It was in 1995 when Sa Re Ga Ma Pa embarked on a musical journey on the small screen. Since then, the show has transformed and adapted with changing times, but without losing the essence to the core idea to entertain people with music minus too much of reality show drama. And that's probably why even after 25 years, the show is going strong and has a mass following, especially at a time when many contemporary shows have fallen by the way despite dramatic and emotionally-charged flares. The first episode of the show went live on May 1 in 1995 with singer Sonu Nigam as host. Kumar Sanu, the late Aadesh Shrivastava, Raam Laxman and Khayyam were the judges. At that time the show introduced a format of talent hunt in the Indian television space, unlike today when almost every channel has a talent hunt and is busy scripting new moves to get ahead in the TRP race. The show has turned out to be a big platform for many aspiring singers to make a name in the music industry, and helped them hold onto the fame they garnered through the show.
Now, the iconic music show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a 25-hour virtual music marathon, which will also raise funds to aid the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Titled Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Live-athon, the music marathon starts on May 23, and will include over 350 performances by popular singers. It will culminate on May 24 with a grand concert Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ek Desh Ek Raag concert. Musical stars, including Udit Narayan, Shaan, Richa Sharma, Himesh Resdhammiya, Javed Ali, Kamal Khan, Vijay Prakash and Debojit, will be performing from their homes. The 25-hour music marathon will be aired on Facebook and the musical concert will be aired on Zee TV and 18 other Zee channels.
Add to this, Shaan is gearing up pay tributes to late actors Rish Kapoor and Irrfan Khan on the upcoming concert Ek Desh Ek Raag, which is part of the 25-year celebration of the reality music show, Sa Ra Ga Ma Pa. Ek Desh Ek Raag will start on May 23 with a 25-hour digital music marathon. The 25-year celebration gala will culminate in a grand Ek Desh Ek Raag concert on May 24, which will start at 7pm, and will be aired in 10 national languages across 19 ZEE channels. It will feature some of the most iconic faces of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, who will sing from the confines of their homes. During the show, the audience will get to see old footages from Sa Re Ga Ma Pa featuring Irrfan and Rishi Kapoor.
"It is extremely unfortunate that the Hindi film industry and the country as a whole, on consecutive days, lost two legendary actors. Rishi ji and Irrfan never ceased to take charge and re-define set boundaries. As actors, they took their artistic liberty and went on to create masterpieces. I'm glad that a platform like ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa', during such critical times and on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, is paying such a mega tribute to these legends," said Shaan.
Last but not the least, composer Amaal Mallik and his brother, singer Armaan Malik, are collaborating to create a new version of the classic title track of the singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, which turns 25 this year. Both brothers have a connect with the iconic show. While Amaal was on the judges' panel for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs 2019, Armaan was a finalist on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs 2006. With lyrics by Kunaal Verma and the composition of Amaal, the track will be sung by Armaan alongside regional singers
With the initiative, viewers will get the opportunity to do their bit for the underprivileged by contributing to charity during the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa LIVE-athon.
