‘B-town depends on Punjabi music for hits’

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 4

Singer Shaan, Richa Sharma, composer Amaal Malik and actor Ravi Dubey of SaReGaMaPa Lil Champs were in Amritsar to interact with media. The panel of judges on the reality singing show got candid about talent scouting through reality shows, Punjabi songs trending in Bollywood and their common love for Amritsari ‘kulchas’.

“Your city visit is incomplete without tasting the famous kulchas. So the first thing we checked off our list was to gorge on kulchas,” said Shaan.

Shaan, Richa and Amaal, judges of the kids’ reality show, are toruing different cities for live concerts to promote and send across the message that reality shows can be genuine.“I think the show has always managed to produce talent young singers in the past and it continues to do so,” said Shaan, who took a stand against any pressure for kids participating in reality shows. “I insisted that a counsellor should be there for not just kids who participate but also for their parents to ensure that the pressure to win at any cost is not there. The show is to scout talent and improvise them and not burden them to win on national TV,” he said.

Speaking on the current trend of Punjabi songs and their remix versions ruling the charts in Bollywood, Shaan as well as Amaal, who is the youngest of the lot, said that the trend is short lived. “Remixes are a very safe play for composers as well as producers because everything comes down to YouTube views these days and these songs manage good hits. But original works are also being done and just to blame the young composers for the trend is wrong,” said Amaal, who has collaborated with his brother singer Armaan Malik to produce successful original tracks. 

Shaan said that Punjabi artist are ruling Bollywood currently, “ Business has overtaken originality and creativity in Bollywood and that said, Punjabi artists are really ruling right now.” Amaal agreed, “It’s a successful genre and finds listeners world over so it has become a formula for success, probably.”

Actor Ravi Dubey finds himself quite at home when in Punjab as the actor admits he comes to Punjab a lot thanks to his wife Sargun Mehta. 

“Whnever she is shooting for a film, I make sure to visit her or my in-laws at least every alternate week.” Ravi, who has already turned producer with Punjabi movie ‘Kala Shah Kala’ says that he is already making another one with his wife.

The artistes believe that the show will continue to get talented kids.