Screaming for ice-cream!

They were ready with their thoroughly rehearsed answers — being confident that they will win, they want to hug their moms. The contestants are also brimming with stories about how hard they have worked to be in the finals of one of the most widely watched singing reality shows.

But off camera, there’s another layer, there’s another side to these ‘contestants’ — all barely 12 years old. It is obvious that the three are reeling under a heavyweight — facing the live camera for the first time and waiting with bated breath for the ‘break or make’ day of their lives — a day that could change their lives forever. Or never change it at all!

But at the same time, the three finalists of Zee TV’s popular singing reality TV show — Shreyashi Bhattacharjee, Hemant Brijwasi and Yatharth Rastogi — seemed amazingly calm before their D-day, this Friday. You somehow cannot measure up the tension that is slowly building up inside their little hearts.

“I want to have an ice-cream,” both Hemant and Yatharth screamed when we asked them: What is that one thing that they wanted to do if they won the contest? At that point, all those rehearsed answers took a backstage and their true feelings took to the mike. “I want to play cricket, you know. I haven’t played for so long. I will be the captain if I win the contest because I will be a celebrity,” says Yatharth as his child-like innocence comes out gushing through the cracks of incessant and nervous giggles.

The only girl in the show, Shreyashi from West Bengal is aware that the spotlight is a little fierce on her because she is the only girl. Believe it or not, she is a swimmer par excellence having bagged a gold medal in one of the state athletic meets. “I won it for sprinting. I like running and swimming too.”

“Paani puri and dahi puri. And cold drink. And… okay that’s it,” Hemant continues on what he wants to eat after the contest is over as we speak to Shreyashi. That he had a couple of more items on the ‘list’ is very clear.

Looking at the kids, it is very hard to see them as just three finalists. Time has stopped for them. We will all move to another reality show, there will be more contestants, more people jostling for footage on some other channel but for Shreyashi, Hemant and Yatharth —  it’s their time to prove themselves.