In the midst of serials and movies, a musical competition programme on a TV channel, happens as a unique experience, causing multiple emotions in the viewers' minds. Apart from the songs chosen by the contestants to perform on the stage during every episode, it is their attitude at the spot that occupies the centre stage of the audience imagination. The Super singer programme on Vijay TV, has been the heart throb of that television channel for a long time, with its ten preceding seasons, and the ongoing season 11 programme.
During its earlier seasons, it had a voice expert to train the focal aspects of singing, with a thrust on each one's voice mould. The voice expert would also recommend songs suitable to the voice pattern of the participants. There was a significant focus on ragas and rhythms in relation to the Carnatic music also. In that way, complex film songs integrating the Carnatic vibes, attracted the special attention of the judges of the programme. All these features made most of the previous seasons uniquely challenging to the participants, besides celebrating the exotic and aesthetic components of music.
The most enchanting quotient of the Super Singer programme is the contribution of the twin TV show hosts Ma.Ka.Pa.Anand and Priyanka Deshpande, with their mutual bonhomie and spontaneity in conducting the show, with least room for any sagging moment. Ever since the Season 11 started, it has been exceedingly fascinating for the viewers, with an extensive throw of sudden sweeps and surprises. What has made this season of Super Singer very special, is the presence of Myshkin the incomparably stylish film maker-cum-actor, who is a hard-core devotee of Ilayaraja's music.
Myshkin as a judge with the company of Ialayaraja's younger brother Gangai Amaran, another film maker and music composer, has brought in an invigorating impact on the Super Singer season 11 episodes, through his highly humanistic and endearing overtures to the participants, by gifting them wrist watches as gifts, whenever he found any of them excelling in their performance. The genuine rapport between Myshkin and Gangai Amaran reflected a deep kind of intimacy and bonding, hardly witnessed earlier, in any other season of the Super Singer programme.
We have seen actors singing and singers acting in films. Some of the actors have also directed films,and many film makers have taken to acting during the past three decades. But we have rarely come across film directors rendering songs. Myshkin's scintillating voice gave us a couple of most beautiful songs like *Andha maan* and *oru jeevan"the former sung with Anuradha Sriram and the latter with the contestant Meenakshi.Both the numbers were soothing to our ears. Myshkin in short, has made the season 11 super singer programme a super event, never erasable from the minds of the audience.
In terms of entertainment value, the Vijay Super Singer season 11 programme,will stay unsurpassed,thanks to the two Programme show hosts, the judges Myshkin,Gangai Amaran,Unni krishnan, and Anuradha Sriram and the most vibrant and joyous contestants like Nikhil, Thava seeli, and Dharshana. The other contestants like Meenakshi,Farhan, Annbenson,Dishadhana, Abraham, and Balapriya belong to an exquisite category of singers, with Abraham having the potential to travel between the entertaining and exquisite brands.
The spirit of friendliness and brotherhood evinced by the contestants were remarkable in the sense,not even a trace of prejudice or bitterness was witnessed at any point of the programme.The distinct voice mould of Dharshana and Thavaseeli could churn and chew a lot of tunes with causual ease and the jubilant attitude reflected by them both,will linger in audience memory for a long time. Thavaseeli in particular, stood as a happy-go- lucky contestant representing a supreme kind of sporting spirit.
A special mention should be made about Mani &the band, the percussionist, the flautist, the chorus personnel and all the others of the orchestra, but for whom the entire programme would have lost its charm and strength. This blog has confined to the names of the contestants who could reach up to the semifinals and would like to congratulate Nikhil, Dishadana, Meenakshi Thavaseeli and Saran who have reached the finals. Besides the four judges, this blog owes its special thanks to the visiting music composers-cum commentators like Vijay Antony,D.Imman, Sirpi,Thaman S,Prasanna A.R.Reihana,and the winners of previous seasons, for their brief appearance at the programme site and for supporting the contestants,with their worthy comments
The exhaustive exchange of gifts among all the contestants and judges made the Semifinal event greatly fulfilling. The Finals might perhaps include a couple of more contestants through wild card rounds.
Two sudden emotional occurrences of this season 11 were those about Myshkin taking Dishadhana straight away to the finalist's chair and seeking approval from the other judges and the second move of Myshkin taking Saran to the finalist seat, as the fifth contestant on the semifinal's day. While these two spur-of-the moment actions would have made many viewers, raise their eyebrows, there is no doubt that both the contestants were not behind the mark. Of course, many would have thought that Dharshana and Annbenson are equally eligible to cross the semifinals. But the behind-the-scenes assessment of the judges, will have answers for all these surprising developments.
After watching Season 11 Super Singer until its semifinals, this blogger would recall Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' with a feel of nostalgia, and quote Duke Orsino's words "if music be the food of love, play on give me the excess of it." The entire Season Eleven is truly symbolic of the depth of humanism filling hearts with very natural emotions, and even a few artificial moments sweetly made to reflect natural emotions. With the feel-good factor felicitating every show, the Super Singer Season Eleven has successfully created a musical heaven on the earth.
Eagerly looking forward to the future happenings. Wishing the Star Vijay Super Singer Season 11, an amazing climax.
Eagerly waiting for the Finale.
