By Ahmad Uzair

Any sort of competition between Pakistan and India has always got an extra appeal to it. Pakistan and India have fought more than 3 wars in past half a century which truly justifies the hype surrounding any affair of the two nations. The cricket rivalry among the two nations is considered to be one of the most strained one in any sport around the world. But at the end of the day, Pakistani stars have their own charisma and demand in the Indian crowd and there is no anomaly to it when it comes to the singing arena.

For the past few years, Pakistani singers are making inroads in to Bollywood and virtually conquering it at times. But this time around its singing battle ‘Sur Kshetra ’ which is gaining its momentum, all thanks to the show’s format which include teams from India and Pakistan who are contesting for the glory of SUR at a neutral venue, Dubai.

The set-up of the show is unique in a way that it’s the first time we have seen the contestants from both sides of the border running against each other in teams. The Indian team is captained by Himesh Reshamiya where as the Pakistani singers are spearheaded by Atif Aslam, who marks his debut as a full time mentor in any of the reality shows till date.

Just like their singing styles and personal aura, there is so much contradicting to both of these superstars which is definitely a fun element to watch during the show. Firstly it’s Himesh, who with his ever famous gallant opinions really keep the show alive. He doesn’t miss out any of the chances to defend his team mate which rather looks a bit fabricated from both of the team captains as they never point out any of the mistakes of their own team players and hardly praise their counterparts.

On the other hand, this is totally a new venture for Atif Aslam specially against Himesh who is known to be the ‘king’ of these reality singing shows. In past, Atif was quoted, saying that he does not like going to Reality shows as they all were ‘scripted’ so it was kind of surprise move from the super star himself but one would say that Atif Aslam is doing a pretty decent job when it comes to making comments and keeping his head cool and calm in response to the emotional remarks of his counterparts.

Then there is that highly honourable judges panel consisting of Abida Parveen, Runa Laila and Asha Bhosle. Once again Asha Bhosle is a regular attendee of judge’s panel in various shows and is one of the most respected personalities in singing circles. But this is kind of really hilarious and interesting to see Asha Bhosle sharing stage with Atif. Asha ji clearly stated at more than one occasions in past that Atif Aslam simply doesn’t qualify for the singing criteria. But it gives you immense pleasure and pride as a Pakistani; to see her singing duets with Atif Aslam who she was not even ready to accept as a singer. Surely the Money speaks! Not the Sur’s.

The contestants from both the sides are spirited and upbeat to win the battle for their respective countries. This is sort of a game show which has got all of its typical elements, the drama, the emotion, the clashes and last but not the least this Indo-Pak idea is conceived by Gajendera Singh who is widely regarded as the master of this art. Another notable thing is the inclusion of Sara Raza in the Pakistani squad. I don’t know about the Indian lineup but Sara Raza is quite an accomplished and professional singer now after her successful stint at another reality show in the past. Her inclusion is a bit surprising as to how a professional singer can compete in an amateur’s game show.

And not to forget the charming and gorgeous looking Ayesha Takia who is hosting the show and despite being an actor and having no prior experience of hosting, she really makes her presence being felt with her witty and timely one-liners. Earlier there were rumours that Annie Khalid was approached for this job but seeing Annie’s little grip on Urdu, one would say that Miss Takia is in fact doing a pretty fine job and with her ever smiling persona she certainly adds up an extra spice to the show.

All in all, this show provides you with some great entertainment. Although at times those little fights among judges seems to be all made-up but then this is how its done in a ‘Reality show ’and may be it’s the requirement of the format to keep the tension level high to acquire ratings. With the show moving ahead towards the final stages there is surely a lot more drama and excitement coming your.

Via KM