Shilpa Shetty (second from right) along with contestants of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa

The speedometer of money is always running furiously for film personalities no matter which lane they choose. Apart from the money they earn from acting in films, they also earn big bucks by performing in shows and in marriage parties and by endorsing a plethora of products. The latest trend is to earn big money for their name by judging talent hunt shows. We first saw it happen in the formatted show, Indian Idol, the Indian version of the famous Idol series with Sonu Nigam, Farah Khan and Anu Malik in the hot seats.

“The celebrities judging a particular show have already proved their calibre in that field. They are the best persons to judge young talent,” justifies Anu Malik. After the successful completion of Indian Idol, the trend spread like wild fire. Every other channel tried to cash in on reality shows. They organised various talent hunt shows, whose participants were being judged by film celebrities. Immediately after Indian Idol, Dance Dance on Sony happened. The show not succeeding is another story altogether, but it had judges of the calibre of the mighty Saroj Khan, the promising Vaibhavi Merchant and Western dance exponent Terrance Lewis.

Malaika Arora Khan, judge of Nach Baliye 2

“It’s a world of media and marketing. If you are selling paan-masala, you need to have a brand with a face value. It is fair enough as long as the people who are judging the shows are technically sound. Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa had Farah [Khan], who’s a great choreographer. Sanjay [Leela Bhansali] shoots his scenes like smooth music. Shilpa too dances pretty well,” says choreographer Terrance Lewis.

After being a judge in Dance Dance, Saroj Khan became a judge in another talent hunt show, Nach Baliye 2. “It’s up to the channel to choose who they want to get the shows judged by. They can do what they like,” says Saroj Khan when quizzed about her take.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan is often heard modestly admitting that he is a product and he needs to sell himself. But there are very few people as modest as Shah Rukh. What drives these film personalities towards judging television shows? How big a role does money play? Or is it something else like being closer to people’s living rooms, more fame and breaking the monotony in their professional lives?

“Why do you journalists always think of material things? We are getting honoured by the respect we are getting as judges,” shoots back Saroj Khan. While Saroj Khan sounds angry when questioned about money being an integral part of theri ‘judgment’, so to say, there are a few others who have no qualms being candid about it.

“Definitely, money is there. Publicity surely comes along with it. But the most important reason for me being a part of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’ Champs was because of the children involved in the show. We as celebrities have established ourselves. Now it is our responsibility to groom the next generation under our guidance. Sharing my knowledge with the children gives me great satisfaction,” says Alka Yagnik.

Seen with co-judges Farah Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Adds Bappi Lahiri, who was a judge in the talent hunt show for kids, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs: “The celebrities who are judging the show are the masters of that particular field. Moreover if Zee had asked a ghazal singer to judge a particular show, they wouldn’t have got the TRPs which they got by inviting the film celebrities. People love to see me around with my ornaments. That’s what fetches the TRPs.”

Says co-judge Yagnik: “Celebrities invited to the show have done extremely well in their respective fields. Their credibility counts. People would undoubtedly accept their judgment.” Anu Malik, too, agrees with Yagnik. “Money and publicity do play an important part. But, again, it varies from person to person. By God’s grace I have been blessed with the basic needs. All I want is to see youngsters getting to heights they actually deserve in life. In our times, we have been through a horrifying struggle,” he says.

Money and publicity are always an integral part of the media business. But all the kids who participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa were very talented. It looks like the future of Indian music is very bright. After the show wherever I go, kids come up to me and start singing. It feels good that the kids are getting inspired by me. Talent shows are a great platform for the kids. I had really struggled hard to make a name for myself,” Bappi Lahiri spills forth.

Terrance Lewis agrees that the moolah is mwaah. “Certainly, money is very good. You get great exposure, too. It gives a face to the technicians working behind the camera. If Dance Dance wouldn’t have happened, people wouldn’t have recognised me by my face.”

Another dance show, Boogie Woogie, is doing pretty well for almost a decade. But the format of the show is a little different. They opt for different ‘guest judges’ in different episodes. Ravi Behl, who is one of the producers and anchors of Boogie Woogie, analyses the issue.

“It’s like, the bigger the celebrity, the higher the price. Everybody is profiting from the show, then why not they? But I am sure even they get involved in the show. It is very interesting as the celebrities get a chance to interact with people. People are interested in hearing comments passed by Saroj Khan or Sanjay Leela Bhansali. They are creative and artistic people. That would be the reason why responsible channels invite them to judge reality shows,” says Bhel.

Reality shows have become the bloodline of television. If one show is about to end, two new ones are ready for launch. Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj has recently launched its second season with film celebrities like Pooja Bhatt, Anupam Kher and Madhur Bhandarkar as judges.

“My father [Mahesh Bhatt] and I are always known to spot and utilise new talent. When we cast John Abraham in Jism, I was told that this guy is a model and will not do well as an actor. We have proven them wrong. The same goes for Onjolie Nair in Holiday who made salsa the ‘in’ thing in the country. We are always hungry for new talent and this I thought was the best platform for our search,” says Pooja Bhatt.

Anupam Kher gets emotional as he answers this particular question. “I have been a struggler myself. I know how hard it is for young people to have the talent but lack the opportunity. I have had to face very hard times to get to where I am today. I take this as a chance to give back to those who need it the most. It’s a great platform for aspiring and struggling actors. I wasn’t so fortunate in my struggling days,” Anupam gets emotional.

Madhur Bhandarkar, too, has similar view points. “For me, talent is just waiting to be spotted. I have used some very life-size characters in my films. When I see a new face, I decide there and then whether he or she can become a part of my next film. Youngsters from different states are taking part in this contest. I think youngsters should be given similar platforms to showcase their talent. This show even gives me the opportunity to meet new people,” says the director of Corporate and Chandni Bar.

but only time will tell how many of these contestants actually carve a name for themselves in the industry! For now, it’s the film personalities who are getting it all by judging these contests — name, fame, enjoyment and, of course, great currency.

Who channelises what on the small screen

Judge money

Star & Sony: Star and Sony are the biggest paymasters for the judges,too. The amount the judges get is a few lakhs per episode which could vary depending on the status and seniority of the judge.

Zee: The payments at Zee are slightly lower, but the judges are still a few crores richer after a particular talent hunt season.

Sahara: Sahara doesn’t seem to be interested in giving money to judges at present which is why they shelved one of their filmstar hunt contests and have no plans to launch any of the same now.

(Sampurn)