Dubai - The long-awaited result for the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa MEP Challenge 2007, Nokia Viewers' Choice Award, has been finally announced by Real Media - Zee Network. Mehran Mahir, an 18 year old student at the University of Texas, Qatar, has emerged as the winner with the maximum number of sms votes received on his behalf from across the Middle East and Pakistan.
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the original show, already has the reputation of being one of the longest running musical contests in the history of television in the world. This second season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa MEP Challenge, which went to air in January, raised the stakes even higher with participants from 5 countries battling it out for the winning title.
An elated Mehran commented on his dazzling victory, "I am extremely grateful to each and every one of my fans who voted for me and expressed confidence in my talent. This has been a fantastic experience for me and I feel honored to have met so many other talented performers".
With a Palestinian father and a Pakistani mother, Mehran has grown up in a rich cultural milieu, though he confesses greater affinity with music from the subcontinent. According to the rising star, he has been singing ever since he was a young child, with ample encouragement from his family. "My parents have been my biggest fans and my critics too", he said.
With the Nokia Award under his belt, Mehran now has hopes of pursuing a career in music more seriously. He has a particular interest in combining thumris with rock music, and dreams of singing alongside Asha Bhosle, one day.
Commenting on the announcement of the winner, Manoj Mathew VP - Marketing & Corporate Communications Real Media - Zee Network said: "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is all about investing in young, local talent and providing interactive entertainment to our audiences. From our panel of judges, including Remo Fernandes, Vasundhara Das, Bappi Lahiri, Alka Yagnik, Ismail Darbar and Nafees Ahmed, to our creative production team, we have ensured the very best environment for this contest. I am delighted to announce Mehran as the winner of the Nokia Viewers' Choice Award".
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About Real Media - Zee Network
Real Media is a media and entertainment conglomerate which is the Middle East arm of the US$ 5 Billion Zee Network. Zee Network is a true blue Asian media powerhouse with a bouquet of over 24 television channels and is the only Asian network with 7 international beams. The network covers the entire spectrum of general entertainment, news, sports and movies. The network also has business interests in publishing, theme parks, multiplexes, gaming, film production and broadcast to name a few.
Real Media spearheads the group's operation in Middle East, Northern Africa and Pakistan. Headquartered at the Dubai Media City, UAE the corporation is committed to pioneering media and entertainment in this region. The company takes great pride in its state-of-art infrastructure, human resource and leadership. In just under two years Real Media has already established an indigenous channel Zee Arabiya focusing on the Middle East youth. More such multi-million dollar projects are on the anvil in the near future. New media and digital content are some of the blue chip areas this corporation is now venturing into.
About Zee TV Middle East
Zee TV Middle East is one of the first Asian channels from the Indian Sub Continent to have a dedicated Middle East beam for its viewers in the Middle East and Pakistan. It caters to the vast diaspora of Indian sub-continent expats in the region. Zee TV is a general entertainment channel available of Pehla, E Vision and Qatar Cable. Apart from being a preferred Asian channel in many leading hotels and other Multiple Dwelling Units (MuDs). Zee TV's programming delivers a variety of choices for all segments of the audience, including primetime comedy and drama series, television movies, miniseries, theatrical films, specials, children's programs, daytime dramas, game shows, and late night shows. Zee has always believed in bringing innovative programming to its Middle East viewers. Since its inception the channel was brought ground-breaking programming like Gulf Pulse, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Middle East Challenge, Anthakshari Middle East Masti, and many more. Zee TV Middle East entertains 2.6 Million viewers in the G.C.C.
For more information, please contact:
Nadia Ejaz
Bates PanGulf PR
Tel: +971-4-295 3456
Fax: +971-4-295 1027
Cell: 050-245 7153
E-mail: nadia@batespangulf.com
© Press Release 2007
