Ravi Kissen steps in; Kalpana out of Sur Sangram

Gajendrra Singh's show is always laden with controversy. If there's no drama then it's not a Gajendrra Singh show. Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kissen has stepped in to replace Manoj Tiwari as host for the final seven episodes of Mahua TV singing reality show Sur Sangram. Tiwari will now don the judge's chair while resident judge Kalpana finds herself out of the show. A casual remark against legendary Bhojpuri singer Bharat Sharma allegedly led to Kalpana being shown the door. A source says, "Bharat Sharma appeared as special guest on an episode that was aired on 19 September. Sharma was critical of a particular contestant but Kalpana didn't approve of the guest judge's opinion and asked him to refrain from making such disparaging comments. Sharma wasn't amused and so too the channel which decided to do away with Kalpana. As a result, Manoj Tiwari has now taken over as judge while Kissen is the new host." When contacted, Kalpana rubbished the tale that she was sacked. She says,"As judges, we do have out arguments. In fact, even my co-judge Malini Avasathi has had her difference of opinion with guest judges. I'm part of Trilok Gurtu, a fusion band, and we'll be performing in Scotland next week.That's the only reason why I have to leave the show. However, I'll be there for Sur Sangram's grand finale." Producer Gajendrra Singh denied that Kalpana was sacked but didn't give any reason on Kalpana's alleged ouster from the show. Sur Sangram airs every Friday and Saturday at 8.30 pm on Bhojpuri channel Mahua. Both Kalpana and Malini were participants in Gajendrra Singh's show Junoon on NDTV Imagine.