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Indian Idol is an example of how reality TV can offer viewers
much more
Finally, some of the controversy, if not suspense, ended this Friday. The by-now famous house painter from Ludhiana had finally to bow out of the reality talent hunt show – Indian Idol. A desi take on American Idol is earning high TRP ratings but the voting system has been dogged by controversies and keeps springing up surprises. While people complain of being unable to phone in their votes, even the judges—choreographer and ace film director Farah Khan, music director Anu Malik and playback singer Sonu Nigam—can be seen throwing up their arms in bewilderment when their favourites are dumped for not-so-deserving candidates. It is largely believed that deserving ones are making an unceremonious exit while the less worthy ones keep climbing up the ladder. Some very talented candidates have been eliminated, the most cited example being of Prajakta Sukre. Aditi Paul and Rahul Saxena too had the spark to make it big in the entertainment industry. While most of this drama unfolded, there stood one man, shame-faced but undeterred by all the flak he drew from the judges. The journey of Ravinder Ravi, who hails from Ludhiana and is a painter by profession, to the top 11 was guaranteed by millions of teary-eyed Indians who saw his humble background as an added qualification. Ravi managed to sail through gruelling elimination rounds but looked shattered by all the criticism that came his way. The janata saw this man, who obviously had fallen out of favour with the judges and was taking each leap with a tinge of guilt for being unworthy of the honour, as their idol. He improved and at one point even the judges did not want to send him packing. He had the blessings of Indians and even the judges seemed encouraging if not patronising. So Ravi managed to make it to the top five. His success saga was intriguing and inspired many debates. Was he riding a sympathy wave, was it the verdict of the janata or flawed voting mechanism, many questions beg for answers. The results left many music-lovers, including the judges, stumped. One of the candidates has to retreat each week, but the best should remain to slog it out for the top slot, they contend. However, all the controversy did him good. The fuming judges transformed into more votes, though not enough to make him the Indian Idol. But Ravi had nothing to lose. After all, he has come far…from his one-room tenement to the glittering world of Mumbai. Ravi managed to win hearts though not the coveted crown. If SMS messages from thousands across the country were any indication, this man who lives off whitewashing houses could well have ended up walking away with the treasure. His story did not have a dream end but has given many a reason to dream.
Starry
dreams It’s a dusty, rutted lane. Slushy, too. Hens are ambling along. In the company of urchins, who are humming a tune or two. Only a practised traipse can keep the feet dry of wet mud. As we step into the low-roof ramshackle house in a non-descript locality of Ludhiana, Ravinder Ravi, who has been among the top five finalists of the Indian Idol being aired on the Sony channel, proffers a rather weak smile. Though not apologetic about his surroundings, he is acutely aware of them. There’s not even a whiff of glamour in his life back home. Life here has more to do with the daily grind of meeting his household expenses and his children’s tuition fees. Whitewashing homes to eke out a living is no easy job; it requires a constant juggling between money inflow and expenditure. And Ravinder knows it fine. "You can’t sing your way through family’s demands, particularly when fate has made you an orphan at the age of seven." It’s hard to believe that at Mumbai he had a full-blown tryst with glamour in all its trappings. "I could not have imagined even in my wildest dreams that I would be at Mumbai competing for the Indian Idol. Of course, the itch to do something was there. But I had to push myself beyond my own dreams to be there. It was not so simple. It required nerves of steel and unflinching faith in my own self. Dame Luck, too, had to be kept in good humour," he says, a toothy grin baring his firm resolve. "If your glamour quotient is low, showbiz does not take kindly to you, at least initially. I still remember how during my first audition at Delhi, the gateman almost laughed me away, thinking that I was just another small-town man bitten by the singing bug," he explains. Interestingly, he had his share of phobias while competing for the Indian Idol at Mumbai. He could not get the hang of automatic locks that somehow seemed to be wedged into doors at the most inopportune times. He had a mortal fright of getting stuck up indoors. "These locks, delicate yet meticulously formidable, could spring a surprise on you and get you shut inside," he sallies, adding that he has finally managed to figure out the ‘art’ of locks to a passable degree. His wife, Mausami, who finds the sudden media interest in her husband a bit amusing, is very self-conscious. Though silent for the most part of the conversation, she comes with a one-liner, "I prodded my husband to let his voice represent him." As she lapses into silence again, a basket-covered-hen resting cosily under the bed flutters its wings. A train chugs past noisily. And their three kids romp back home from school. These days, papa’s singing has given them a fair share of publicity. At his one-room home, Ravinder has to wrench out melody from a cacophony of sounds. And his gifts of harmonium and tabla from the Sony channel are a good help. "Now, there would
be no looking back. I have decided to make up for my lack of formal
training in music. It’s not that I am riding high on my wish-list. I
know I am out of the Indian Idol contest. Glamour, too, has failed to
rub off on me. But my path is chalked out. I am determined to make a
mark in the field of singing." Well, that’s the stuff Indian
idols are made of! |
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