Ignoring scorching heat and heavy rain at times, the participants waited in a queue for hours to get a shot at the audition round.

Hopefuls from eight districts including Rangpur Dinajpur and adjacent areas enrolled in the competition. On Wednesday a total of 834 artistes auditioned. Of them 21 were given 'yes card' and on Thursday a total 193 were registered to appear at the auditions. Of them, 12 have received 'yes card' so far.

Agun, Anup Bhattacharya, Pranab Ghosh, Shujeo Shyam, Anisur Rahman Tanu, Partho, Jalal Ahmed, Liton Adhikari and other noted personalities made up the judges' panel.

Kumar Bishwajit, Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul and Fahmida Nabi arrived in Rangpur on Thursday. They will be the judges in the selection round.

Meanwhile, Closeup 1 audition and selection rounds have created a buzz among the young in the vicinity. A large number of people were waiting outside Rangpur Parjaton Motel -- some, to encourage their near and dear ones while some were just bystanders.