India’s idle dreams It is one of the biggest singing talent shows in India. auditions for it and returns disillusioned with the reality on display

India’s idle dreams

It is one of the biggest singing talent shows in India. auditions for it and returns disillusioned with the reality on display

Friday the 18th. For most Mumbaikars, it was just another day of the week, the herald of another weekend. However, for a chosen few in the city, me included, it was time to strain our vocal chords, to bring out the Mangeshkars and Rafis in us. A popular singing reality show had reached its final destination — Mumbai. I had music playing incessantly in my head and for once, I was left unperturbed by the boisterous crowd in the local train. Humming Bollywood tunes and rehearsing my three shortlisted ‘audition songs’, I reached my destination. Schools in Kandivili are no stranger to noise. But on that day, decibel levels at one such makeshift venue crossed all boundaries. The usual chit-chatter was replaced by the deafening sound of thousands of people trying to get their voices in tune. I stepped foot in the campus. It was a sight to behold. There were contestants to my left, contestants to my right and contestants in front of me. A few thousands of these had swarmed the centre-stage, where the last year’s winner was busy shooting promos. The promos lasted a little more than four hours. At first, I felt like Harry Potter lost in the campus of Hogwarts on his first day at school. But reality hit hard, soon. I realised I was definitely not the ‘chosen one’ and this place was as appalling, if not worse, than Azkaban. In fact, I still considered myself to be amongst the privileged lot as I was called in at 12pm; the not-so-lucky ones had arrived at 8am. Once the shoot had finally ended at around 1pm, energy levels rose again in anticipation. The auditions, we thought, would start soon. Little did we know that this was just the beginning of a well-planned hogwash. To keep tempers in check, the organisers sent out a bunch of cameramen to capture some footage of aspiring singers. Excited by the prospect of being seen on national television, many participants sang their hearts out. The actual footage, however, was being shot elsewhere. A handful of glamourous looking girls were picked and made to sing, with a table fan nearby adding that required cine effect. The wait for the auditions continued, as did the organisers’ theatrics. Hundreds of contestants were called at a time and made to wait under the sun for ‘just’ four to five hours. While we tanned away to glory, the scene outside the school was no better. Parents and guardians who had accompanied their children had no option but to sit on the pavement, some even on the road. They did so with grace, not realising that this was just the start of a daylong expedition. After literally biting the dust and having a scuffle with the security guards, I managed to make it to the inside of the school. Just when I thought my turn had finally arrived, I was in for another surprise. Participants, who were called in ahead of me, hours before, were still awaiting their turn in the ‘auditorium’ — a converted basketball court. It was almost 5pm. Around then, the anchors and mini-celebrities made their entrance. We were made to sing and dance in front of the cameras, not once, not twice, but for over an hour. Before every episode, the camera always pans to scenes of the smiling hosts, with thousands of screaming, excited participants in the background. We were that background. That broke the proverbial camel’s back. Thereafter, it was hard for any sanity to prevail. The auditorium turned into a fish market. Contestants bashed up the organisers, broke the boards, tore away posters and just threw everything they could get their hands on. The cameramen and anchors scampered out in fear. One of the participants was thrown out and the organisers pleaded for calm to be restored. Some participants even walked out while the rest waited in desperation. After assuring and reassuring us that the auditions would start soon, the organisers divided us in groups of ten. It was 7pm. When the first contestant went in to give his audition, I heaved a sigh of relief. The auditions had at last begun, at 8pm! Things did not improve there. We got less than 30 seconds to sing in front of a judge who was more interested in her bagel than our singing. That was the moment of enlightenment! Coming out of the auditions, I realised that the auditions were just being held to increase TRPs. The organisers were not on the lookout for real talent, they wanted scapegoats; people willing to do anything to get a chance to fulfil their ‘dream’. This reality, sadly, never makes it to the television screens.