On December 1st, 2007 ‘Mission Ustaad’, the musical blockbuster with the mission of ‘making a difference by promoting the Millennium Development Goals’, launched with much fanfare and enthusiasm. The three judges- music maestro A.R. Rahman, the unparalleled lyricist Javed Akhtar and the ravishing Lara Dutta, expressed their excitement on being on such a unique show that offers great entertainment along with spreading awareness about the UN Millennium Development Goals.

The launch episode introduced the 8 talented singers who will be participating for the coveted ‘Ustaad Jodi’ over the next 12 weeks. The participants, who were introduced in pairs, all expressed their commitment towards the ‘mission’ of the show and showcased their talent by singing their most popular songs till date.

The beautiful and talented actress Nandita Das appeared as the special guest on the show and appealed to the audiences to participate in the mission of the show in propagating the UN Millennium Development Goals.

The show concluded with all the 8 singers coming together to perform a medley of ‘Choti si Asha’ from Roja and ‘Aashaein’ from Iqbal, songs of hope and optimism. This was the perfect way of communicating the essence of the show that aims to spread awareness about eradicating poverty and the commitment of the participants towards it.