Seven-year-old Rivya preens in front of the mirror as she effortlessly transitions from a graceful classical mudra to an Afro Jazz pose. She seems like any other kid- effervescent and carefree - but we soon find out that she is a veteran of reality TV auditions. "She auditioned for Colors' India's Got Talent and Life OK's Hindustan Ke Hunarbaaz last year. But she needed to work harder. Since then she has shown tremendous improvement," says her dance instructor, Sunny, who incidentally is also an aspiring reality TV show contestant. "I am preparing for India's Dancing Superstar auditions that airs on Star Plus," he says. While nursing his own showbiz ambitions, he has been helping these young talents succeed in their endeavours.
Located in the upmarket residential area of Sector 56 Gurgaon, Tansen Sangeet Mahavidyalaya is teeming with such reality TV aspirants. Gleaming cars drop off enthusiastic 5- to 15-year-olds armed with guitars, violins and music books. Little girls wearing ghungroos skip along, while some boys start a mock fight at the entrance. However, the mischief disappears as they enter the classrooms and focus on the lesson at hand.
One of the 56 Tansen centres spread across the country, the Sector 56 Gurgaon institute started with 150 students in 2009. However, the reality TV craze drove more and more students to its doorstep, taking the roll count to 550. Recognising the opportunity, the Sector 56 centre owner Ashish Dange has invested Rs 60 lakh in infrastructure and equipment.
Now with everyone, from five to 50, wanting to make it big on television, music and dance schools have a new chore on their list - grooming students for reality TV shows. From Delhi to Bangalore, from Ranchi to Hyderabad, there are academies and institutes tucked away in nooks and crannies, whispering promises of stardom in the eager ears of aspirants. It is not surprising, since the reality show industry is growing by leaps and bounds and everyone wants a piece of this pie. What better way to reach millions than by appearing for a few minutes on a show. Even if you bomb at the audition stage, at least you get that precious one minute of fame on the telly.
According to a 2011 Ernst & Young report on India's entertainment economy, around 45 million urban Indians sent text messages during reality shows at premium rates. The weekend prime time slots on general entertainment channels are ruled by non-fiction reality shows like Indian Idol Junior (Sony) and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa (Colors). According to industry sources, in the first six months of 2013, there were 500-plus talent search programmes, game shows and non-fiction reality shows on national and regional channels.
The world of grooming and training for reality shows throws up some interesting revelations. Aspiring candidates in metros like Delhi and Mumbai behave differently from the ones in tier II cities like Ranchi. A showbiz wannabe in Delhi, for instance, would keep tabs on the track record of renowned music and dance chains, just like a student would track the placement record of management institutes like IIMs and ISB. "Students in metros prefer big names such as Tansen, several of whose students have made a mark in talent shows," says Kamal of Music School India, which is headquartered in South Delhi's Vasant Kunj area.
Tansen Sangeet Mahavidyalaya proudly wears the success of its students on its sleeves. The group website prominently displays names of students from across centres who have won acclaim on such shows: Vaishnavi Tyagi on Mummy Ke Superstars (Star Plus), Suman Sharma and Sunakshi Raina in Indian Idol (Sony), Vyom Kapoor in Amul Chhote Ustad (Star Plus) and many more. The centre charges an annual fee between Rs 26,000 and Rs 32,000, depending on the course (vocals, violin, kathak, etc) and anyone aged four and above can enrol.
Another well-recalled name is that of Ahmedabad-based Khandekar's Sangitam Symphony. Since 1946 the school is known for its emphasis on classical singing. Apparently the saying in Ahmedabad goes that "agar cricket khelna ho toh Sachin Tendulkar ke coach ke paas jao, aur agar accha singer banna hai toh Khandekar's jao." "Ever since Indian Idol Season 1 aired on Sony, we have seen an increase in the number of students, with the present strength ranging between 150 and 200," says Akshat Khandekar who teaches instrumental music, while his cousin, Aniket, teaches vocals.
Khandekar's achieved nationwide fame when one of its students, Aishwarya Majmudar, won the Amul Voice of India Chhote Ustad (Star Plus) in 2008 at the age of 15. "Parents would rush in saying "please transform my daughter into Aishwarya as well"," says Akshat. "Since 2008, almost every season of reality shows has featured one of our students, be it Mirande Shah in Indian Idol 4 or Nirvesh Dave in the ongoing Indian Idol Junior."
However, the Khandekars would like to make it clear that they teach students to be good singers and not reality TV contestants. "We don't encourage students who want to enrol simply to participate in reality TV shows. Your ultimate aim can't be to be on Indian Idol, it should be to be a good singer," says Aniket.
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If a student professes interest in appearing on a show, then Aniket prepares him or her accordingly. "For instance, with Nirvesh, before he appeared on Indian Idol Junior, I made him perform in shows where celebrated artists from Ahmedabad were present. This gave him a sense of performing in front of a panel of judges," he says.
At Tansen too, emphasis is on keeping children performance-ready, be it for a stage shows or reality TV auditions. All performances are recorded on the handycam and then played back to the students. "After that we decide if the body language or the expressions need to be worked on," says Sunny who trains his students in the dance style currently popular on shows - liquid pop, lyrical hip hop, waacking and krumping. The centre has two teachers who focus only on stage craft.
This rigorous training prepares the aspirants to take on any challenge thrown at them by the show's creative team. "You are suddenly told that the next theme is, say, folk songs. Now there are only so many songs that you can choose from. So you need to be quick in coming up with a song to sing," says Majmudar, who is currently a successful playback singer for Kannada, Bengali, Bhojpuri and Gujarati films, with a couple of forthcoming Bollywood films in her kitty as well. Most of these music schools create a list of songs from various genres that the contestant can choose from at the drop of a hat.
Her views are shared by Sejal Somaiya, creative director, Star Voice of India Chhote Ustad, "The talent gets little time to prepare. Between Monday and Thursday, they select the song and rehearse with the technical team." When asked what the team looks for in the auditions, she says, "Singing talent. Nothing else matters as the grooming can take place on the show," she says. Former contestants on the show believe that students who have been trained for reality shows have an edge as they don't lose their nerves in front of a 12-camera set up.
In a stark departure from aspirants in metros like Delhi who prefer well-known chains, those from cities like Ranchi prefer teachers who have already participated in a reality TV show, even if their setup isn't as big or fancy. It is no wonder then that Alisha Dance Academy, located on Harmu Road in Ranchi, is so popular. Owner Alisha Singh was the first runner up on the first season of Dance India Dance (Zee) and currently shuttles between Ranchi and Mumbai where she is part of Channel V's Dil Dosti Dance. Of the 70 students at her academy, 15 are preparing for reality TV shows and 13 have already participated in Boogie Woogie (Sony), Dance Bangla Dance (Zee Bangla), India's Got Talent, etc. "It is important to interact with the audiences. And for that reason, it is critical to not restrict yourself to a style. I teach them all styles, especially Bollywood which is very popular with the audiences," says Singh who charges Rs 2,000 in a month.
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Those who can't sing or dance turn to Kaun Banega Crorepati for fame and fortune. Even if they don't go beyond the 'fastest-finger-first' stage (one of the KBC challenges), the idea of sharing the limelight with Amitabh Bachchan has inspired thousands to walk around with their faces glued to quiz books. And if you want special coaching, head to Anil Kumar Sinha's Zenith Career Classes in Patna, where he coaches civil services and banking aspirants as well. Sinha, who won Rs 1 crore on KBC in 2011, currently offers tips and guidance to over 200 people on Facebook and 50 people over the mobile phone. "It took me 11 years to appear on KBC during which time I analysed questions that were asked on the show. There wasn't a single newspaper or magazine that I didn't read. If I bought a samosa, I would read its newspaper packing," says Sinha. He now dreams of creating a set-up where people will even get to practise 'fastest finger first'. "Meri tamanna hai ki agla winner jo ho uski jeet mein mera bhi thoda contribution ho (I wish to contribute in the next winner's victory)," says Sinha who offers his services for free.
For detailed interviews with previous winners and sample question papers, read Sinha's book Kaise Bane Crorepati. With 1,200 copies printed and 700 copies sold, Sinha's book has received positive response. Written in Hindi, Sinha's style is conversational, taking the reader through the nerve-wracking moments on the show. "Friends, I believe that the toughest challenge on KBC is the 'fastest finger first', as the round is all about managing time and pressure. In this round, the ten contestants are all equally confused and capable," he writes.
The market for general knowledge and quiz books has received a boost because of the show. "I would say that sales have increased 10 to 15 per cent. Rupa [Publications] has also come up with Kaun Banega Crorepati - The Official Book, which is a compilation of 1,000 questions, selected by quiz masters," says Piyush Kumar of Prabhat Publications which published Sinha's books. The maximum demand for books such as Student GK Quiz Bank by Chitra Garg or 1000 Samajshastra Prashnottari by Mohanand Jha is from school libraries. "We usually print 500 copies; these are sold out and then go into two-three reprints," he says.
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Till now, training and development for reality shows has been unorganised and sporadic. However, for the first time ever, a production house and education network have tied up to create a concrete set-up in the realm of media, entertainment and arts. After two years of surveys, Fremantle Media, which owns the Idol brand in 158 countries, including Indian Idol, signed an exclusive licensing agreement with KarmYog Education Network in April this year to start Indian Idol academies across the country. "The aspirational appeal and ratings success of Idol and Idol Junior suggests a strong consumer response for an immersive education concept. In terms of cumulative reach Indian Idol has touched 96. 1 million viewers on an average for the last season for CS4 + HSM (Hindi speaking markets)," says Ron Crasto, Licensing Director, (South Asia), FremantleMedia Asia.
To be launched in mid-September this year, the academy will be open to 5- to 15-year-olds. "The first stage is the learning festival which will be conducted for registered participants by tab masters or training facilitators armed with tablets containing domain knowledge. These will be like home delivery guys who bring the learning experience home through the OmniDel sessions, or 'omni dimensionally engaging multimedia learning'," says Sourabh J Sarkar, founder and chairman of KarmYog Education Network. The festival will see the participation of 24,000 students. "The second stage is a talent development programme for promising singers; and third, an advanced-level talent development programme for those readying for a career in performing arts," says Crasto. The centres will be opened in 40 locations over the next three years as evidenced by audition data from the show. "The investment in the launch phase is to the tune of Rs 25-30 crore," says Sarkar. Besides creating a well-prepared group of singers, such a set-up offers a great opportunity for music teachers as well. "Till now, people would have a day job and then an evening job teaching music. The salaries would start at Rs 5,000. But now, people can choose to take up music teaching as a profession," he says. The salaries for music mentors are budgeted between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000, depending on the size and location of the centre. "Hopefully people will now want to learn more music and less integrated calculus," he concludes.
