News/Articles/Comments on Indian Idol 2 - Page 16

Sony set to launch 'Fear Factor'
By Subhash K. Jha, Mumbai: The big one for Sony Entertainment in 2006 is "Fear Factor", a thrill game show, which is going to be Indian television's first international production with India, Malaysia and Indonesia collaborating over the endeavour.

Says Tarun Katial: "It is the world's biggest reality thrill game show. It has been running in several countries for over 10 years. We have already shot 13 episodes on different themes in Malaysia with different TV stars and film actors. We go on air soon. This is a genre that has never been done before on Indian television."

In the meanwhile Tarun stoutly defends the melodrama and tears on "Indian Idol 2".

"The tears are not orchestrated. They are genuine. Being an Indian Idol means so much more to the participants than it did earlier. The first time around, the contestants didn't realise what being an Abhijeet Sawant meant. Now just being in the Top 10 is bliss. Hence the desperation and tears. You can't force tears on reality TV."

Gala gang

Screen On & Off

Music match: Anu Malik with the Idol finalists All the preliminary work taken care of, now it's inching towards the big stage in the second season of Indian Idol. Of the finalists, there are three Calcutta girls — Antara Mitra, Monali Thakur and Jolly Das — and they have a lot of support from last year's finalists in Abhijeet Sawant, Amit Sana and Aditi Paul. In fact, in Tuesday's episode, you can catch five of Season One's finalists performing and then introducing this year's finalists before the Galas begin next Monday onwards. Don't forget to catch judge Anu Malik in a special jig with the young aspirants singing Kab maine yeh socha tha from Duplicate. Not just that, hosts Aman Verma and Mini Mathur get into a friendly tiff as to whether the boys or the girls should take the first shot at the Gala rounds. Indian Idol comes on Sony, Mondays and Tuesdays at 8.30 pm.

hi indian idol fans.....plz can ne one tell me where can i get the songsung by anuj...."tujhe dil basa tw lun" the excellent singer who got out of indian idol 2...plz if ne one can help me do tell me the llink or atleast tell me the album name.....

regards
aman

Mktg @ ur fngrtips Preethi J.

On average, an Indian mobile user gets six SMSs and sends four a day. Brands are taking advantage of this to reach customers in newer ways.

IT sits pretty in your pocket, buzzing with information on new deals and offers. It's one of the latest media the advertising industry has hit upon a quick and easy way to reach consumers. The short messaging service (SMS) on your mobile phone offers advertisers a simple method of reaching millions. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the number of mobile users at end-November 2005 stood at a little over 7 crore. The Indian advertising industry itself is worth over Rs 13,000 crore. Of this, SMS marketing is pegged at around Rs 1 crore, but is growing at a scorching rate. Telecom companies such as Bharti Televentures, Spice Telecom and Tata Telecom have jumped right into this mission. Around 60 per cent of their revenue from the text messaging service comes from SMS advertising, say industry experts. The telecom industry can reap benefits from SMS marketing as long as text messaging remains the number one data service available across societies, they say. According to a survey by Swedish mobile communications company SmartTrust, messaging services and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) have become hugely important to operators keen to raise average revenue per user. Short codes Cellular service providers offer short codes, made up of four-digit numbers. Short codes can be used for voting, polling, contests, surveys and direct marketing. They direct responses from mobile users to a database at the telecom operators' end, which is then analysed. The data sourced from short codes can be used to track spending patterns. Individual tastes as well as the needs of millions of users can then be determined. SMS marketing offers real-time information about the target base, is personalised, accurate and quantifiable. It is also location-sensitive, hence advertisers can evaluate demographic charts. "Mobiles enable a marketer to reach out to a niche audience and deliver results in shortened time frames and quicker response times. Marketers who have used it are aware of its competitive advantage, available literally at the push of a button and have insisted on integrating the 4-digit short codes consistently across all campaigns," says Preeti Desai, President, Internet and Mobile Association of India (IMAI). Currently, short codes allow mobile users to download ringtones and picture messages and even participate in tele-voting. Even at Rs 6-10 per ringtone, there are many takers. "We see around 80,000 downloads a month," says Parthasarathy Madhukar, Head of Post-Paid and Value Added Services, Spice Telecom. Per month, this company earns Rs 8 lakh-9 lakh just from short codes.

Tele-voting applications have also successfully combined the reach of the TV and mobile to enable an interactive medium. Talent hunt shows such as Indian Idol have evoked a good response. Each short code attracts around two lakh SMSs per month. The Indian Idol series received around 5.5 crore SMSs per day.

Indiantelevision.com's News Headlines

Sony to bring Indian version of 'Big Brother': report

By HETAL ADESARA
Indiantelevision.com Team

(11 January 2006 8:00 pm)

   
MUMBAI: "We will not buy a Big Brother, which will not at all work in India." So said Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India CEO Kunal Dasgupta in an interview to Indiantelevision.com in May 2005.

Obviously the think tank at India's Number Two Hindi entertainment network thinks differently today. A news report published by Biz Asia quotes officials in Sony Entertainment Television Asia as confirming that it will be telecasting a localised version of the risque reality TV show Big Brother.

However, when contacted, Sony officials as well as Endemol India managing director Rajesh Kamat refused any comment on the development.




The Indian version of Big Brother will be Sony's fourth Endemol acquisition after Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul and Fear Factor India. From the looks of it, reality does seem to be the tent pole of Sony's 2006 programming strategy.




The channel is already running the second season of Indian Idol and will also be rolling out Fear Factor India, Extreme Makeover (Buena Vista International Television) and Paisa Bhari Padeja (FBC Media Pvt. Ltd) this year. Apart from these, the second season of Fame Gurukul is also expected to roll out.

As for Endemol, it will also be in the spotlight this year on Indian television. Apart from the shows on Sony, the production house also has the localised versions of The Match (called The Cricket Match in the Indian version) and Heartbeat, which are likely to be rolled out on the Star network.

Dasgupta's initial reservations on acquiring format rights of Big Brother, rose from the bold concept of the show, which required 10 - 12 contestants living in a house rigged with cameras recording every moment of their lives.

The contestants are deprived of contact with the outside world except those allowed by the editorial team. Every week there are tasks to perform, which test their community spirit and team-work. Throughout the series, the contestants are required to nominate two of their number to be voted out of the house.

The audience at home decides, which of the two must leave. The format is centered around four elements:

The environment in which the contestants live - it's stripped - back to basics;
The knock-out system by which the contestants are voted out of the house by the audience at home;
The tasks, set by the editorial team, which the contestants must complete on a weekly basis; and
The diary room, in which the contestants are required to record their feelings, frustrations, thoughts and their nominations.
Big Brother is a format with a wide range of applications including internet exploitation and programme spin-offs. What remains to be seen is how the channel spins off the show keeping in mind the Indian mindset.

Crooning in unison

Zeenat Nazir

Pune, January 11: The show has captured the imagination of Indian audiences and generated a viewer-frenzy like no other. Win or lose, its top 12 finalists are all winners, assured of a patient ear in the music industry. Indian Idol made heroes out of relative unknowns, turning a painter Ravinder Ravi, into a music teacher and a talented youngster, Abhijeet Sawant into a youth icon.

Indian Idol 2 has 12 finalists NC Karunya from Hyderabad, Sandip Acharya from Rajasthan, Sagar Arun Sawarkar, Panna Gill, Amey Date and Ravi Tripathi from Mumbai. The line up of the girls is no less formidable with talented singers like Monali Thakur, Antara Mitra and Jolly Das from Kolkata, Neha Kakkar from Delhi, Yashashree Bhave from Nagpur and Meenal Jain from Mumbai.



These enthusiastic singers say "We don't know where our day begins or ends. The entire day is consumed by our riyaz with a focus on performance, shooting and media interactions."

Sawarkar says he is making a concerted effort to spend at least 30 per cent of his time on improving his singing and presentation, as those will be the decisive factor during voting. Others like Tripathi and the judge's favourite, Amey Date are focussing on their natural song sans any frills or sudden experiments.

The last round that took place on January 2, had been an emotional moment for Jolly Das as judges had disapproved of her selection in the finals. Says Das, "Anu (Mallik) Sir has encouraged me a lot since the last round and I plan to live up to his expectations this time." The contestants, contrary to common perception, do not feel that biases are strong either for or against them. Asserts Thakur, "Biases are a media creation. Ultimately, the audiences have been given the power to decide the winners and they are exercising that right. How can we judge them?"

These young finalists are handling the media pressure with aplomb and getting nifty tips from the judges- Sonu Nigam, Anu Malik and Farah Khan. Asked if they are hurt by the judge's criticisms, they chorus, "The judges are our biggest guides and best trainers. Their every comment or criticism becomes a tip we use later."

More than the pressure or the expectations what really affects them all is being away from home. "But we have found solace among each other, together we share our concerns and spend some fun time together as well." And who is their pick for winner? "We are all winners and Indian Idols," they say in unison.

The 12 contestants are currently recording an album, that will be released on January 16.

Neha Kakkar down with chicken pox

Looks like history repeats itself. Last year, one of the finalists, Aditi Paul, got afflicted by chicken pox during the final rounds of Indian Idol. In the new season too, another talented singer, Neha Kakkar, singer Sonu Kakkar's (of Babuji zara dheere chalo fame) sister, is suffering from chicken pox, thus missing most of the promotional campaigns, shoots and music video for the show. Neha has no training in music and accompanies her sister in shows. Not only that, but t judges are also maha impressed with her. Just like Aditi did last year, one hopes she gets better soon to fight it out to be the next idol!

http://epaperdaily.timesofindia.com/

By Joginder Tuteja, January 12, 2006 - 12:13 IST

Remember 'Aashique' where the lead pair of the movie was not shown in the publicity stills with their faces hidden beneath a coat? Circa 2006 and a similar publicity design is adopted for Salim's 'Sun Zarra' that has the faces of the lead pair, Samir Aftab and Anjana Sukhani, covered behind a bouquet while they embrace each other. Incidentally both Samir and Anjana debuted last year in 'Chand Sa Roshan Chehra' and 'Hum Dum' respectively. Rohit Krishnakant Nayyar is the writer-director while Sandesh Shandilya, who composed some good songs for 'Socha Na Tha', handles the music department along with lyricist Anil Pandey.

Highlight of the album is Amit Sana, Indian Idol runners-up, who sings 4 out of 6 tracks in the album. Opening track 'Unse Nazrein Mili Aur Mili Bhi Nahi' is a romantic number that reminds of the Anand Milind – Nadeem Shravan compositions from the early 90s. Still the zing is clearly missing in this song that just remains laidback throughout with not much excitement in terms of rendition. In the end, it doesn't give a good enough kick start to the album when one expected a highly melodious number at the very beginning for this romantic film.

Title song 'Sun Zarra' too follows the same route as the opening track and belongs to the early 90s variety. There is a Sandesh Shandilya touch to the song in the midst where there is an effective use of 'dholki' in an attempt to give it a vibrant feel. Still, in the end, there is not much ignition of passion in this solo by Amit Sana that turns out to be quite ordinary in the end. The song is repeated as 'Dil Ki Sun Zarra' with Shreya joining Amit for the duet and the experience difference between the two clearly shows. Undoubtedly Shreya enlivens the proceedings to a great extent and makes the song much more enjoyable than the solo version by Amit Sana.

Well, there is something better in the offering in the subsequent track 'O Jaana Tere Pyaar Mein' sung by Neeraj Sridhar [Bombay Vikings], who is surprisingly credited as Neeraj 'Girdhar'. A sweet song that is completely different from what one normally associated with a Bombay Vikings number that are mostly remixes of the oldies, this one is a complete original with romantic lyrics by Sandesh Shandilya himself. This is THE number that should be a part of the promotion and is a good offering as an overall package. Hear it any number of times and it is guaranteed that you won't get bored of it.

Sanjeevani, who made a great foray into playback singing with 'Chori Chori' and 'Chura Lo Na Dil' [Kareeb] in the late 90s and also sung 'Yaara Rab' for 'Socha Na Tha' sings a solo 'Tere Rang Se' for 'Sun Zarra'. Surprisingly this number hardly sounds like a song for a movie and belongs to the type that were heard and seen on 'Sugam Sangeet' shows on Doordarshan years back! Blame it on the musical arrangements that belong to the 80s and do not come with a grand orchestra. Yet another ordinary number that hardly invokes excitement!

Amit Sana sings the last song of the album 'Wo Raat Mein Boli' that is a celebration number based on 'bhangra' beats. He pitches higher for this track when compared to the first three songs and at least manages to get a lively feel to the song. Kumar Kancha joins him towards the end but again, as like most of the tracks earlier in the album, this is not one of those numbers that would make the album sell like hot cakes.

Ultimately, 'Sun Zarra' turns out to be a disappointing album, especially because there were two factors that could have worked for the music – Sandesh Shandilya as the composer and a romantic subject that provides ample scope for a melodious album. In the end, nothing much works for this album except for Bombay Vikings' 'O Jaana' which is the only memorable track.

 

http://www.indiafm.com/movies/musicreview/12518/

Game Shows

Talent hunts and game shows are becoming a regular feature nowadays on television. And surprisingly, they enjoy tremendous viewer-support. The number of SMS and phone calls received by the channels everyday bear testimony to the popularity of the shows.
Though the boring 'Saas-Bahu' daily soaps of the K-saga are still popular among the masses (in my opinion it is because of these serials that the television has been termed the 'Idiot Box), 'reality' shows generate fresh interest.
It all started with the small screen debut of the Big B as the anchor of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' (popular as KBC) of Star Plus, an inspiration from an American game show 'Who wants to be a millionaire?'
The success of KBC prompted various other TV channels to game shows, but without much success. 'Jeeto Chappad Phadke' hosted by Govinda on Sony, 'Kamzor Kadi Kaun' hosted by Neena Gupta on Star Plus were a few attempts worth noting.
No one however could emulate the success of KBC. The Bachchan charisma was inimitable.
Musical talent hunt shows at present enjoy much popularity on the small screen. There was much hype regarding the search for the 'Indian Idol'. Abhijeet Sawant and Amit Sana are not only richer than before, but thanks to Sony TV they are high profile celebrities.
'Fame Gurukul' regarded now as the 'No. 1 musical reality show' enjoys a massive viewer support, thanks to Kashmir 'dude with an attitude', Qazi Tauqeer. Recently, Qazi and an Agarpara girl Ruprekha Banerjee were crowned 'Fame Jodi' of the year.
After a year long hibernation, Kaun Banega Crorepati is back, with greater hype. This time, Amitabh Bachchan guarantees double fun, double excitement and of course double prize money.
New game shows continue to mushroom. Needless to say, they cannot hope to rival KBC-2. 'Bluff Master' and 'Super Sale' on Star One, 'Dial One' on Sahara One however are doing quite well. 'Deal Ya No Deal', another game show, is being aired on Sony and is hosted by South Indian actor Madhavan.
Honestly speaking, game shows are quite exciting and certainly more enjoyable to watch than the Ekta Kapoor serials especially since they include the audience.
Prateek Sarkar
Coordinator, Methodist School, Dankuni

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=18&theme=&usr sess=1&id=102758