We’ve gone back to the old days as we are replacing all the plastic – Omung Kumar

Art director Omung Kumar on the challenge of making the sets of an upcoming singing reality show plastic-free
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 20, 2019)
Close on the heels of the government and India Inc’s drive to make the country plastic-free, singing reality show Indian Idol is turning a new leaf with an ecofriendly look. Omung Kumar, who is the set art director for the show, informs Mirror that the TV show has gone plastic-free for its upcoming 11th season.
He goes on to reveal that he has been working on visualising the set for the last 15 days and will take one month to put it up in Mumbai, where the show is shot, with the help of his team. “We are replacing all the plastic in the construction work with iron work, with fiber, plasma, LED and plywood. Plastic has been completely banned on films and setmaking and we are abiding by it,” Omung asserts, adding that the use of thermocol, which was a popular material due to low costs, has been banned too, as it is non-biodegradable. “We have gone back to the old days by using all the original components, which were replaced by cheaper materials over time. This needs more time, more man-power. So yes, it is a long process, but it is eco-friendly.”
Elaborating on the new set design, Omung says, “There is going to be a dome at the center of the stage this time, which is actually an open globe that resembles a funnel. The LED strips emerge vertically from the globe’s opening and look like sunlight, symbolising a new dawn for planet Earth,” he explains, adding that the idea coincides with the show’s theme—Ek Desh, Ek Awaaz. “I have taken a global theme, which conveys that sound is powerful,” Omung concludes.