Virtually, a reality check!

Tanay Malhara first became known for his contemporary dancing in Dance India Dance Little Masters Season Two in 2013. Three dance shows later, the 14-year-old’s dedication to his art finally paid off when he was crowned champion of Dance Plus 2 last month.

While Tanay is still basking in the glory of his win, others have used the platform to create a niche for themselves in the world of Indian television.

Take Akshat Singh and Faisal Khan for instance. Akshat, was first noticed on India’s Got Talent where he won hearts by mimicking his idol, Salman Khan, has since found himself on the The Ellen Degeneres Show and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

“If it wasn’t for talent shows, we would have been living in Howrah all our lives,” he says.

Faisal also came into the spotlight because of his dance in Dance India Dance Li'l Masters. Since then, he has gone on to act in Bharat Ka Veer Putra — Maharana Pratap and has also been seen in a couple of reality shows, including Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Khatron Ke Khiladi.

“Without this medium, I would have been a boy with just dreams of making it big in the entertainment industry,” says Faisal. For Satinder Rao, who came in the top five of the Chote Ustaad — Do Deshon Ki Ek Awaaz singing reality show, it was an often thorny road to fame. Gagan Gaonkar, on the other hand, is still testing the musical waters with a few gigs after his win at Sa Re Ga Ma Pa last year, while Indian Idol Junior 2 winner Ananya Nanda has dived right into a playback career.

The Judge’s Verdict Industry big wigs (who have been a part of many a reality talent hunt) support these platforms for the exposure they offer. “They are a great way to promote young talent in India. When we were young, we did not have such platforms. These reality shows have made the format much more organised,” says music director and long-time Indian Idol judge Anu Malik.

The ever-pragmatic Sajid Ali, who was a judge in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2016, says that the monetary support and exposure the kids get is tremendous, “What I like about reality shows is that it given performers a chance to earn some money.” Shaan, who has been a part of several music reality shows, throws in a word of caution. “Winning doesn’t mean that you will get to become a professional playback singer the very next day; it takes effort and hard work even after the show is over. We now have counselling sessions at the shows so that the kids learn to treat the process like a platform to learn, rather than just a place to win,” he adds.

Sajid also expresses concerns when it comes to reality shows. “I worry about these young reality TV contestants because of the pressure that they may face from their families. I find it worrisome when kids with no talent are forced to participate in these shows because parents have big plans for them,” he says.

Shaan also says that sometimes excessive praise is heaped upon the contestants that also leads to unrealistic expectations. “When a judge says that the singer is better than the original or that he will definitely get them to sing for their songs, they are probably just caught up in the moment but the kids take it to heart, and when it doesn’t work out exactly like that, they get frustrated. That is one reason that I have stayed away from making promises,” Shaan says.

The singer gets nostalgic as he talks about some of successful contestants. “When Toshi Sharib or Harshit Saxena first came to reality shows, they were gawky kids, and now they are making a name for themselves. Gagan, who won the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs in 2015 is also another kid I really want to see doing well. His pursuit of perfection is relentless, but it doesn’t come with any drama attached to it,” says Shaan earnestly.

The serials killers Tanay Malhara He was so overwhelmed with the display of talent at Dance Plus 2, that he had given up all hope of winning. But when he did win it and bagged `25 lakh and a car as prize money, his excitement knew no bounds. Tanay says, “I was scared about the results because I was the youngest competitor. I didn’t expect to win the contest at all.” For Tanay, this show vindicated his talent. “This was one of the few shows where age didn’t matter. I tried to participate in a lot of reality shows previously, but they always asked me to participate in the next few years as I was too young,” says Tanay, 14.

Satinder Rao: He was one of the top five jodis in the singing reality show, Chote Ustaad, and made an impact with his pure Sufi singing. One of his strongest supporters, perhaps, was rapper Hard Kaur, who searched for the young singer after he sank into oblivion. “I first heard Satinder singing when my brother made me listen to a video of him a few years after Chote Ustad. I was moved to tears and I can tell you that that doesn’t happen often,” recalls the rapper. Satinder, in turn looks at the rapper and the show as his saviour. “A couple of years after the show, my voice started to change, and when it started to break and I quit singing and went back to my village,” he recalls, adding, “Some years later, I got a call from Hard Kaur’s team. Now, I am about to sign an album deal and also bring out a single in electronic Sufi,” he says proudly.

Ananya Nanda: For this young singer, who won Indian Idol Junior 2 last year, fame has already come knocking at the door with a chance to sing a song in a Bollywood blockbuster. “Indian Idol was a great learning experience for me. It was a great platform for me, since after the show we were in touch with the label. I went for a number of live performances, both in India and around the world,” says Ananya. “I got to sing a song in MS Dhoni The Untold Story,” she adds.

Akshat Singh: Akshat first grabbed attention in a homemade video where he was seen dancing to a Salman Khan song in only his underwear. The video turned out to be a game-changer when the team for India's Got Talent contacted him. “I was always made fun of for being overweight. Now, I was the fat boy who can dance.” The show show got him national and international recognition. Akshat even got himself a spot in The Ellen Degeneres' Show, where he performed a few flips, handstands, and his signature pelvic-thrusting dance moves. He says, “We had no clue who Ellen was till we got there!” Next, he went on to star in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, and signed up for a couple of ads.

With inputs from Julie Sam