Voting by SMS makes reality show judges redundant: K.K.

PANAJI - Voting by SMS makes professional judges in reality talent hunt shows redundant, veteran singer K.K. said Saturday.

The versatile singer, who is in Goa to perform at a concert in Panaji, said that exposing talent alone was not the objective of television channels, who were more keen on dishing out entertainment to their audiences.

“I was a part of a (reality talent hunt) show called ‘Fame Gurukul’ a long time back. We as judges felt pointless because we could not do any good for the contestants even if we wanted… Maybe TV channels will have to draw a line say around 40 to 50 percent judging to be done by SMS votes and the rest by those trained professionals, who can make good decisions,” K.K., who has rendered several hit Bollywoods, said.

“TV is a medium for the masses. They are not doing these shows to bring out talent alone. TV channels are looking for entertainment,” K.K. said, adding that during his stint as a judge at ‘Fame Gurukul’, the producers of the show goaded him to be more aggressive in his avatar as a mentor.

“The TV channels want you to be aggressive in these shows,” K.K., who has sung nearly 3,500 jingles and 500 Hindi songs, said.