I grew up watching both America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent. The talent displayed on those platforms is insane, and it keeps getting better every year. Even the acts that get the red buzzer (which stops the act midway) are fun to watch. I was not a fan of how the judges’ treated contestants in earlier seasons, but even that has changed.
The Got Talent franchise gave us many things that are now remembered in pop culture history, the iconic Susan Boyle being one of them. When Pakistan’s Got Talent started, I was quite excited to see the kind of talent that would be displayed on stage. What made this show unique was that it wouldn’t be limited to singing or dancing, but open to all forms of talent, whether it was magic, stunts, or ventriloquism. The first season of Pakistan’s Got Talent was won by Fawad Alam, a gifted, partially blind singer from Hunza, Pakistan, and he thoroughly deserved it. This is not to say the rest of the acts were less talented. In fact, I was surprised by how much competition there was, even in the audition rounds.
Unfortunately, the judges on Pakistan’s Got Talent were a different story. It makes me think that there needs to be a practice session for judges on such platforms to learn how to be actual judges and not just pass generic comments. The judges on Pakistan’s Got Talent actually made me appreciate Simon Cowell.
I often wondered about Cowell. He is not a singer, dancer, or anything like that. What talent does he have? Does his detailed feedback have any merit? Well, he has a knack for discovering talent. There are so many acts who have become global icons simply because of him. Kelly Clarkson (American Idol) and One Direction (The X Factor) are just the beginning; there are so many more. Cowell, who has been a judge on numerous reality shows, knows what he is talking about. Of course, he can be wrong at times, but his detailed feedback shows his expertise, and acts take it seriously. Would One Direction even exist if it were not for him?
The strongest judge on the panel was Ali Zafar. There were times he would provide detailed feedback even on disciplines outside his expertise. His feedback on singing made total sense, as he is, after all, one of the country’s most accomplished singers. However, the worst Golden Buzzer (a button that automatically sends an act to the semifinals) this season was probably his. It went to a dance group that performed decently, but not well enough to warrant a Golden Buzzer. On the other hand, their performance in the quarterfinals was amazing.
Mehwish Hayat came in second. She did not have a lot to say, but she made sure not to hurt the feelings of the contestants. The others tried to be mindful too, but she was the most sympathetic and supportive toward contestants who did not make it through. Beyond that, there isn’t much to say about her feedback, as she rarely offered anything beyond generic responses.
Tabish Hashmi is a talented comedian, which is why his show Hasna Mana Hai is so popular, but as a judge, he really did not offer much. He had good comedic timing on the show, so I will give him that, but I don’t think he was a suitable choice for this platform. He might have judged debating competitions before, but he needs a lot more practice before sitting on a panel like this.
Unfortunately, Usman Bashir, who was blunt yet remarkable in Shark Tank Pakistan, felt the most out of place here. He would simply tell contestants that their performance was “good, but not the best.” Again, this was a very basic response. He and the other judges should have focused on what they actually liked about the performance, what didn’t work, and what could be improved, but neither Usman nor any of the other judges did that.
The hosts, Mushk Kaleem and Dino Ali (in the final), stayed true to the Got Talent hosting tradition by interacting with contestants and reacting naturally to performances. Along with the contestants, they were the saving grace of the show. The judges, on the other hand, made the experience jarring.
Feedback means a lot to contestants. If someone is putting themselves out there, giving them generic responses is a disservice to their craft. It is one thing to praise or criticize, but if you are judging a talent show of this scale, you have to be much more thorough in your critique. This was only the first season, and hopefully, the judges will learn with time. They just need a lot of practice.
Really glad to see you busily writing and publishing again, Turyal. And I think we ALL wonder what Simon Cowell’s actual special talent is—apart from his blindingly white teeth and tight T-shirts—and now I’m wondering whether Pakistan has an equivalent lurking somewhere, waiting to tell everyone their performance was “good, but not the best,” or to raise that hand and unleash the dread we all feel when Simon stops an act in the middle of it...
I thought I was the only one who didn’t like Usman 😭