"I play the Pied Piper in Voice of India" - Shaan

Oftentimes, when the judges on Star's Voice of India have emotional tiffs on the show, the long haired bubbly Shaan plays the sutradhar. Flashing his 100 watts smile, the cute anchor says, "all along, my smile has always been a cover up for all kinds of uncomfortable situations. Years back, when I started anchoring Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, it was a real tough job. I couldn't even say a single line; even then it was my smile which saved me." A quality perhaps best needed for a host of a musical reality show; which was spotted by his mentor and guide Gajendra Singh years back. Very matter of factly, he reveals, "Not too many people had faith in me as an anchor, but somehow, Gajendra (producer-director) stuck to his guns. I got into hosting only because of him. At one point, I was thinking of giving it all up but when he wanted to launch this show; I decided to stand by him." Over the years, Shaan has grown as an anchor with the show. So much so that today many attribute the success of Voice of India to his style of anchoring. "I have been honing my anchoring skills overtime. People advised me to read loudly, talk a lot in Hindi. Overtime, I kept getting more confident on the show. Now, I feel a strong connection to the show; so much so that I really don't follow any script," he reveals. So, does his music career take a backseat now? "I play the Pied piper. Whenever, required, I focus on the Voice of India , while recording for films just takes a couple of hours. Also, I make it a point to remain very calm and quiet to make sure that things sail smoothly." For aspiring singers on the show, Shaan who has done films like Hum Tum, Dil Chahta Hai, and Mohabbetein, is definitely a role model. He loves to interact with all the contestants to make sure they give their best performance on the dias. And how does he rate the contestants on the show? "I keep telling the kids that they shouldn't confuse between popularity and success. They might become popular on the show, but that's not the definition of success. They will be called successful, only when they have their own songs. It's important for them to keep practicing with their head intact on their shoulders," he advices the youngsters. For someone who has been pretty consistent as far his work goes in terms of singing or being a TV host, such wise words simply reflect how firmly grounded and affable he is.