| Network: | STAR Vijay |
The third season of Airtel Super Singer Junior - ('the search for the sweet voice of Tamil Nadu') premiered on 17 October 2011 and 26 October 2012. The music competition reality TV show was again telecast on Vijay TV, and Bharti Airtel returned to sponsor the show. Episodes were telecast between Monday to Friday each week at 9:00pm. Children from the age of 6 years to the age of 14 years were permitted to audition to showcase their talent on Vijay TV's platform.[1] Apart from gaining recognition from acclaimed names of the music industry and being a child singing icon, the show promised that its winner would be honored with a 3-bedroom Villa worth Rs.60 lakhs from its sponsor, Arun Excello Temple Green Township. Aajeedh Khalique was crowned the winner of Airtel Super Singer Junior Season 3. Pragathy Guruprasad was the first runner up.
Ananth Vaidyanathan returned as a permanent voice trainer, and playback singers K. S. Chithra, Mano, and Malgudi Subha returned as permanent judges during the main competition rounds of the show. Makapa Anand, Kalyani Nair, and Bhavana Balakrishnan were hosts for the season. A number of eminent playback singers and music directors appeared during the season as guest judges, including P. B. Sreenivas, M. S. Viswanathan, P. Susheela, S. Janaki, Sadhana Sargam, Nithyasree Mahadevan, Sudha Raghunathan, Sowmya, Aruna Sairam, Pushpavanam Kuppuswamy, Rajkumar Bharathi, and Bombay Sisters. Stars from the senior version of the show also appeared as judges during the season, including former contestants, and permanent judge P. Unnikrishnan.
The grand opening week was hosted by actresses and television anchors, Kalyani and Ramya. Judges throughout launch week were Manikka Vinayagam, S. P. Sailaja, Pushpavanam Kuppuswamy, and Mahathi.
Auditions took place in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Trichy.
Open auditions were held across Tamil Nadu.
The ground level auditions in Trichy and Coimbatore were judged by former contestants of Airtel Super Singer 2, being Ajeesh, Prasanna, Srinivas and Ragini.[2]
The ground level auditions in Chennai were judged by former winners and finalists from each season of the senior version of the show, Airtel Super Singer, including Nikhil Mathew and Anitha from season 1, Ajeesh, Raginisri, and Prasanna, from season 2, as well as Saicharan, Santhosh Hariharan, Sathyaprakash, Pooja, and Malavika from season 3.
All main level auditions were held in Chennai.
Aajeedh Khalique (winner)
Special guest audition judges appeared on the show to introduce the 30 selected finalists, while the permanent judges returned to greet the selected contestants for the first time.
Episodes 36 to 40.
Episodes 41 to 45.
Episodes 46 to 50.
Episodes 51 to 55.
Episodes 56 to 60.
Episodes 61 to 65.
Episodes 66 to 70.
Episodes 71 to 75.
Episodes 76 to 80.
Episodes 81 to 85.
Episodes 86 to 90.
– Non-competition performance
– Highlight performance
This round required the top 7 contestants to sing songs which fitted in the Carnatic music ("classical") genre. This week's orchestra accompanying the contestants consisted of 7 special guest performers (instrumentalists). The best Carnatic singer title of the season was also promised to the best performing contestant of the week.
At the conclusion of this week's performances, the 7 special guest judges decided not to eliminate any contestant based on this week's performances. Consequently, the scores would be carried over to the next week, and a decision would then be made as to which contestant would be eliminated.
| Air date | Order | Non-contestant performer | Contestant(s) | Song | Original artist | Lyricist | Music director | Movie (year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 2012 | ||||||||
| 1 | SSJ10 Gowtham | "Mudhal Mudhal Raaga Deepam" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Muthulingam | Ilaiyaraaja | Payanangal Mudivathillai (1982) | ||
| 2 | SSJ06 Anu | "Maraindhirundhu Paakum" | P. Susheela | Kannadasan | K. V. Mahadevan | Thillana Mohanambal (1968) | ||
| 3 | SSJ07 Sukanya | "Ezhu Swarangalukkul" | Vani Jayaram | Kannadasan | M. S. Viswanathan | Apoorva Raagangal (1975) | ||
| 21 August 2012 | ||||||||
| 1 | SSJ06 Anu | "Sri Ranga Ranganathanin" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Vaali | Ilaiyaraaja | Mahanadi (1994) | ||
| 2 | SSJ07 Suganya | "Sowkiyamaa Kannae" | Nithyasree Mahadevan | Vairamuthu | A. R. Rahman | Sangamam (1999) | ||
| 3 | Nithyasree Mahadevan | none | excerpt from virutthams "Vaanathin Meedhu" and "Sooriyan Vandhu" | Nithyasree Mahadevan |
| (Traditional); | (traditional) | |
| 4 | Shravan R. Pratap | none | Om Namo Narayana | Traditional composition in raga Karnaranjani | Ambujam Krishna | Charumathi Ramachandran | Traditional | |
| 5 | SSJ01 Jeyanth | "Avaloru Menagai" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Vaali | Shankar–Ganesh | Natchathiram (1980) | ||
| 22 August 2012 | ||||||||
| 1 | SSJ03 Anjana | "Kanda Naal Mudhalaal" | Subiksha & Pooja | Remix of Carnatic song, written and composed by N. S. Chidambaram | Yuvan Shankar Raja | Kanda Naal Mudhal (2005) | ||
| 2 | Sudha Raghunathan | none | excerpt from "Kanda Naal" | Sudha Raghunathan | N. S. Chidambaram | Traditional | Traditional | |
| 3 | SSJ01 Jeyanth | "Nadha Vinodhangal" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & S. P. Sailaja | Vairamuthu | Ilaiyaraaja | Salangai Oli (1983) | ||
| 4 | SSJ09 Yazhini | "Kaatrodu Kuzhalin" | K. S. Chithra | Pulamaipithan | Ilaiyaraaja | Kodai Mazhai (1986) | ||
| 5 | SSJ04 Pragathi | "Mannavan Vanthanadi" | P. Susheela | Kannadasan | K. V. Mahadevan | Thiruvarutchelvar (1967) | ||
| 23 August 2012 | ||||||||
| 1 | Nithyasree Mahadevan (with Bharatha Natyam dance by actress Sukanya) | "Ramanukku Mannan" | Nithyasree Mahadevan | Arunachala Kavi | Traditional | Traditional Carnatic music composition | ||
| 2 | SSJ09 Yazhini | "Ninnaichcharan Adainthen" | Bombay Jayashri | Subramania Bharathi | Ilaiyaraaja | Bharathi (2000) | ||
| 3 | SSJ04 Pragathi | "Shivashankari" | Ghantasala | Pingali Nagendra Rao | Pendyala Nageswara Rao | Jagadeka Veeruni Katha (1961) | ||
| 4 | SSJ10 Gowtham | "Ullathil Nalla" | Seerkazhi Govindarajan | Kannadasan | Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy | Karnan (1964) | ||
| 5 | SSJ03 Anjana | "Thunbam Nergaiyil" | M. S. Rajeswari & V. J. Varma | Bharathidasan | R. Sudharsanam | Or Iravu (1980) | ||
| 24 August 2012 | ||||||||
| 1 | SSJ04 Pragathi | "Yellam Inbamayam" | M. L. Vasanthakumari & P. Leela | C. R. Subburaman | Manamagal (1951) | |||
| 2 | SSJ10 Gowtham | "Bikshai Paathiram" | Madhu Balakrishnan | Ilaiyaraaja | Ilaiyaraaja | Naan Kadavul (2009) | ||
| 3 | SSJ07 Suganya | "Ennai Yenna" | Sudha Raghunathan | Vaali | Ilaiyaraja | Ivan (2002) | ||
| 4 | Sudha Raghunathan | SSJ07 Suganya | excerpt from "Ennai Yenna" | Sudha Raghunathan | Vaali | Ilaiyaraja | Ivan (2002) | |
| 5 | (repeat) | SSJ04 Pragathi | "Shivashankari" | Ghantasala | Pingali Nagendra Rao | Pendyala Nageswara Rao | Jagadeka Veeruni Katha (1961) | |
| 6 | (repeat) | SSJ07 Sukanya | "Ezhu Swarangalukkul" | Vani Jayaram | Kannadasan | M. S. Viswanathan | Apoorva Raagangal (1975) | |
| 7 | (repeat) | SSJ10 Gowtham | "Ullathil Nalla" | Seerkazhi Govindarajan | Kannadasan | Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy | Karnan (1964) | |