SMS voting does not always favour talented: Asha Bhonsle

Nagpur, Feb 16 (UNI) Lashing out at the selection of winners at talent contests through SMS voting, noted singer Asha Bhosle today said the system did not always favour the really talented.

Speaking to reporters here, Ms Bhonsle said there was no guarantee that the talented contestant would emerge the winner in SMS voting.

The decision of the judges at the contest should be final, but SMS voting left them little scope to assess the performance of the contestants purely on merit, she said.

''It does not seem right,'' Ms Bhonsle said, and pointed out that Kunal Ganjawala, a popular singer at present, had lost in the very first round of a reality show because he could not garner a sufficient number of SMS votes. The present generation of children and youth was very confident because of the slew of reality talent shows on the air, but it was very difficult to say how many of them would go on to become artistes, she said.

Ms Bhonsle said she was against the trend of 'remix' of old songs.

The 'remix' versions could by no stretch of imagination recreate the magic of the original, she said.

The present generation of singers did not put in as much hard work as the old generation did, the singer said adding that, old songs were still popular and classical music was growing in popularity.

Replying to questions, she said the appreciation shown by the listeners to an artiste's performance was a thing to remember forever and better than any award imaginable.

Ms Bhonsle, who was selected for the Padma Vibhushan recently, said the people tend to forget the names of the recipients of even the most prestigious of awards. However, an artiste like her never forgot the response to a performance from an audience and preserved these memories in the heart forever, she said, adding, ''Their joy is the real award.'' ''Of course, I do feel honoured that I have been selected for the Padma Vibhushan, and I will accept the award with humility,'' she added.

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