Ramesh Pokharel, one of the contestants of a popular reality show Samsung Nepali Tara, being hosted by Nepal Television, has alleged the jury members of unceremoniously casting him out of the contest. He was one of the top seven contestants before being dropped out of the competition.
Organizing a press conference Monday at the Reporters Club, Pokharel claimed that there was conspiracy behind his removal.
Ramesh Pokharel
Ramesh Pokharel
Pokharel, a post-graduate in Music from Vanaras, India, said he was surprised to come across what he called the “most damaging thing”, a doctored version of his statement while departing from the contest which was aired by the NTV. He insisted that the ‘doctored’ footage presented him as a person with no national feelings.
During the shooting of the program when he was given the microphone for the last time Pokharel said that he would speak only on the condition that his speech gets to the audience uncensored.
His reaction, it is said, was full of criticism against ‘biased’ judges. While concluding the speech he had added a sentence, “There is a good platform for a singer in my Vanaras [than in Kathmandu]”.
The very ‘My Vanaras’ was repeated at least four times by the channel while censoring the other portion of his statement. In his press release he alleged that one of the judges of the competition used abusive words against him.
NTV officials could not be contacted for comment but news reports quoted Rajendra Shalav, one of the judges, as saying that Pokharel’s claims were baseless and that he was thrown out of the competition under an accepted procedure.
‘Samsung Nepali Tara’, modeled after the mega hit Indian Idol, (Indian version of American Idol) which was launched a few months ago, offers cash prizes, recording opportunities and abroad holiday packages to the winner and runner-ups.