Mumbai: Singer Sonu Nigam, who was a former judge of Indian Idol, said in an explosive interview that ‘unnecessary’ praises aren’t always good. Without naming any reality show, he told ETimes, “As a judge, we are here to teach something to the contestants. We should give honest feedback to the participants. Always praising them won’t do any good. Humesha wah wah karoge toh kaise hoga (how will it work, if you always praise them)? We aren’t here to spoil these kids. Even the contestants won’t understand when they have performed well and when they haven’t if we keep praising them.”
He also added that making mistakes on stage is natural. He said, “It’s very natural to make mistakes on the stage. You can’t make everything perfect. Thoda flaws hai toh bhi chalega (It’s ok even if there are some flaws). These flaws make the show interesting. Some contestants are born talented, some work hard and learn. A few instantly get success while a few of them shine later.”
He also revealed that it was conscious decision to stay away from the reality shows. He added, “You won’t see me in every other show. There are reasons for which I say yes to only a few shows. This is not because I am old school. But I am in the right school. I have grown up seeing my seniors practicing hours after hours, dedicating their lives to music, honing skills. And I learned from them.”
Earlier, he made a controversial statement about the reality of sob stories on reality shows. He said that the ‘sob stories’ are being used in reality shows as a marketing gimmick. Speaking with TOI, he expressed,”If they weren’t working (sob stories), it would not be happening so often on reality shows. In the deepest corner of my heart, I feel sob stories are working. It is a marketing thing, and people are not fools. Their hearts are in the right place. I also feel that the contestants in reality shows are extremely talented. They are ‘dhurandhars’.
Sonu is set to judge Bengali singing-reality show titled ‘Super Singer 3’.