Plenty of humour, healthy camaraderie, very few gimmicks … ‘V Voice’ on Vendhar TV is a delightful weekend show for those with a yen for film music. With just an exception or two, all contestants are young and vibrant. But voice matters here, not chronology. The three judges, who complement each other, are seasoned singers themselves. Actor Andrea, Prasanna and Naresh Iyer, comprise the adjudicating trio and are veritable value-additions of ‘V Voice.’
It is very important to put the contestants at ease for them to give their best. And the three accomplish it, transporting contestants to a comfort zone and highlighting their pluses before dwelling on the minuses.
Prasanna gives the impression that he’s very casual, a little flirty and quite jocular. But behind the façade is a musician who is rather stringent in awarding points. When he starts off it is difficult to gauge the direction his comments would take. He could begin on a complimentary note, meander a little and suddenly land on an observation that could make the contestant either smile or think! On the other side of Andrea is seated the soft spoken, genial Naresh whose warm smile and reassuring words are morale boosters. Balancing the viewpoints and lending inputs cheerfully is Andrea, the showstopper of V Voice. Tactful, without soft-pedalling, the three judges drive home their points effectively.
‘Thaarumaaru Round’ has been going on for about two weeks now - no marking, no elimination, just music and fun, with the soft-spoken voice trainer Shyamala presenting valuable inputs regarding the scale of every singer.
‘V Voice’ opened with two anchors. Now there’s just one – Chitra. Probably because she’s doing the job single-handedly, the decibel levels rise to slightly squeaky heights and make even her radiant smile unnoticeable. Also, her costume and coordinates could accentuate her good looks, if they were less loud. (The reference is not just to the ‘Thaarumaaru Rounds’)
The immense talent of ‘V Voice’ aspirants at this stage takes you on a tour of scintillating sound zones and lending able support is Aradhana Balaji’s orchestra. The set appears garish from certain angles, but it was refreshing to watch Nikitha’s entry in a recent episode, when she began her solo as a silhouette behind a white curtain, and emerged to make an impressive entry in a black and white ensemble.
