by Subhash K Jha

Live Mumbai events at Dubai seem to be in vogue. Zee TV's finals of the Gulf version of Sa Re Ga Ma Challenge went off spectacularly well on 24 March with Siddharth and Mridula from Dubai being declared winners by judges Ismail Durbar and Jatin.

Speaking from Dubai, Sa Re Ga Ma producer Gajendra Singh said, "I can't claim in all honesty that the contestants were as exceptional as their counterparts in India. But some of them were remarkable in their own right. All of us thought Siddharth was fantastic although he couldn't speak Hindi. Just goes to show Hindi film songs are popular everywhere."

The surprise packet of the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa episodes recorded for the Gulf in Dubai was the diminutive Vinit who anchored the show for the whole season.

Says Singh, "Some of us thought he was too young to take on the responsibility. But the confidence that Vinit showed in anchoring Sa Re Ga Ma Pa at Dubai had us spellbound."

Adds Vinit, "I wasn't the least selfconscious doing it. I realized some of the contestants were older than. But what's my age or size got to do with my abilities? Though I enjoyed anchoring Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in Dubai I was thoroughly bored during off hours. I had nothing to do except watch tv in my room. And I missed my pal Himani. My happiest moment was when she arrived in Dubai for Himeshji's concert."