Some suggestions for ‘Season 3’

Sirasa Super Star Season 2 is over. The virtues and capabilities of the winners had been trumpeted from tree tops and the winners live to another day yet, to continue with their beautiful renderings to the masses. I have read with interest the letter of Mr. Bernard Fernando in the TV Times (Page 24) of the November 11 instant and wish to add my constructive comments on same and also give some suggestions to Sirasa for the forthcoming Season 3.

The idea of Mr. Fernando of restricting one vote per phone number is credible, as it will simmer writers down the frenzy of irregular canvassing/voting. However, the writers gripe that Super Star 2 being rigged, holds no water, as the final votes were audited by an agency of no mean repute. Perhaps it would have been better if Sirasa showed some shots of the auditors at work and a glimpse of the final results sheet to preserve the transparency. I hope they will do so in the future.

Suggestion by the writer to create four titles such as best male Superstar, Best female Superstar, Most popular male Superstar, Most popular female Superstar, etc. is not practical, given the enormous organizing that goes to make it a reality and the chaos in voting for the four slots it will create. Several mini contests within the main contest will confuse the voters. At the final voting, as the charisma of the contestant is already taken into account by the voters, another title attributed to popularity, I think, is redundant.

Sirasa Super Star 2 has created a tremendous mass impact on several counts. Looking in retrospective. Sirasa has converted hitherto listeners of songs of western trend towards taking an interest in Sinhala songs also. So called "elites" of "Colombo 7" mind set, students of international schools, etc. has tuned their ear to Sinhala songs now. I am sure the readers of this letter has come across such examples among their family and friends.

Commoners like myself, interalia, who had no direction as to what was meant by "alankara" in a song. Thanks to viewing the Sirasa Super Star 2, we have some grasp of the matter now. This is another benefit of Sirasa Super Star 2. Services rendered by the Super Star 2 is much like the services of Gamini Fonseka, Iranganie Serasinghe, etc. in giving a respectable face to the "bioscope" of the 60's that the then elite crowd frowned upon.

Coming back to suggestions for Sirasa Super Star 3, a setback in the last season was that goters did not have an insight into the mindest of the final contestants. I believe the voters would have been in a more informed position if they had some idea of the values and aspirations of the contestants. I suggest, that for the final six contestants, that an independent interviewer like Arun Dias or Jackson Anthony fire impromptu questions on stage (as in Miss World Pageant) to assess the "mind" so that we have a more wholesome Super Star in the future. Kamal can lead the general show as usual.

This above point makes me wonder at this late stage, what would have being the result if Surendra was a "Computer" or an "Engineer" putha? I think Pradeep has an edge over Surendra because of his "Dosthara" image. So my opinion is that impromptu interviewing as outlined above will be a great leveler of contestant even if some of them are not in a "high" profile career.

As this is a contest to evaluate the singing and performing abilities, I quite agree with Mr. Fernando when he suggests the prerequisite of capability to play a musical instrument. So I suggest that the final six contestants be called upon to exhibit their ability to play an instrument of their choice for a very short time. May be this requirement will induce the Super Star 3 contestants to learn to play an instrument, as there is a long time lapse up to the final phase.

In Sirasa Super Star 2 the contestants were made to sing some songs of nadagam-noorthi-drama type. Instead of this I suggest that in future they may be called to sing at least one semi classical song (for the final six persons) form a list prepared by the likes of Amaradeva, Edward Jayakody or Dayaratne/Amara Ranatunga, etc. In Super Star 2, Sirasa had created an interest in the masses about popular light songs of the 1960 - 80 era. It will be another laurel indeed to Sirasa if after Sirasa Super Star 3, they can advance the masses towards an interest in semi classical songs. (To my mind, we listen to three types of song - viz. light, semi classical and classical. The last type is not received favourably by the public as they cannot grasp the spirit and fine nuances) Sirasa will have to cajole the masses gently but firmly in the Super Star 3 to appreciate semi classical songs, so that in the end Sirasa would have done a tremendous improvement to the listening pleasure, "Pragna" and choice of quality of the listeners.

The Super Star 2 panel of judges with their differing personalities and emotional make up did well with their differing styles of commenting and this trend should be continued. I do hope my comments and suggestions will create much heat and light in time to come, so that after consolidating the opinion of the diverse writers, Sirasa will be able to showcase a better product than the last Sirasa Super Star 2, to educate and enhance the perceptions of the listeners.