When you write a review on a programme that has now almost become a part of your life, you tend to be a little partial and biased towards it!! For me, writing a review on Fame Gurukul is a similar experience……. I mean, after following the programme for almost three whole months, how can I help being biased about it?!!!
But even then, I’ve tried to play very fair and bring out the real pros and cons of the whole show!! But in the end….. the review is just my way of paying tribute to this magical, musical show that has me absolutely hooked!!
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The Concept: (This is to all those people who seem to think that the concept is terribly complicated!! Hope this’ll help you understand better….)
The concept is very clear……. The show started with 14 participants that had been chosen through a very fine selection procedure from all over the country. Apart from the voice and the singing, the jury was particularly looking forward to a complete all round personality that could sing as well as perform!! These participants would be trained throughout the 16 weeks by the ‘faculty’ of Fame Gurukul!! Two of these 14 participants will ultimately make what you call, the ‘Fame Jodi’, which would get, among other things, a contract of Rs. 1 crore and a Maruti Alto each!!
As for the elimination process, unlike Indian Idol, where a participant got only one chance per round, here the participants get three chances!! After they sing in front of the judges on Friday, the weakest four would be put into the ‘danger zone’. Now comes into effect their three chances……
First chance: To be saved by the faculty. That is, the faculty saves the one it thinks deserves to stay on….
After this, the three weak students again perform on the next Wednesday in what is called the ‘Ranbhoomi’ round.
Second chance: To be saved by the audience. That is, the participant that gets the maximum amount of audience votes among the three is declared ‘safe’!!
Third chance: To be saved by the other students. That is, the students who are safe, including the one who is saved by the audience, vote, and the one who gets majority of the votes is again safe!!
Thus one person is eliminated every week!! See, that’s how simple the concept is!!
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The Faculty: The faculty consists of the head mistress, Ila Arun and two teachers, Padma Wadkar and Prashant Sir.
Padma ma’am is really the best of the three, she is sweet, considerate, really good and very calm. Most students confess all their problems to her most of the time…
Prashant Sir is quite rude if you ask me. He can really reduce anyone to tears (even the headmistress herself!!), and so he is not very approachable. But he teaches well most of the time!
As for the headmistress, Ila Arun is the perfect misfit!! Unlike an ideal headmistress who ought to hold back on her feelings and have a balanced view of things, she really get out of control many a times!! Her tantrums are a real treat to watch!! And her comments are sometimes really ridiculous!!
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The Judges: If you ask me, the panel of judges is the best I’ve yet seen in the numerous reality shows that have gone on air in the past few years!! I mean, they’re really just too good!!
To start with, we have Kay Kay, who is such a wonderful singer himself and very young at heart!! To add to that, he is also an untrained singer…. A perfect example for others like him to follow! He’s very encouraging and nice!
His favourite student: Rex!!
The next in line, is the one and only, Shankar Mahadevan!! He really looks like a teddy bear perched on the judges’ sofa!! Very cute and encouraging!! His favourite line is… ‘I like your spirit!!’ His comments seem to come straight from the heart, and he has perhaps the most balanced views!!
His favourite student: Arijit!
The last, but by no means the least, is the man himself, Mr. Javed Akhtar!! Oh God!! I am just his biggest fan…. The way he says things, and the way they always seem right, is one quality he has mastered!! In all his silly quarrels with Ila Arun, it is always he who is so composed and she keeps shouting at the top of the voice, and in the end he always wins!! He is one person for whom respect just comes naturally!! For me, he is one person because of whom I’m still hooked to the show!!
His favourite student: Rooprekha and maybe Mona(?)!!
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The Participants: Well, what can I say about them?? Perhaps they are not the best talent in the country, but they’re definitely very good!!
Actually, the best part I like about the show is (and many might disagree!!) the fact that they show the day to day life of these students as well!! So, when the ultimate fame jodi is voted for, they’ll not only be good singers, but also good human beings, with whom the audience can connect!! Also, it feels very good to see the participants expressing feelings that you experience on a daily basis!! Infact the show has it all: comedy, romance, tragedy, suspence, mystery….. all in one!!
As for my favourite students, they are (or maybe were??):
Mona Bhatt: Perhaps the most innocent of all the participants till date, this girl was overflowing with talent!! She came as a really reserved and subdued girl, and by the time she left, her confidence was so high that she carried off a song like ‘jadoo hai nasha hai’ with sensous ease!! As Javed Akhtar said: ‘She is one person who has progressed more than everyone put together!!’ Also love her for her sweet relationship with Anubhav!!
Arijit Singh: Poor thing has been the target of a lot of criticism lately, but according to me, he was really the best singer around!! His ‘Aashiq Banaya’ performance was also proof of the fact that he matured into a knockout performer as well!! I was the saddest when he had to leave!
Continued in the comments section........
