Neha Kakkar and Sunidhi Chauhan have never sung a duet together till date.
Recently, during an interaction with the media, Neha Kakkar was asked about reality shows being scripted and the decline in TRPs. She was also asked to respond to statements made by several judges like Sunidhi Chauhan. On this, Neha Kakkar said, “It fell because I stopped doing it! As long as I was doing it, the TRP was the highest. But I would like to say, ‘Grapes are sour if you don’t get them’, people say that. So it’s like that. Those who don’t get the grapes, find them sour.”
She further added, “These shows are absolutely not scripted. People’s lives are not scripted at all. Of course, most of us Indians come from humble backgrounds. I myself come from a humble background, and if I feel emotional after hearing someone’s story, I feel those emotions, so of course, it is natural to feel emotions.”
Neha Kakkar has gotten emotional on many occasions on reality shows (like Indian Idol and Superstar Singer).
She said, “We all come from so many different small towns, and we cross so many hurdles to get here. So, of course, all those contestants wouldn’t just make up a new story. What is true, is true, and that is what we got to witness.”
Sunidhi Chauhan had raised questions on reality shows Singer Sunidhi Chauhan spoke openly about the changing format of singing reality shows on Raj Shamani’s podcast.
Sunidhi had said that she really liked the first two years of ‘Indian Idol’. Things were going well on the show at that time. According to her, the format of reality shows back then was quite different from today. Earlier, the contestants’ genuine performances and their nature were shown more.
She said that in the early seasons, no elaborate backstories were created for the contestants. If a contestant sang poorly, the judges would laugh at them. They would jokingly tell them to come back the following year. According to Sunidhi, while all of this was certainly part of the show, the performances that were broadcast to the audience were authentic.
Now many things are ‘doctored’ and ‘corrected’ – Sunidhi
Sunidhi claimed that many things shown on TV now are ‘doctored’ and ‘corrected’. Explaining the reason for this, she said that makers do not want any bad singers to be seen on their show. Therefore, many times, a contestant’s performance is presented in such a way that it sounds better on TV.
Giving an example, she said that many times judges praise a contestant profusely. They stand up for them and say that they have never heard a better performance than this. Despite this, the same contestant gets eliminated in the very next episode. According to Sunidhi, this surprises the audience as well. They do not understand why the contestant, whom the judges praised so much, was eliminated.
Sunidhi Chauhan was the winner of Doordarshan’s famous musical reality show Meri Awaaz Suno (1996).
Sunidhi said that such things started bothering her. That is why she gradually stopped being a part of reality shows. Later, she worked on the Indian version of ‘The Voice’. She mentioned that certain conditions were pre-decided for this show, and the makers agreed to them.
According to Sunidhi, she was happy that in ‘The Voice’, the judges and the audience heard exactly what the contestant had actually sung. She said that she does not like such ‘cheating’ with the audience.
In the podcast, Sunidhi was also asked what she found most shocking about reality shows. To this, she revealed that the most troubling part was when she was asked to say good things about a particular contestant on the show to promote them.
Sunidhi Chauhan has sung many famous Bollywood songs like ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’, ‘Beedi Jalaile’, and ‘Kamli’.
Sunidhi said that she could not do that. According to her, the reasons behind promoting certain contestants are not just their performances, but other benefits as well.
She explained that the contestant who wins the show can be cast in future shows or other projects because the audience that watched them win feels connected to them. In such cases, the makers feel that the contestant can continue to attract viewers.
Sunidhi said that this is why, at times, the benefits received after the reality show ends can also play an important role in choosing the contestant.
