Now, a reality show on cyberspace

A new talent hunt show is set to join the bandwagon of reality shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Indian Idol and Nach Baliye.

However, what makes this show stand apart from its counterparts is that it will be hosted on the cyberspace.

India Ka Hero, perhaps the first-of-its-kind online reality show, developed by NowPos (short for NowPossible) Online Services Private Limited, allows aspiring musicians, singers, dancers and comedians shed their stage frights and showcase their artistic abilities.

"The reality shows that are currently being hosted on the Indian televisions are constrained to half-an-hour to one hour, besides inhibited by logistics and other issues. Our idea behind launching this show is to take it to the doorsteps of the masses through a free medium - Internet," L Ravichander, director (legal and HR), of the Hyderabad-based voice technology company, told Business Standard.

There will be four kinds of contests - Jokes Ka Hero, Songs Ka Hero, Mimicry Ka Hero and Dance Ka Hero. All one needs to do is log onto the site, register and record their voice-based talent.

In dance category, the aspirant is required to upload his performance video. People who log on to the site and listen to the recording will rate the participants.

And the prizes up for grabs for the winners include Hero Activa, a three-day air trip to Singapore, laptops and a Sony music system. The two-year-old company is scouting for sponsors for each of these four categories.

"We are planning to go for a formal launch within a month and the first set of results will be out on November 30, 2007. We are also looking at connecting this show with SMS, wherein people can call to a designated toll-free number and record their voice. At the moment, we are at the test level, and it will take at least a month to apply this to the show," he said.

The closely-held company has already expended Rs 1 crore on hardware, R&D, software and human resources in developing the website. It will further spend Rs 2 crore on advertising and promoting the project. Currently on the beta, the show has attracted over 500 entries in September alone.

He said the company had the right to withdraw any obscene song or a dance, or a joke, which is against any religion or caste or with a politically-incorrect stance.

Stating that the company had been not-so-profitable last year, Ravichander said they expected India Ka Hero to be major growth driver and help the company turnaround this financial year.