Telecast update

scheduled start: 8th September on Colors, Sahara One n Geo TV on every Saturday n Sunday from 7.30 - 8.30 pm

News

Musical show to be simulcast on two channels

First it was to be aired on Sahara One, then buzz was that Star Plus had got the rights for the show. The latest news is that Sur-Kshetra, the Indo-Pak music reality show will be simulcast on Sahara One and Colors.

This is the first time that two Hindi general entertainment channels are having a strategic tie-up for a show. Aamir Khan’s TV show is currently being simulcast on Star Plus and Doordarshan, but the latter is a government owned channel.

Sur-Kshetra was originally produced for Sahara One by Gajendra Singh, and is a singing face-off between Indian and Pakistanti contestants mentored by Himesh Reshammiya and Atif Aslam respectively.

Judges for the show, that was announced over six months ago include Asha Bhosle, Runa Laila and Abida Parveen. Talking about the tie-up, Suresh Mishra, Asst Director Worker, Sahara One says, “It’s a mega show between Indo-Pak singers and justice will be done to it only if it reaches every household. For this it is imperative that two large platforms come together.” Mishra admitted that earlier discussions were on with Star Plus too, but it did not materialise.

http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_musical-show-to-be-simulcast-on-two-channels_1710802

When Asha staged a walkout

Sparks are known to fly whenever an India-Pakistan face-off occurs. Even if they're contesting in a sport or art form, the imminent one-upmanship can cause tempers flaring. As it happened some weeks ago between Pakistan's Aatif Aslam and India's legendary singer, Asha Bhosle, one of the three independent judges of a reality show that was being shot in Dubai. So much so that the veteran, upset with the young music star's behaviour, left the show and returned to Mumbai.

The reality show in question sees a face-off between two teams, India and Pakistan, led by Aatif and Himesh Reshammiya respectively. And Bhosle was judging it with Abida Parveen (Pak) and Runa Laila ( Bangladesh). The incident happened when Bhosle voiced her frank opinion, giving poor marks to a contestant from across the border. Predictably, his team's captain, Aatif took it up and defended him vehemently.

As our source says, "Aatif was very aggressive in his behaviour. The way he was defending his singer, he showed disregard for Ashaji and came across as very rude and impolite towards the legend. Things got ugly when he stated that if his singer wasn"t cleared for the next round, he'd walk out." Bhosle reiterated her stand and maintained that if the singer wasn't good enough, it was unfair to others to let him pass through. As our informer further elaborates, "Ashaji stated that she, Parveen and Laila were objective in their judgments and were being fair to all singers. Seeing Aatif being unreasonable, Bhosle asserted that if neutral judges were not being given their due respect, she didn't wish to continue on the show."

Needless to say, after she left, the channel stepped in to make amends. And Boney Kapoor, who's producing the show as head of the channel, intervened. "After some persuasion, Boney got Ashaji to return to Dubai, to complete shooting for the rest of her part on the show," says our source, adding that Aatif didn't get into any arguments with her till the end of the shoot.

When contacted, Boney Kapoor maintained that things didn't reach a stage that he had to get Bhosle return to Dubai from Mumbai. However, he conceded that Aatif and Bhosle had an argument, saying, "These situations come up when the reality shows are not scripted. Such things happen in the heat of the moment. This is what reality shows are about when they're not scripted."

Asserting that they were being fair to the judges and the captains by giving them freedom to speak their mind, he stated, "Both captains fought for their contestants. At the same time, the jury has to be respected as they have been given the authority to give a non-biased and independent judgment. As a producer of the show and channel head, I have to be around to ensure that the situation doesn't get out of hand. We managed to shoot 29 episodes and the finale will be shot after the episode goes on air."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/news-and-interviews/When-Asha-staged-a-walkout/articleshow/14602113.cms

Indo-Pak reality show sold?

Sur Kshetra, a singing reality show that pits Indian singers against Pakistani crooners, has apparently switched channels. The show, produced by Gajendra Singh, was originally meant to go on air on a Hindi general entertainment channel called Sahara One. But now, it’s said that the show will be

telecast on Star Plus in the weekend slot currently taken up by Survivor India.

The on-ground auditions for Sur Kshetra were conducted at Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Indore, Lucknow and Ludhiana in India, and at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan.

Singer-composer-actor Himesh Reshammiya, the captain of the Indian side, auditioned talent in three of the above-mentioned Indian cities including Mumbai. And Pakistani pop star Atif Aslam auditioned singers in all the Pakistani cities.

A chunk of the gala rounds were shot during mid-January in Dubai with judges — singers Abida Parveen, Asha Bhosle and other rotating judges. The cast and crew returned towards the end of January after the first schedule. The show was supposed to be aired on Sahara One at the end of Janaury and was further pushed to mid-February.

On Tuesday night, the show is believed to have switched channels following a difference in opinion and interests between Sahara One officials and the producer, famous for a slew of musical reality shows.

Our sources insist that talks have been on for a while and have been moving smoothly for the producer and Star Plus, and the deal is likely to be signed within this week.

When asked, Boney Kapoor, director, Sahara One, wasn’t willing to comment. And Nitin Vaidya, business head, Star Network’s Hindi channels, says, “It’s too early to comment on the matter.”

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Television/Indo-Pak-reality-show-sold/Article1-808931.aspx

Runa Laila judging musical feud between India and Pakistan

Iconic Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila is a judge on a musical talent hunt “Sur Kshetra”. She is in good company with Asha Bhosle (India) and Abida Parveen (Pakistan) as fellow judges. The show is will be aired on Sahara One. It is being produced by Boney Kapoor and Saaibaba Telefilms. Shot in Dubai, the contestants are from India and Pakistan.

The mentor and captain of the Pakistani team is singer Atif Aslam. Singer-music director Himesh Reshammiya is the mentor and captain of the Indian team.

The uniqueness of the show is that the three judges can either give the teams either zero or ten. There would be no score in between.

The two captains, Atif and Himesh can only comment and evaluate the teams' performances, but cannot give scores.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=221348

Pak-India music competition will be hotly contested: Himesh

KARACHI: Very soon the biggest ever musical contest of Indo-Pak singers is going to take place. Team Pakistan will be led by Atif Aslam while Team India will be led by Himesh Reshammiya. Both the leaders sound optimistic and confident about their victory.

World-renowned crooner Himesh Reshammiya has said that music-lovers will have an opportunity to listen to very good music in this contest between India and Pakistan.

He said that a number of very good singers from India and Pakistan have joined the fray and viewers will witness a very good, full-fledged competition. He further said that the competitors have been strenuously groomed.

We have selected voices that do not resemble popular voices.

Each singer will have an identity of his/her own. Moreover we have a very good combination judges and captains with us.

This would be a show on a very big scale and those selected in this competition will feel proud that they would be representing their country.

Himesh Reshammiya said that there may be some voices like those of Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar.

However, such voices will be very few in number whereas there will be more original voices.

This is necessary because this is the need of the hour. Himesh said that there have been lot of reality shows and it is time to move forward and it is very important that singers should establish an identity of their own.

He further said that they have been able to discover some singers with very beautiful voices.

To a question he said that you will find different varieties of music as we have tried to discover singers well-versed in unconventional voices and tunes, and this is what makes a strong team. He expressed the hope that the competitions would be a treat to watch.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=88935&Cat=2

Asha Bhosle to find best singers from India and Pakistan

Asha Bhosle along with Abida Parveen and Runa Laila will be judging the teams of India and Pakistan mentored by Himesh Reshammiya and Atif Aslam respectively.

The upcoming singing based reality show Sur Kshetra just got bigger and better. The TV show that is modeled as the battle of singing talent between India and Pakistan has Himesh Reshammiya and Atif Aslam mentoring teams of their respective countries.

And latest development on the show is that our very own Asha Bhosle will be judging the reality show. A source close to the show informs us, "Asha ji has been confirmed as the judge for Sur Kshetra. She might have come as guest judge on some shows earlier but this is the first time that she will be judging any show as the principal judge. Along with Asha Bhosle, there will be Abida Parveen and Runa Laila on the panel of judges. This is amongst the finest names in the singing fields from both countries that one can think of".

The show will be hosted by Ayesha Takia and will be going on air later next week. It will be shot in Dubai.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/Asha-Bhosle-to-find-best-singers-from-India-and-Pakistan/articleshow/11525424.cms

Judges of this competition include three famous celebrities

Asha Bhosle from India.
Runa Laila from Bangladesh.
Abida Parveen from Pakistan.

Amitabh Bachchan returns to small screen

Looks like Amitabh Bachchan can't stay away from the small screen.

Apparently, the Big B has shown keen interest in playing the sutradhar in a new music reality show that will see Himesh Reshammiya and Atif Aslam as mentors. According to our sources, Bachchan heard about the show from his co-star Sridevi (they're shooting for her comeback film), as her hubby Boney Kapoor is spearheading the entertainment business for the channel.

Apparently, the actor was impressed with the fact that the show is about India-Pakistan ties and an opportunity for the two countries to bond through music. This development is still very much under wraps, and if it happens for sure, we'll be the first to tell you!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/Amitabh-Bachchan-returns-to-small-screen/articleshow/11435624.cms

Ayesha Takia paid highly to host music reality show Sur-Kshetra

Sahara One's Sur-Kshetra is a new music reality show that boasts of the big battle between the two neighbouring nations like India and Pakistan teams, lead by Himesh Reshammiya and Atif Aslam. The buzz is that actress Ayesha Takia is hosting this new TV show. The auditions for the show have started from December 24, 2011.

Ayesha Takia is reportedly being paid a whopper for hosting a small screen show Sur-Kshetra. Sources claim that the actress is getting around Rs 85 lakh for anchoring the music reality show. Ayesha, who was very upset over her films not happening at the Box Office, is all excited to host the show.

However, Sur-Kshetra is Sahara One’s mega reality music show. Himesh Reshammiya is the mentor of Indian team, while Atif Aslam will lead Pakistan team. Popular singers like Suresh Wadkar, Runa Laila and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will be the judges on the music reality show.

http://entertainment.oneindia.in/television/news/2012/ayesha-takia-paid-highly-host-show-sur-kshetra-120112.html

Atif Aslam: I don't see Himesh as a competitor

Sahara One Television is all set to bring India and Pakistan together as they launch a new singing reality show Sur-Kshetra. The show will provide a platform for upcoming singers from India and Pakistan to showcase their talents.

Singers-turned-actors Himesh Reshammiya and Atif Aslam will captain the India and Pakistan teams of singers respectively. They are also going to judge the show.

Atif was recently in town to launch the show wher he spoke about the show and what it hopes to achieve.

There are a lot of reality singing shows. How is Sur-Kshetra going to be different?

This show is different because artists from both Pakistan and India are going to share the same platform. There will be a lot of cultural exchange and the Indian audience will come to know about Pakistan culture.

Also, the songs will be performed in a different manner, so it is going to be very interesting.

I will try to introduce contemporary music in the show. A lot of singers have tried it in Bollywood and other shows that have happened earlier, but I would like to present it in its true form and in a different manner.

Why did you decide to be a part of the show?

I want to get up close and personal with the audience. My fans and audiences have wanted to see me on television for a long time so I decided that this is a good platform.

I just hope that the show is not scripted.

Himesh Reshammiya is going to co-host the show. Professionally, do you see him as a competitor?

No, I don't see him as a competitor. I am a normal person and this show is all about friendship between the two nations and I don't believe in competition.

But since it's a reality show there will be some competition.

Competition should be there or else there won't be any entertainment for the participants, judges, and the audience.

In the past, we have seen celebrity judges fighting with each other. Can we expect it to happen again?

If there are any issues or comments with respect to the sentiments of the contestants, or religion, or the nation, and if they are worth a debate or a fight, then we will have a fight as everyone will want to have their say.

http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-interview-with-atif-aslam/20111221.htm

Pics

Promo shoot for Himesh's next music album happened at Colo Theatrum of Vardhman Fantasy.

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