Khude Gaanraj Grand finale tomorrow

Starting in 2008, Channel i's children's musical reality show “Khude Gaanraj” has come a long way. Every year, the platform is getting bigger and better. The grand finale of the ongoing fifth season is set to take place on September 11 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital. Ahead of the event, the programme's director Izaz Khan Swapan, who is also the Programme Planner and Project Director of Channel i, talked to The Daily Star. 

How did you select the participants? 
Swapan: Initially, when we launched this season, 65,000 participants from seven divisions registered for it. Of them, we selected 210 contestants. After a rigorous screening process, the number of participants came down to 24 who then took part in a residential camp in Dhaka. 

Tell us something about the grand finale.
Swapan: The top seven contestants—Mahin, Rafti, Arpita, Pushpita, Maharaja, Payel and Bijli—will perform at the grand finale. One of them will be crowned as “Booster Energy Biscuit Channel I Khude Gaanraj”. Channel i will air the porogramme live from 7:30pm. Along with two main judges, eminent singer Runa Laila will attend the finale as a guest judge. The event will features a choreography by Aupee Karim based on three songs of Runa Laila. 

What will the winners take home? 
Swapan: The champion will get taka 5 lac, along with a diamond crown worth 3 lac (sponsored by Diamond World). The first runner up will be rewarded with 3 lakh taka and the second runner up will get taka 2 lac. Also, they will receive 10-year education free of cost at Cambrian School. Moreover, they will get the opportunity to release albums from Impress Audio Vision.

What types of songs does the programme highlight? 
Swapan: We remain cautious about selection of songs. Only Bangladeshi songs are promoted in the show. We prioritise on lyrics. We have also done special episodes featuring songs of Nazrul, Rabindranath, Lalon, Radharaman, Shah Abdul Karim and the likes.