DUBAI // Backstage in the dance room of the SmartIDOL competition, the finalists were sitting anxiously waiting for the show to begin. Others were adding last-minute touches and practising their routines.
At the the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium last night at The Indian High School Dubai , an audience of hundreds gathered to watch the 12 finalists, six singers and six dancers, perform.
Ramesh Yerupula, 24, said he was very happy to have made the finals.
“I have been dancing for five years and was very excited when I heard about this competition,” said the Indian. “I hope I win, and if I do I will give the prize money to my family.”
Launched in 2013 by the non-profit organisation SmartLIFE, the competition provides blue-collar workers with an entertainment outlet and an opportunity to showcase their talents. About 600 people had started the competition.
The first prize in each category, dancing and singing, is Dh5,000, with Dh2,500 for the runner-ups.
Anup Kumar, 22, came from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to take part.
“I am shocked that I have made it this far in the competition, but I am so excited,” said the Pakistani who has been singing since he was in the ninth grade.
“When I heard about SmartIDOL, I thought why not try my luck?”
Jafar Siddikbasha, 26, also couldn’t believe he made it to the finals.
“I am really happy about this, and I love to dance,” said the Indian. “I am also excited about possibly winning the prize money.”
The father of one said he sent all of his earnings to his wife back home.
For Pakistani Muhammad Ammar Saeed, 26, it is the second time he has taken part in the competition.
“I have been singing for more than 14 years, and it is my passion in life,” said the dnata employee. “Even if I don’t win, I am happy to be given this opportunity to sing in Dubai because my father back home is very religious and didn’t think singing is appropriate.”
However, Mr Saeed’s parents were pleased to hear about their son’s success in the competition and were rooting for him. Also in the final 12 were four Nepalese women from the same labour camp. When told about SmartIDOL, they decided to form a dance troupe.
“To be part of this event brings us joy and, if we are to win the prize money, it will go to our families to rebuild our homes that were destroyed in the earthquake,” said Diya Bista, 25. “We are thankful that our families are alive and well, and that is what is important.”
Kalyan Chakravarthy, the show’s creative director, said the aim of the competition was to bring together the blue and white-collar communities.
“We wanted to make it appealing to the white-collar community as well, and this is why we did it in the [school] this year.” He said next year the event would take place outdoors and would be bigger and better. “We want people to be aware and know that there are so many talented and skilled people in labour camps.”
He said that so many of the competitors had moving stories and that some were not allowed to sing or dance in their home countries. “There is a lot of positivity in the camps,” he said. “We filmed in the camps to show the kind of atmosphere and happiness there is there, too.”
Bijimol Chalamma, 39, took first prize in the singing category, while Aasman Tamang, 25, was the dance winner.
dmoukhallati@thenational.ae
