither they are waiting to watch who comes from a poor family. All they want to see is talent in bountiful and that is what they will get to see,” Shankar concluded. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa airs from 29 September onwards at 9.00 pm.