MUMBAI: Some shows become popular, a few others attain cult status, but very rarely does a show become an institution in itself. Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is one such prestigious platform that has pioneered and revolutionized the landscape of talent-based reality, as a genre, on Indian television. Having lived the channel’s philosophy Aaj Likhenge Kal even before it was articulated, the show has given generations after generations of aspiring singers a lifetime opportunity to showcase their golden voices and build extraordinary careers in the world of music. Be it Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Shekhar Ravjiani, Kunal Ganjawala, Sanjivani, Ranjeet Rajwada, Kamaal Khan or Amanat Ali, each of these music luminaries attribute their first break and their glorious success to this grand mecca of singing. Season after season, the show has not only reinvented music but brought the entire nation together to celebrate pure, unadulterated singing. After the raging success of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs last year, Zee TV is back with an exciting new season of its most iconic singing reality show. With the core thought of music for all – #MusicSeBaneHum, the new season will celebrate music as the one universal language that unites mankind and propels it towards growth. Sending out a strong message of all-inclusiveness and standing up against discrimination over caste, creed, colour, community, religion and sexuality, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa will focus its spotlight on talent alone. This philosophy of the show is brought alive through its catchy, clutter-breaking jingle ‘Harega Harega’ that declares discrimination to be the prerogative of losers and music as the only winning proposition that looks beyond these trappings and recognizes true talent. Produced by Essel Vision, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa will premiere on 13th October and air every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 PM only on Zee TV
Zee TV Business Head Aparna Bhosle said, “With the end of our immensely popular children’s acting talent hunt- India’s Best Dramebaaz, we now present viewers with the latest season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, a platform people look up to for setting the golden standards of excellence in singing. The show has earned its stature and credibility through consistency in providing the country a pool of only the most exceptional singers. In its newest season, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa focuses on rising above discrimination and uniting everyone with music as a universal language through its core proposition #MusicSeBaneHum. While letting go of discriminating barriers, we have let gone of the age criterion this season. The unanimous selection of gay icon Sushant Divgikar as one of the contestants by our judges, based purely on merit of his vocal abilities beautifully embodies the all-inclusive spirit of the season. We have a hard-hitting marketing campaign that goes one step further and announces the formation of the first-of-its-kind all-India parody political party called the ‘Rashtriya Sangeet Party’, the manifesto of which is to discard labels that discriminate and bring people together to celebrate their talent and love for music. The show’s judges have extended their support by flagging off the campaign, putting out powerful tweets representing the party’s core ethos.”
Guiding and grooming the young talents in their journey to become India’s musical doyens will be three supremely talented mentors who have been instrumental in taking Bollywood music to unforeseen heights. The multi-talented singer Sona Mohapatra will be making her judging debut with this season alongside Sa Re Ga Ma Pa veterans – the widely popular singer-composer Wajid Khan and the charismatic singer-composer-actor Shekhar Ravjiani. Along with the mentors, an esteemed panel of 15 music connoisseurs- experts from the music fraternity, will play the role of jury and assess the aspiring singers right from the audition stage and help mentors in selecting only the best. Returning as the host for this season will be young and dynamic singing heart-throb Aditya Narayan who never fails to charm the audiences with his wit and easygoing camaraderie with the mentors.
Mentor Sona Mohapatra said, “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is special for me as I am making my foray into TV as a judge and extremely proud to be associated with the most prestigious and definitive singing platform on Indian television. What’s more, I’m proud to be the first woman to be a part of the panel of judges in all these years. And, I am even more happy to be part of a season that transcends cultural and social differences and presents music as a universal language that unites all. I am also joining hands with my fellow judges as a representative of ‘Rashtriya Sangeet Party’, a nationwide movement that demands acceptance of only music, setting aside any judgments or discriminations. The soul of the show will be bringing together people of different castes, creed, sexuality or gender and binding them with the power of music. On the judging panel, I will be looking for a combination of passion, authenticity and well-honed craft amongst the participants of the show.”
Mentor Wajid Khan said, “I have been associated with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa for three seasons and I am looking forward to being of part of this season as well. The show has been instrumental in giving a platform to singers across the country to come forth and display their talents and I am excited to listen to the emerging voices of today’s generation. With music evolving year on year, the contestants must take an extra step in presenting themselves and sharpening their skills to the fullest. Moreover, this season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa focuses on music’s ability to rise above discrimination and bring about universal harmony. With this season we tend to raise the bar a notch higher and I hope for another successful season of the show.”
Mentor Shekhar Ravjiani said, “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is very close to my heart and I have wonderful memories attached to the show. I look forward to creating new ones, listening to and mentoring the musical future of India. Each one of the past seasons that I have judged has always been trailblazers, especially the 2007 season when the show went on to make history. I look forward to being part of this next chapter of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa as it continues to ignite a passion for music in India through another pathbreaking season in 2018 and bring forth talents as we have never seen before.”
With the auditions being conducted in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Ranchi, Itanagar, Patna, Jaipur, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bangalore, Indore, Ahmedabad, the show has left no stone unturned in scouting the best of singing talent. The shortlisted contestants will get the golden opportunity to perform in front of the mentor's panel and live out their passion for music in front of the entire nation.
