Jeete hai Shaan se

Shaan is one of the best known and loved faces on Indian television. Specially, when it comes to reality shows. He has, undoubtedly, been one of the most loved and popular hosts in the world of Indian television. An ever-smiling face, a vibrant voice and ultra-hep style quotient made the singer synonymous to musical talent hunt shows on Indian television. We have seen him in multiple roles in reality shows– as a host (Voice of India, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa ) and sometime as a guest judge but never as a participant. He travels that untried path and will be seen participating as a captain of a team in Star Plus’ new reality show Music Ka Maha Muqabla. Shaan speaks to TellyChakkar at length on the show, his decision to participate, and his plans otherwise. People remember you as a host and judge of reality shows and love you for that. Why this sudden decision to come on the other side of the table and participate in a reality show? I have been close to Gaj ji (Gajendra Singh, producer of Sa Re Ga Ma, Voice of India and such shows) for a long time and when he came up with this show and wanted me to participate, I decided to give it a good thought. I realized that this show will give me a fantastic platform to be on the same stage with young talent and perform. I thought of it as something very exciting. I could sing, dance and have a lot of fun with them. That is why I did not take much time and said yes to Gaj ji and am here in Music Ka Maha Muqabla as a participant. I had the luxury of selecting my own time and opted for Debojit, Harshit and Anwesha. Why Debojit, Harsheet and Anwesha in Shaan's Strikers? I personally like soft and romantic voices. I don't like very sharp singing. All three of my team members have a very sweet voice and good entertainers as well. How is this show different from other talent hunt shows? Almost every talent hunt is similar to each other… What is the first image that comes to your mind when you think of a musical talent hunt show? A young singer, desperate to make his or her mark, singing to the best of his abilities and the judges giving their comments on where he went wrong and how he could improve. Finally based on the judges’ marking and SMS voting, the contestant stays or bows out. This has been the most tried and tested formula for reality shows and I feel every one is bored of it. Music Ka Maha Muqabla, to begin with, does not have any judges! It relies completely on the captain to take a decision of who is going to sing, who is not depending on the theme given to them. Having said that, I must admit, I am not very comfortable in judging reality shows. I feel I do not do justice in pointing out the right places where someone went wrong! There will be rounds where the captain will also perform – I am particularly excited about this round! This show will be held in a huge stadium and will depend on live audience votes. This will have everything that an average television viewer would want for entertainment. Do you think Indian singers today have become complete entertainers? In the Western countries, singers are as popular, or more, as actors and other celebrities. But that does not seem to be the case here. What, in your opinion, is the reason? I really do not have a concrete answer to this question. But I believe, the viewers and listeners have a major role to play in this. Unfortunately, in our country, a playback singer is judged by his or her last hit. If it is a flop, then no one would care, however, in case of an actor, that is not the case. I have been in the industry for more than a decade now, but if I walk next to a hero whose last two films have bombed, almost everyone will rush to him for an autograph. I also can do things that an actor does, but I don’t think that is something I would like to do. I don’t want to act while singing. How would you define a complete entertainer then? I don’t think a complete entertainer is someone who concentrates more on attitude, histrionics and buffoonery than singing. I admit that a bit of attitude is necessary, but that should not gain precedence over singing. In my dictionary, a complete entertainer is a singer, who is a singer par excellence and has the right amount of attitude. With so many singers in the foray, competition has increased manifold in the industry. Where do you see yourself in this ratrace? I am very competitive in my work. I play to win, but I play with honesty and believe in fair play. I am a slow looser and will sulk in a corner whenever I loose. Apart from Music Ka Maha Muqabla, is there anything else that you are working on these days? I have sung for 3 Idiots and am really happy with the outcome. Apart from that, I am also planning to make a new private album. Have not yet decided on the theme and other details of it – it is still at a very nascent stage.