There have been a slew of musical based programmes which have gained immense popularity of late.Shows such as Airtel Super Singer,Hariyudan Naan,Ragamalika,Sangeetha Maha Yudham,Poorvika Little Superstars etc.In all these shows there is one common factor. One man's songs reigns supreme,One man's songs seems to dominate and that One Man is Maestro Ilaiyaraaja.
Infact i was just seeing an episode of Super Singer where they had recalled 5 eliminated girls who were given a final chance to show their prowess so that one of them can make it to the top 20 and all of them chose Ilaiyaraja's songs.As every girl was getting ready to sing i thought its gonna be a song from another MD and everytime i was happy to be proved wrong.Its but a known fact that IR'S songs are no joke and really help elevate your calibre(ie if you are a good singer:))
Also in Non Singing rounds i think it would be good to show interesting facts about the contestants likes and tastes in music and the reason for picking a song rather than showing them wear Make up and pose for the cameras.This is totally uncalled for in my humble opinion.:)
In Hariyudan Naan also songs of IR always seem to be donning the rounds but the sad part is the main judge Hariharan seems to have least knowledge about IR'S songs.It is kind of baffling that he seems to be unaware of such gems of Raja's. Also they had a round called Golden 80's where 95% of the songs were Raja's , the sad part is there were so many late 70's songs also picked up from movies such as 16 Vayathinile (1977),Priya(1978),Sigappu Rojakkal(1978)etc. If you are gonna name it as 80's rounds isnt it fair to just stick to that ??. What is the problem in naming the show Golden Hits of Ilaiyara as compared to Golden Hits of 80's??.Is it a crime to give credit to the composer ?? Unless the judges mention there's no mention at all about the composer which is sad :(.It also gives wrong info to the viewers that these songs were from the 80's when infact they are'nt.
In many websites and places ive seen IR wrongly credited for movies such as Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu,Apoorva Raagangal,Ninaithale Inikkum.They are such popular movies and its really unfair for both MSV and IR. People get info from so called trusted places and they also argue and vouch for it.I really have an issue with that.Its ok if its an unknown movie but definitely not for a film which is a popular one.
Ragamalika generally seems to be picking a hit music director/director combo or music director/actor combo and asking contestants to sing songs from the combo picked.For instance Ilaiyaraja/Bharathi Raja,Ilaiyaraja/Kamal Hassan etc.This is the only show where the viewers atleast get to know the composer of the song.
My main concern is why can't they display a small synopsis about the song such as the Name of the song,Film,Year,Music Director,Singers,Raga etc.It'll be educative value for those seeing the show and also if the song is great a small say about the intricacies of the song.This is where i appreciate the great SPB.Seldom has he refrained from not talking about a song and he also gives interesting background incidents.It was through him that we came to know how diffuclt the guitarist found it to play Ilaya Nila and the fact that it required 16 takes.All these info really gets you very participative and you look forward to the show.
My other concern is Why do the singers always choose popular songs??.There are so many hidden treasures and i was thinking this could be a great platform to unleash the brilliance of so many unheard songs of Maestro but alas they refuse to budge.
It is really nice to see so many musical shows on the small screen.But to sustain interest i beleive there should be a re-vamp in the structure in certain areas in order to continue having an impact.The sooner its done,the better.
