Shreyas Talpade is making his debut as a host on Hindi television with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Hindustan Ka Sangeetsthan, drawn to the show by its legacy, scale and emphasis on music. He also looked forward to sharing the stage with singers he has admired over the years.

He says, “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has such a strong legacy. It’s not only iconic, but now it has a heritage status of its own. It not only created great singers, it created great listeners too. For this season, I was told about the scale of the show, with more than 100 musicians, the performances and the fantastic fusion happening in the songs. That seemed unique. The most important question I had was, ‘Yeh sab hone ke baad bhi kya autotune hoga?’ I was told, ‘Jo hoga, saamne hoga.’ Besides, there are names like Shankar Mahadevan sir, Neeti Mohan, Javed Ali and Sanu Da (Kumar Sanu). I was particularly excited about associating with Sanu Da. There are certain things that are not just nostalgic, you take something from them with you. Ten or 20 years down the line, when you look back, what will you take with you? Paisa toh nahi le jaoge aap, yaadein lete, lete hi aap jaoge na. So, all these factors made me say, ‘Chalo, karte hain.’”

Having seen reality shows where hosts sometimes rely on exaggerated comedy or banter with judges, Shreyas was conscious of maintaining a different tone.

He says, “I was very clear that main masti karunga, but I wouldn’t do chichorapanti. There’s a very fine line, and I wouldn’t cross it. We try to maintain that decorum and respect as much as possible. Music has to take centre stage; everything else is just adding to it.”

For him, that also means resisting the temptation to push humour for the sake of a bigger reaction. He says, “I don’t want to go below the belt ever. Very often, you may say two extra things for a laugh and get a reaction in that moment, but I would rather compromise that laughter. If two fewer laughs come, so be it. I don’t need them.”

Singing reality shows have often faced criticism over the use of contestants’ personal struggles and emotional backstories to heighten drama and generate audience engagement. Shreyas was keen to ensure that the contestants’ journeys are acknowledged without turning their circumstances into manufactured emotional moments.

He says, “Before saying yes, these were all my concern areas. I was clear that I didn’t want to get into sob stories. We might refer to a contestant’s background naturally, but we don’t want to unnecessarily create a sob-story moment. If the channel chooses to do something like that, it is completely their call. But as far as what happens on the floor and in the edit is concerned, we are very clear. There is no reason to make it dramatic or melodramatic.”