Saregamapa

The five Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 contestants Wasi Effendi, Junaid Sheikh, Mussarrat Abbas, Sikander Ali and Amanat Ali are fed up with the vegetarian food being served to them at their temporary residence in Mumbai.

Says a source from the Sa Re Ga… team, “The Pakistani contestants are hard-core non-vegetarians. They have to settle for veggies as the cook is Brahmin and he refuses to cook any non-veg food. They were so frustrated that eggs were smuggled in and cooked when the cook was away.”

The Paki-quintet even thought up a prank for non-veg food. The source says, “They made up a story about how the channel has asked for a cookery competition and the best cook (of course, of non-veg food) will win!”

Culinary setbacks notwithstanding, the Pakistani contestants are having a whale of a time in India. Says the show’s creative head Payaol Patel, “The whole idea of the vishwa-yudh started with the idea that the sargam and gayaki is the same in India as in Pakistan. While there are many opportunities in India for talent to be showcased, in Pakistan, due to the controlled TV, not many shows are open for participation.”

Now when at least a few of the Pakistani contestants may make it to the top, there’s a chance the desi contestants may get hostile about outsiders stealing the limelight.

Patel doesn’t buy the belief that the desi contestants are resentful of their Pak counterparts. “The bahar ke log theory is a figment of the negative imagination. We are responsible for the borders that we have created. Today, in India, Pakistani singers have been accepted. There is absolutely no resentment among the contestants on religious grounds. There definitely is a lot of competition between participants of a show. In fact, a lot of Indian participants are trying to learn Pakistani music…a mix of sufi, Punjabi and folk.

“The five Pakistanis have been seeing Mumbai in their free time. They have visited Gateway of India, Haji Ali, Siddhivinayak Temple, Juhu beach, Esselworld. And a special trip to eat Mumbai’s vada pav!” laughs Patel, “How it was relished! One of the Pakistani contestants, Wasi, had requested for them. He called them aloo bandh!”

Source - (IANS)

Technorati: saregamapa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007, saregamapa challenge 2007, Pakistani Singers