Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan is set to return to television with Star Plus’s new singing reality show, Taare Zameen Par (TZP). He’s particularly excited because this one is about children and he acknowledges that they are highly competitive today. “But TZP is the journey of 20 kids who just want to sing, without anyone winning or losing at the end and no eliminations along the way. It’s about us mentoring them without any pressure. Yahaan sabhi seekhenge, sabhi jeetenge (Here, everyone will learn and everyone will win),” he asserts.

The title of the show was registered with Aamir Khan, but after hearing the concept, the actor happily gave it to the makers. “It’s sweet of Aamir and we are grateful because it’s the most apt title for our show,” says Shankar, who, along with Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa had composed the music for the 2007 film by the same name. “Those songs are evergreen, there’s no better song to remember your mother than ‘Maa’ and if you want to talk about children, every line of ‘Taare Zameen Par’ does that beautifully.”

Shankar’s co-mentors on the show are singers Jonita Gandhi and Tony Kakkar. He describes Jonita as “family” and points out that she’s fun and can sing and adapt to any genre of music quickly. “Tony is today’s sensation; his songs are played everywhere. I met him only recently; he’s so modest and grounded!” Shankar raves. So, can we expect the trio to collaborate soon? “By the time this show ends, you can expect a lot since we will be like a family every day for a while.” The trio started shooting on Sunday and the show will air from November 2.

Meanwhile, in an era of remakes, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy haven’t reworked a single song. “The success of Bandish Bandits’s music proves that originality cannot be replaced, it is food for a creator’s soul. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy don’t align with the idea of recreations,” he maintains, saying they have enough on their plate, including Toofaan, Bunty Aur Babli 2, Prithviraj and Sooraj Barjatya’s next production. Will he be singing some of the songs? “I don’t like to sing all my songs, but you’ll hear my voice; there’s no escaping that,” he laughs.