an indian television channel is looking out for good singers in the one place that has escaped the prying eyes of reality tv -- the bathroom.
"bathroom singer," a new singing contest on the filmy entertainment channel, will zero in on an untrained performer who's good at singing in the shower and can enthral viewers.
"we are looking for a combination of voice and a certain flavor," said shailesh kapoor, filmy's content and marketing head, said late on wednesday.
contestants, who have to be 18 years and above, will exercise their vocal cords in a studio set that replicates a bathroom with tiled walls, showers and taps, but will not appear undressed.
"as the show progresses, there will be specific themes and situations which ask for a certain kind of costume," kapoor said.
it was not clear whether the competition would eventually require participants to sing under a running shower.
auditions start later this month with the show set to go on air in late august.
unlike the many youth-oriented reality shows that have become very popular on indian channels, the creators of "bathroom singer" also hope to attract older contestants.
"age is a huge barrier in other reality tv singing contests," said kapoor.
"but we are not looking for a professional singer -- just someone very, very entertaining. that person can be a 50-year-old."
the winner of the show, determined jointly by a jury and the audience, will walk away with 2.5 million rupees ($62,000) in prize money.
印度某电视频道将推出优秀“卫生间歌手”选拔大赛，这应该是选秀节目尚未涉足的领域。
印度电影娱乐频道新推出的“卫生间歌手”歌唱比赛将把目光瞄准那些未经过训练的、在洗手间唱歌很好听并能征服观众的人。
电影娱乐频道内容及市场总监沙依莱什·卡布于本周三晚些时候说：“我们要的是声音与特色的结合。”
参赛选手年龄必须在18岁以上（包括18岁）。他们将在一个有瓷砖墙、淋浴间和水龙头的洗手间模拟练习室内练声，但不会脱光衣服。
卡布说：“随着比赛的进行，将会有一些特定的主题和场景，这些因素对造型会有一定的要求。”
至于比赛最终是否将要求选手在淋浴时唱歌，目前还不清楚。
海选将于本月晚些时候启动，比赛将于下月晚些时候正式播出。
与印度一些电视频道上很多十分受欢迎的以年轻人为主的选秀节目不同的是，“卫生间歌手”节目的创建人希望这个比赛能吸引年龄大一些的人参加。
卡布说：“年龄在其它歌唱类选秀节目中是个很大的障碍。”
“但我们选的不是专业歌手，我们要的是非常非常有趣、具有‘娱乐精神’的人。这个人可以是50岁。”
比赛的冠军将由评委和观众选出，将获得6万2千美元的奖金。