R eality shows for children have mostly been based around music, dance or acting. But what if you get it all in the same show? ‘Little Stars’, an upcoming reality show for children on Asianet, promises fun unlimited as it gives a platform for a bunch of multi-talented children selected from across the state. Singers, dancers, actors, magicians, mimicry artistes... there is a plethora of talents to be seen as the show goes on air on October 13. It is produced by a veteran on television, G. Padmakumar. who has been with the channel for 20 years now. He has earlier produced shows such as Sa Re Ga Ma, Voice of the Week, Ma Ga Ri Sa, Star Singer and Kodeeswaran. More from Padmakumar:
On ‘Little Stars’
The show is for children in the age group of eight to 13. It brings together a bunch of very talented children. That is, we are presenting children who are into multi-tasking and are skilled in diverse arts and sports.
Auditions for child prodigies
It is easy to pick a child who is an extraordinary dancer or singer or actor. But, it is not very often that you get children who excel in more than one skill. In Thiruvananthapuram, we auditioned 500 children, of which only six were selected. We are conducting auditions in other parts of the state as well and hope to identify the best talents out there.
The format
We will select 12 contestants. Each of them gets two episodes each to showcase their talents. After 24 episodes, we move on to the elimination rounds. Finally, five participants will fight it out for the prize. We also have a special segment wherein we introduce some extraordinary talented children. For example, Steven Samuel, an exemplary drummer, Aleena, nicknamed Spider Girl since she imitates Spider Man…
Judging panel
We have actors-dancers Vineeth and Sudha Chandran, and singer Vijay Yesudas on the panel. We find them the best to bond with the children. Actor Rajesh Hebbar is the anchor.
On his career
I have been with the channel for 20 years now. I have produced ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’, ‘Voice of the Week’, ‘Ma Ga Ri Sa’, ‘Star Singer’ and ‘Kodeeswaran’. In ‘Little Stars’, I’m assisted by Prathapan.
The show is aired on Sundays at 9 p.m.