Gajendra Singh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gajendra Singh, is one of the most successful Indian television Producer and Director. He is known for pioneering and popularizing game shows, like Antakshari and talent shows, like, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Indian TV. He had a long and successful association with Zee TV till 2006 and is currently working with the Star Network.

[edit] History and Career

Gajendra moved out of his hometown Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, to Mumbai in 1984 to pursue his dream in tinsel town. Today, he is one of the best known producers of the Indian television industry, who changed the way Antakshari is played in the country, and who made reality shows for talent search, like, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa popular, even before the West came up with the American Idol concept of talent hunt.

Singh came to Mumbai in the hope of a career in films because of his uncle, Lal Singh who was the chief editor in Films Division. Gajendra was deeply inspired by him and he was his only link to the film industry. His father, Faujdar Singh, was the general manager of the Gandhi Ashram in Azamgarh.

After reaching Mumbai, Gajendra enrolled in a film-editing course. His uncle also managed to get him a job in the state broadcaster Doordarshan.

Two years into the job in 1988, Gajendra knew he was not meant to be an editor. He felt he had stopped growing creatively, and was stagnating and one fine day he left the job.

After resigning, his world was shaken. His uncle and friends felt it was a huge mistake to quit such a cushy job. His uncle even turned Gajendra out of his home. He had no place to stay and very little savings. Luckily, one of his editor friends, Mangesh Chavan, helped him out. He let him stay in his balcony. Chavan, interestingly, was the film editor of Mithun Chakravarty's Disco Dancer.

Next, began Gajendra's struggle, as he went from studio to studio to get a job. Gradually, he managed to bag serials like Aahwan and Bajirao Mastani on Doordarshan. Both of them did well, and he tasted success for the first time in his career.

Next, Gajendra launched what would be one of his most popular shows, Antakshari. But even as he was on the threshold of real success, his uncle died in 1992.

Zee's Antakshari brought with it its share of twists and turns. Gajendra wanted Anu Kapoor to host the show, while others preferred Sajid Khan. Eventually, Gajendra had to give in to the pressures of replacing Anu with Sajid, who was more popular in those days. Unfortunately, Gajendra could not get along with Sajid from Day 1 itself. Sajid wanted a trendy presentation of Antakshari, while Gajendra preferred a traditional form. Sajid walked out.

Gajendra finally managed to convince the Zee bosses to take and try Anu Kapoor. When the rehearsals began, everybody seemed convinced the serial would become a hit. Antakshari ran for 12 years, and was hosted by Anu Kapoor with many other female hosts over the years.

Gajendra went on to conceptualize and create another hit show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (or Sa Re Ga Ma as it was known then). Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chouhan, Shekar of Vishal-Shekar duo and Shreya Ghosal are one of the biggest singers of the industry and are products of Sa Re Ga Ma.

His latest creation is a revised version ; Colgate Maxfresh Antakshari - The Great Challenge (Telecast starting 9th Feb '07 from Friday-Sunday at 8pm, on Star One). The first episode is introduced by Shah Rukh Khan, and Anu Kapoor and Juhi Parmar will be the hosts for the show.

He isthe man behind popular Talent Hunt Shows like Amul Star Voice Of India, Amul Star Voice Of India Chhote Ustaad.

[edit] External links

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.