Sukhwinder Singh says talent cannot be produced in factories and that is exactly what such shows are doing

Ask him to judge a reality show and Sukhwinder Singh will obstinately deny doing anything with this genre of television programs.

The singer, who with his Oscar and Grammy-winning number, Jai Ho, put Indian music on the world map, is of the opinion that the 'TRP-lusty and pre-scripted' TV shows are a crime that 'are killing the very soul of music'.

A 'real' drama

Singh says, "Boom of reality shows spelt the doom of quality music. You cannot make talent in factories and reality shows are just trying to do just that.

And in the process, they are nipping promising singers in the bud."

Asked why the shelf life of contemporary music is becoming shorter by the day, he says, "Reality shows are real fakes. They give momentary stardom to half-baked singers and make them incapable of doing anything real in life."

According to him, the evergreen songs of the golden era 1960 to 1980 will always remain fresh. "Something which is original is eternal. Singers like Kishore Kumar never tried to copy anyone.

Like him I also believe in being original, but the industry is flooded with copycat singers. These people, who are in a hurry to make money, are compromising on the quality of music."

So will we ever be able to restore the glory of golden era? The versatile artiste, who is also a brilliant composer and lyricist, said there is no point going back to the lantern age. "You can always take reference from the past, but the effort of recreating the past will only spell disaster."

Asked if it was the international packaging of Jai Ho that won it so many accolades, the singer said, "Yes, packaging matters. A good product with a dull wrapper won't sell. The Indian music industry needs to hone its presentation skills."

Turning spiritual

Sukhwinder recently launched his devotional album titled Sai Ram. On this transition from entertainment genre to spiritual one, he said, "Every song is like a prayer for me. Only genres are different, but the soul of every song is love for the Almighty or his creatures!"