Some shows gain popularity, a few others attain cult status, but very rarely does a show become an institution in itself. Season after season, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has not only reinvented itself but brought the entire nation together to celebrate pure, unadulterated singing. After the raging success of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs last year, Zee TV is back with an exciting new season of its most iconic singing reality show. With the core thought of music for all – #MusicSeBaneHum, the new season celebrates music as the universal language that unites mankind. Sending out a strong message of all-inclusiveness and standing up against discrimination over caste, creed, colour, community, religion and sexuality, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa focuses its spotlight on talent alone. This philosophy of the show is brought alive through its catchy, clutter-breaking jingle ‘Harega Bhai Harega’ that declares discrimination to be the prerogative of losers and music as the only winning proposition that looks beyond these trappings and recognizes true talent. After rounds of grueling auditions, the show has now found its top 15 contestants ( Bharat K Rajesh, Suprit Chakrabarty, Maharishi Pandya, MandakiniTahkhellambam, Menuka Poudel, Gurbinder Singh, Sonu Gill, Ishita Vishwakarma, Sahil Solanki, Rajwinder Kaur, Tanmay Chaturvedi, Anushka Banerjee, Pratiksha Deka, Sushant Divgikar, Aishwarya Pandit)– a diverse mix that includes India’s first ever gay contestant singing in both male and female voices, two visually impaired contestants, a nurse who sings to heal her patients, an army man with remarkable vocal talent and a former Li’l Champs contestant who has returned to the platform to win. Produced by Essel Vision, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2018 premiered on 13th October and airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9 PM only on Zee TV.
Zee TV Business HeadAparna Bhosle said, “This is the 23rd year of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and the show has earned its stature and credibility through consistently providing the country with a pool of only the most exceptional singers. In its newest season, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa focuses on rising above discrimination and uniting everyone with music as a universal language through its core proposition #MusicSeBaneHum. While letting go of discriminating barriers, we have let gone of the age criterion this season. Diversity and uniqueness are the flavors of this season and the viewers will get to see an incredible range of singers from different walks of life. The show premiered on 13th October and the next phase of the show will only raise the bar with 15 exceptional singers being mentored every step of the way by our very able judges.”
Guiding and grooming the young talents in their journey of becoming India’s musical doyens are three supremely talented mentors. The multi-talented singer Sona Mohapatra makes her judging debut this season alongside Sa Re Ga Ma Pa veterans – the widely popular singer-composer Wajid Khan and the Singer- composerShekharRavjiani known for his hits from Sultan, Fan, Befikre and Tiger Zinda Hai, Along with the mentors, an esteemed panel of 15 music connoisseurs- experts from the music fraternity play the role of the jury, helping the judges select and groom only the best talent right from the auditions to the finale. Returning as the host this season is the young and dynamic singing heart-throb, Aditya Narayan. The top 15 contestants will now take centerstage and compete for the coveted title.
Mentor Sona Mohapatra said, “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is special for me as I am making my foray into TV as a judge and extremely proud to be associated with the most prestigious and definitive singing platform on Indian television. What’s more, I’m proud to be the first woman in 23 years of the show to be a part of the permanent panel of judges on the seniors’ flagship show. And, I am also exhilarated to be part of a season that transcends cultural and social differences and presents music as a universal language that unites all. The soul of the show is to bring together people of different religions, castes, creed, sexuality and bind them with the power of music. As a judge, I am looking for a combination of authenticity, personality, preparation, stage presence and well-honed craft amongst the participants of the show.”
Mentor Wajid Khan said, “I have been associated with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa for three seasons and I am looking forward to being of part of this season as well. The show has been instrumental in giving a platform to singers across the country to come forth and display their talent and I am excited to listen to the emerging voices of today’s generation. With music evolving year on year, the contestants must go the extra mile in presenting themselves and sharpening their skills to the fullest. Moreover, this season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa focuses on music’s ability to rise above discrimination and bring about universal harmony. With this season we tend to raise the bar a notch higher and I hope for another successful season of the show.”
Mentor ShekharRavjiani said, “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is very close to my heart and I have wonderful memories attached to the show. I look forward to creating new ones, listening to and mentoring the musical future of India. Each one of the past seasons that I have judged has always been trailblazers, especially the 2007 season when the show went on to make history. I look forward to being part of this next chapter of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa as it continues to ignite a passion for music in India through another pathbreaking season in 2018 and bring forth talent that we have never seen before.”
Host of the show, Aditya Narayan said, “There is no show like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. It’s an honor to be associated with the most prestigious and definitive singing platform on Indian television and I’m grateful to Zee TV for choosing me year on year to host the show. This will be my seventh season as the host of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and this platform has literally become my second home. The journey has been amazing for me as I have learned a lot, both personally and professionally, from everyone, especially the judges. The talent on the show has been remarkable and it has been amazing to see them grow and turn into some of the finest singers in the industry. I am looking forward to this season’s journey as it emphasizes on talent alone and throws away labels of caste, creed, background or gender to bring people together to celebrate their love for music.”
The channel’s hard-hitting marketing campaign takes the core thought ‘Music Se Bane Hum’ a step further and announces the formation of the first-of-its-kind all-India parody political party called the ‘RashtriyaSangeet Party’, the manifesto of which is to discard labels that discriminate and bring people together to celebrate their talent and love for music. A microsite was created to announce the RashtriyaSangeet Party and Zee TV’s social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) were leveraged to build awareness about the party’s agenda through strong and impactful creatives. To ensure that the manifesto of the party is heard loud and clear on national television, the RashtriyaSangeet Party also carried out a morchaas a disruptive act on air on the show, making it a larger-than-life, and differentiated marketing phenomenon.