The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Audition hunt for best voice of Tamil Nadu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 17, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Audition hunt for best voice of Tamil Nadu

Staff Reporter

Airtel Super Singer programme of Vijay TV

INTERACTION: Chinmayee, playback singer with participants of the Airtel Super Singer event at the Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, in Chennai on Sunday. — Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

CHENNAI: Balaji began with a full-throated voice, "Unakkenna Mele Nindrai," while Deepika began with a soft, "Lesa Lesa" in front of judge Gayatri, who, on Sunday evaluated 600 participants for level two of the Airtel Super Singer programme of Vijay T.V.

Over thousand students from several parts of Chennai and Tamil Nadu queued up at the Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, for on the spot registration for the audition hunt for the best voice of Tamil Nadu.

The promotion for the programme began nearly a month ago as singers sent in their CDs and tapes and also through the mobile phone dialling an Airtel number. The programme was held in Coimbatore on April 1 and 2 and will be held in Madurai on 23 and 24. A total of 600 singers will be chosen from each zone and eventually shortlisted to 20 each. The 60 finalists will participate in the show.

Besides the spot registration participants, 150 persons were selected earlier. This was the first time a contest of this magnitude was being conducted, a Vijay TV spokesperson said. The final selection will be filtered to 30 and then to 18, nine and finally five contestants. And out of the five, one will be selected as the voice of Tamil Nadu.

The afternoon's final contests were judged by S.P. Sailaja, Iman and Malathi. The programme began primarily with `Kalakkapovathu Yaaru,' a hunt for the comedy king and then `Azhagi,' a beauty contest and `Are You Ready,' music talent hunt. Among the participants was 77-year-old S. Arumugam who works in Udayam Theatre waiting to sing a P.U. Chinnappa song.

Many participants from Chennai, Tiruchi, Udhagamandalam and Ranipet, who had left their school and college to participate in the contest were angry when the queue was stopped at a point and the organisers told them to leave as the registration was closed. Police personnel from St. Thomas Mount had to disperse the angry crowd of parents and students.

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