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New Shows

Considering the number of reality shows based on kids being launched every year, don’t be surprised if you witness grooming schools for reality shows mushrooming in every city in the future. There are already a plethora of cricket and tennis academies where children are sent by parents with a hope of turning them into the next Sachin Tendulkar or Leander Paes.

And as national television (regional channels have an equal number) has churned out shows like  Sa Re Ga Ma Little Champs, Chote Miyan, which focus on kids with different talents, and will be coming with a lot more such programmes, a school where kids will idolise and yearn to be Abhijeet Sawant or Shakti Mohan does not seem to be a far-fetched thought. And why would it be? If one thinks of the perks and money that come with winning a reality show, (it has already become a good career option for elders) very soon it will be the most sought-after career option for kids.

Cashing on the trend is the channel Colors, which has come up with a dance-based reality show for kids called Chak Dhoom Dhoom. So has Zee TV, which  recently launched Dance India Dance Little Masters. How these two are different from each other is anybody’s guess (The only difference being the producers, judges and the participants). Explains Ashvini Yardi, Programming Head, Colors, “We started off with the first ever children’s stand-up comedy show — Chhote Miyan and followed it up with two more seasons. Extending our promise to continue with encouraging talent in the country, we launched Chak Dhoom Dhoom. Through our auditions across various cities, we have been able to unearth some outstanding little dancers.”

Chak Dhoom Dhoom will feature children between 5-14 years shake a leg and showcase their talent in dance. The dancers will be shortlisted through nationwide auditions being conducted by the three judges — Saroj Khan, Vindoo Dara Singh and Ahmed Khan. The trio has already handpicked 40 deserving contestants for the gala round in Mumbai.

These 40 kids will then be reduced to 16 finalists who will compete against each other for 13 weeks. To ensure that they are taught well, Chak Dhoom Dhoom will have famous choreographer duo Bosco-Caesar as the trainers for these finalists.
They will also identify the dance forms most suitable for each kid and groom them accordingly. Says Saroj Khan, popularly known as ‘Master ji’ in the industry, “It was a fascinating experience to visit different parts of the country and see that there is so much talent ingrained in kids. All of them want to be the best and different from each other.” She adds, “But rejecting them was a very difficult task. I could not bear the sight of them crying. All we could do is try our best to console and make them understand that they can come better prepared next time.”

Ahmed Khan is the other choreographer on the judges’ panel. He remembers those  days when was working with Shekhar Kapur in  the film Mr India. “I was an actor then and it was marvelous to watch Shekhar Kapur work as a director. He never made the kids feel that they were working. It was more like a game. He used to play football on the sets, crack jokes and have loads of fun with children. I would like to imbibe the same in Chak Dhoom Dhoom,” says Ahmed.

Colors has played another masterstroke by taking on board wonder kid Saloni Daini (from Chhote Miyan) as the host of the show along with Pravesh Rana (who became an instant celebrity after participating in Bigg Boss 3 last year). Zee TV isn’t far behind too as it has also signed up Farah Khan and Sandip Soparrkar as judges for Dance India Dance Little Masters. The contest with a format that is no different from any other dance reality show  has already started the process of auditions across the country. However, the age group for this show is slightly different.

While Chak Dhoom Dhoom is open to participants from 5 to 14 years, anyone between 5 and 13 years can participate in Dance India Dance Little Masters. Rumours floating around also point out that the channel has lined up Zyani Vastani — the girl who played Antara in Aap Ki Antara and her twin sister for hosting the show. However, Alka Gupta (of Jhansi Ki Rani fame) is also a big contender for the same.

Catch Dance India Dance Little Masters and Chak Dhoom Dhoom on Zee TV and Colors respectively. And if you thought this was enough to keep the kids occupied during summer vacations, you are mistaken. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs is also on its way! Happy viewing!