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A R Rahman, the busiest music composer in India, will judge a music talent show in Tamil Nadu. The show will be called Ooh La La La, and will be presented by Saregama and PepsiCo India.
The contest in search of music bands will kick off in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and soon, will move to other parts of the country. Vasundhara Das, pop singer and a regular in Rahman's music albums, will also judge the show.
Why a band hunt? The organisers explain that there have been many hunts being organised across the nation to spot talents in singing, dancing and acting, but no one has gone in search of musicians, composers and performers. Ooh La La La will attempt to do so.
They wanted Rahman to be the final judge because he was one of the first composers to give credit to his musicians. "Even the harmony singers are given due credit and they have become icons in their own way -- like Shankar Mahadevan."
The show will bring alive Rahman's vision of spotting unknown musicians from all over the country and showcasing them to the film industry.
The winning band will cut an album for Saregama India Ltd.
Auditions will be first held in six centres in Tamil Nadu -- Trichy, Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem, Tirunelveli and Chennai. In Andhra Pradesh, the centres are Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Vizag, Rajamundri and Tirupathi.
The contest will be telecast on Sun TV and Gemini TV for 13 weeks. Rahman will choose the finalists in the episodes 11 and 12. The 13th episode will feature the winning band and the making of their album at Rahman's studio in Chennai. Each episode will also have Rahman talking on camera to aspiring musicians and giving them valuable tips.