LG ABS EPISODE 50 - 2nd QUARTER FINAL

It’s the 2nd Quarter Final!

The show is definitely gathering pace and gaining momentum as it strides towards the Grand Finale’. Only the best 12 are chosen and pitted against each other. As the competitive rivalries grow amongst the participants, the audience are provided with a pinch of excitement alongside nice voices and music to go along with it. It’s a complete package of entertainment, reality TV and musical treat!

Will Wasi be able to find an edge over Muqaddas? Or will Subata be able to out do Ghazal? Or will it be Jibran’s immaculately fabricated performance and package of looks and vocals? Sajid though couldn’t make it to tonight’s episode due to some unfortunate circumstances within his immediate family. But the show must go on! And there’s only one way to find out what unravels when it all kicks off!

The 50th episode of LG ABS started off with Muqadas choosing to sing a famous composition taken from 1963 Raj Kapoor starrer ‘Dil Hi To Hay’. The song is ‘Laaga Chunri Main Daagh’. Muqadas does an astonishing job, the ferocity with which his left hand stirs the air during the high notes, squares up against the fully stretched veins in his throat. The judges and the audience seem captivated by the show of skills this young lad has displayed. He picks up the gauntlet of alaaps thrown at him and turns it into an opportunity to show the judges what they’d been missing all along. All the judges were full of praises for him. Muqadas announces his arrival at the quarter finals and there’s panic in the ranks. Let the battle commence!

Next up is that dolled up girl, Ghazal, from the aptly named school ‘Happy Home’. The song: ‘Bawri Chakori’, the singer: The legendary ‘Noor Jehan’, the task: Uphill; to say the least. The syrupiness in Noor Jehan’s voice made this song undying. To live up to the standards set by the lady who was dubbed ‘The Queen of Melody’ must be a daunting prospect for a girl coming from a school named ‘Happy Home’. Ghazal starts the song off on shaky footings, meets the notes midway through. All throughout her performance she was full of nerves. Right at the beginning of the song she coughed twice during the interlude. A real nervy performance. It was not only felt by the audience but was obviously noticed by the judges. The judges latched on to everything she wasn’t supposed to be doing and gave Ghazal a modest score.

The next song in the line up is an eternally delectable treat for ears, a musical masterpiece. Done in Raag Hameer, Sitar by Ustad Abdul Halim Jafar Khan, rendition of Mukri by Bare Ghulam Ali Khan Saheb, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan on Sarod, Khayal, Tarana & Teentaals… Some heavyweights of music! Wasi is the one who thinks he’s got what it takes to do justice to this masterpiece. Taken from the classic ‘Kohinoor’, the song is ‘Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache’. Wasi steps up to the challenge like a fighter and beautifully lifts the song off. By the time he gets to the Taal bit of the song, he’s warmed up enough to put in everything at it but the kitchen sink. Wasi battles with this gigantic track in an eloquent manner. He made the judges throw their heads around as he executes the taal exactly the way it should’ve been done. And when he exhales his breath after finishing it off, the judges are enthralled by his excellent performance. Wasi manages to do well with a classic masterpiece of South Asian music and gathers praises from the judges. Nizar Lalani though thought it was only a good attempt.

Next up is Subata, the girl with a soothing vocal tone. She sings Lata’s ‘Lag Ja Gale’ from the film ‘Woh Kaun Thi’ (1964) a Madan Mohan composition. Subata’s vocal range impressed the judges every time she transferred it from low to high, all throughout her performances during the entire show. She manages to hold her softish plane even when she hits the high notes and that’s one attribute that’s won accolades for her from the judges. In tonight’s performance, Subata pulls off yet another beautifully rendered Lata Ji’s song with an equally smooth execution. As Subata goes deeper into the song you could see some faces in the audience lip synching along with the song, some nostalgic faces and some in a somber mood. The judges applaud her easy on the ears approach and dub her a future professional singer.

To bring the curtains down on the show, Jibran walks up onto the stage. ‘Layi Vi Na Gayi’ is Jibran’s choice from the film ‘Chalte Chalte’. To match Sukhwinder Singh’s caliber is an overwhelming undertaking and Jibran seems unflinching in the face of trouble as he takes the centre stage. A true tear-jerker from Sukhwinder Singh was surely meant to bring the show to its end in a rather sad manner. Jibran’s voice adds more gloom to the melancholic theme of the track. Expressions aside, Jibran brings resonance to the song by impeccably keeping the song well within its merits. Hadiqa dubs Jibran a complete package and a crowd pleaser. A somber performance by Jibran brings a contrary rather cheerful decision by the judges to bring a smile on his face.

As the show draws closer to the 3rd Quarter Final, it remains to be seen which participant will take the heat and who will tackle their nerves to make it through to the semis. It’s surely turning into that classic music competition where not only your sound box is put to the test but also for the audience it’s that extra bit of excitement and suspense as to who will come up triumphant. It’s a gem of a dose for Pakistani TV which had built up an appetite over a period of time for such competitive competition of music, skills and rivalry. The show has definitely caught on and managed to fetch the viewers’ attention into this final stage as it enters into the cut throat zone!

Remember you get four chances to view the show; Fresh episode on Mondays @ 10pm on GEO Entertainment, Tuesdays @ 4pm (Repeat) on GEO Entertainment, Sundays @ 11am (Repeat) on GEO Entertainment & Sundays @ 9pm (Repeat) on AAG TV!