India's Raw Star: Great talent, but show needs to be short!

India's Raw Star
Star Plus
Sunday 7 pm

Yo Yo Honey Singh finally made his TV debut with the musical Raw Star and true to his word the reality show is unlike any other we've seen so far here. Yes, it is a talent hunt, but there are no judges, Honey Singh is the mentor and looks like the audience will be the ultimate jury.

What is it about: Honey Singh has chosen eight contestants from across India plus two from abroad. They perform like professionals in a live concert. He calls them the raw stars, who will entertain viewers for over 12 episodes. The audience has to give a missed call to their favourite singers and become their fans. Gauhuar Khan is the host.

What works: The singers though as different as chalk and cheese are talented, some of them immensely. While a couple of them got the crowd thumping with energetic numbers like Mundeya tu bachke rahi, kamriya lolipop a few of them belted out Sufi influenced songs like Galiyan teri galiyan, main tenu samjhavan ki and others sang fun numbers like Lakhon hai nigah mein, Aala barfi. Although they are in competition there seems to be a warm camaraderie between them. It could be because nobody is judging them or giving marks. Honey Singh looks proud of his choices and is extremely encouraging. He even shares the stage with them singing along. In fact, he calls himself a fan of theirs! The second episode saw him introducing his wife Shalini to the world for the first time. Gauahar as the host is warm and pleasant.

What does not work: The first episode threw up some amazing talent, but there were a couple of them who were disappointing. Also, one has no clue about the format as nothing was revealed in the first two episodes.

Secondly, the show is too long – it goes on for two hours! Wish they kept it to one-hour and twice a week instead.

Verdict: Watch it just for the novelty and the talent.
Rating: Two-and-a-half