Music and Youth
[V] makes a play for the top with ‘Popstars’
Awesome. That about sums up the scale of the plans the Star Group has charted out to take Channel [V] to the top of the music heap. Star India, in partnership with the Times Group, today announced the launch of the glam-reality show [V] Popstars involving the search for and finally, presentation and promotion of, the first all-girls band in the Indipop market.
An indication of the importance that Star is giving to this initiative can be gauged by the fact that Star chairman James Murdoch was present in Mumbai for the launch announcement. Murdoch does appear to have a special interest in [V]’s fortunes so the channel’s future moves should be worth watching.
The “talent search of epic proportions spanning the country”, as Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea puts it, will select five girls from thousands of hopefuls from six cities, train and groom them for two months in Mumbai, before launching them with an album and a live stage performance. The series will go behind the scenes through various stages of the transition, the naming of the band, the glamour makeover to the creation of the album and the launch concert.
 Sushma Reddy |
Mukerjea, who has secured the tie-up with indiatimes.com for promotions and marketing, says [V] Popstars will be a fly on the wall docudrama that follows the lives of the five girls as they train and prepare for the big launch. A 14-episode series on Channel [V] will track each move. The Star network will simulcast the launch of [V] Popstars in mid-January 2002 on five of its channels (Star Plus, Star World, Star Movies, Star Gold and Channel [V]), has acquired the rights of this popular reality show from the UK based Sportsworld Media Group.
On the heels of the success of the Indian version of Who wants to be a millionaire? – Kaun Banega Crorepati? – Star is hoping to recreate the triumph of the reality series that hit a chord with viewers in UK, Australia and Canada where it has already been held. The channel, which has been unable to match the success of flagship channel Star Plus over its rivals, is now pulling all the stops to make [V] Popstars a big ‘un.
 Sandeep Chowta |
Roped in is an impressive jury comprising singer Shubha Mudgal, designer Manish Malhotra and composer Sandeep Chowta. Also on the jury is Channel [V] presenter Sushma Reddy. Celebrities like the musical troika of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, lyricist Javed Akhtar and composer duo Jatin Lalit will be on hand to back the jury up. Channel [V] has even convinced celebrity author-columnist Shobhaa De who will be in on the final selection.
Announcing the catchphrase of the show Kiska Band Bajega?, Murdoch said the six- month long drama would be stretched over the entire Star network and Bennett & Coleman concerns like Times Music, Planet M and indiatimes.com. “It’s a first for Indian music television, and I doubt any other alliance could have pulled it off,” he remarked.
 Javed Akhtar |
Bennett Coleman president Arun Arora, also present on the occasion, said that the launch of the show marks a moment of positive growth for Indian television, when the strength of individual talent will be given a voice with the backing of two vibrant media houses.
Responding to media queries, Star’s senior V-P, head of content & communication Sameer Nair said that the selection of an all girls band this year would be followed with an all boys band next year. The following years will see the selection of mixed groups via Popstars.
In other countries, Popstars has been able to catapult the bands it promoted to the top of the chartbusters. Bardot in Australia, HearSay in the UK and Sugar Jones in Canada have all been Popstars products. The series is currently underway in the US.
 Manish Malhotra |
Photos courtesy – www.indiatimes.com, www.b4utv.com, www.evesindia.com
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
