Channel V now zooms in on band-building

Our eFE Bureau in Mumbai

Channel V is launching its biggest show, V Popstars, to create a 5-member all-girl pop band. James Murdoch, head of Star and son of Rupert Murdoch, was present to announce the launch.

The programme format for the reality show has been licensed from Sportsworld, as reported earlier in The Financial Express. Spanning over a period of six months, the project will result in a 14-episode series to be broadcast on Channel V. The first episode, to be launched in January, will be simulcast on five of Star network’s channels - Star Plus, Star World, Star Movies, Star Gold and Channel V. It will be a half-hour show, telecast once a week.

The audition will be held in six cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Goa, Chandigarh, Bangalore and Kolkata - to shortlist 24 girls. These girls will be later brought to Mumbai for a more extensive audition to shortlist 10. The five final winners will then be based in Mumbai for two months to work with some of India’s top music directors, songwriters, choreographers, designers and stylists to emerge as the country’s trend-setting Hindi pop girl band. They will get the chance to record in a professional studio, star in a music video and perform live in front of hundreds of fans.

The entire process in the creation of the V Popstars will be caught on camera and televised as a fly-on-the-wall docusoap.

The series will cover all the phases of the V Popstars including the auditions, the makeover and the music creation. Star will release a video, music CDs, press concerts and live stage performance. This will also involve the release of an album.

Star will enter into a one-year contract with the band which can be extendable. “We have a multi-million dollar promotional budget. It will be Star India’s first reality show. The talent search will be of epic proportions,” said Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea.

The jury to select the pop band will have eminent personalities like Hindustani classical performer Shubha Mudgal, costume-designer Manish Malhotra and Seymour Steines, the man who discovered and launched the careers of Madonna and Depeche Mode.