The New Music Contest Rising Star Is Yet Another Yawn Feast

Colors’ Rising Star promised a lot of verve variety and vigour. The opening episode on Saturday was as limp as a plate of  noodles left out on the dining table .

The concept is exciting. The show is telecast live and viewers get to vote directly into the show to choose their favourites.Paradoxically , EVERY contest on the inaugural episode got the viewers’ approval .This is like a classroom where everyone comes first.

Well done, boys and girls(and one very harassed-looking Uncleji too who accompanied his daughter on thedholak). The plight of the contestants was accentuated by a maelstrom of maudlinism and melodrama.Either we are a nation suffused with singing talent. Or this is a show that is afraid to displease anyone.

Rising Star has very little exceptional talent. In fact nextdoor on Zee there was more exhilarating talent on Sa Re Ga Ma. On the plus side, all  the three judges are singers.That’s the way it should be in a  singing contest. UnlikeJhalak Dikhla Jaa where Jacqueline Fernandez was called to judge dancing contestants.It was like Vyjanthimalabeing called to judge a a biceps competition.

So while Shankar Mahadevan, Diljit Dosanjh and Monali Thakur are welcome as judges on Rising Star there  was zero camaraderie among them. All three seemed to be functioning in isolation.Dosanjh ,wearing army fatigues. looked thoroughly bored . Lately the humility in his personality which made him so endearing to audiences has vanished. He now behaves like a star, though I am  not sure what a star behaves like(ref: Dosanjh).

The  two hosts on the show Meiyang Chang and Raghav Juyal  also seem to be working at cross purposes. Chang is sober and selfconscious. Juyal’s annoying brat act seems like Manish Paul gone seriously wrong.

This is a show that needs to  seriously tighten the nuts and bolts before it can even begin to be considered functional. The set is imposing with digital announcements flashing across the  spaces . But the presentation and the quality of singing and musicianship are underwhelming.What we need are for the judges to be more interested in  one another’s views before they actually begin to seem  interested in the participants.

Also, the contestants must stop  going into convulsions of gratitude to the show and the Channel for providing a  platform. Really, the contestants must stop ROFG,rolling on  the floor gratefully, that is.They have not been given a chance to be in Mr Modi’s cabinet.

Relax, musicians.This is just one more music contest,  and not a  very watchable one at that.

Rating: * ½(one  and a half stars)