INDIAN CARNIVAL 2008, which is organized by none other then Hot Stepper group, The entertainment wing of the Creative Indians association.

AMIT PAUL   -  The Indian Idol  3 ‘Lover Boy’

He appealed the common masses with his boy next door looks, officially The Indian Idol runner up and heartthrob of many girls will be here to croon you and dish out your favorite songs such as Nasha Ye Pyar ka nasha hai , the song that created magic and won the hearts of the Indian masses . This will be followed by other catchy numbers from your favourite Indian movies.

ANKITA MISHRA -  The future ROCK star

“Ankita Mishra” the young and versatile performer of the Indian Idol Show, a truly exceptional singer gave a firecracker performance and received a massive response from the judges as well as the audience. Ankita will keep you on your feet by rendering songs such as Kajara re , Crazy Kiya Re, Beedi Jalaye Le and lots more.. Ankita Mishra is truly a fiery performer -she sizzles, rocks and gets the audience on their feet.

Sources : http://www.mangalorean.com/

Indian Idol star Proshant Tamang and Amit Paul arrived at Dhaka on 16 January to perform in concerts. The event organizer Antor Show Biz’s stuffs and their fans received them with warm welcome. The starts performed last evening at Hotel Regency. Some other star singers of Bangladesh named Hasan, Shuvo and band group Neeloy also performed in this event. The starts are going to perform at Fantasy Kingdom today. Biplob, Tishma, Shuvo, Mila and Deshi MCS are also going to perform in this event. The program is sponsored by Pepsi.

The news that the first Indian Idol winner Abhijeet Sawant will represent India in the reality show ‘Asian Idol’ has not gone down well with the second season’s winner Sandeep Acharya.

According to Sandeep, the Sony channel was to hold a competition between the winners of the three seasons of ‘Indian Idol’ to choose the contestant for ‘Asian Idol’. Now Sandeep is aghast at being kept in the dark.

Actor Govinda, who is all set for the release of his film Partner with Salman Khan this Friday, will be a special guest on Sony’s indian Idol.

The episode featuring the actor will be aired on 20 July. Partner too, releases on the same day and is being seen as Govinda’s second coming to Hindi film industry.

The gala round of Indian Idol will see the last 10 contestants vying for the judges’ attention. Govinda will join the show to offer his advice and encourage participants who are chasing their dream of becoming the next singing sensation.

The Gorkha Students’ Union Dimapur (GSUD) has also celebrated the193rd birth anniversary of Adi Kabi Bahnu Acharya with the rest of the world on Friday with Akum Longchari, managing director and publisher of Morung Express as the chief guest.

Bhanu Bhakata Acharya the pioneer of Nepali language the first ever poet and author amongst millions of Nepalese also known as Adi Kabi who was born on 1814 in Tanahu district of Nepal is being remembered for his great and immense contribution to the Nepali community.

Akum Longchari termed Bhanu as a great “social reformer” and said that it was his humbleness which had left a relevant inspiration to the populace of present generation.

Akum also stated that the legacy of the great social reformer had left a deep impact to the people which are still relevant to the present humanity.

The teaching of Bhanu reflects the values of life and his contribution was not focused to Gorkha community alone but also to the whole human race. “It enriched the culture, language and the values of life,” Akum said and described the Gorkhas as honest and dignified people.

A brief life sketch of Bhanu was delivered by Suk Kumar Pradhan, president Gorkha Union Dimapur and short speech was also delivered by Mayang Jamir, general secretary of DNSU. During the celebration thirteen students from HSSLC and HSLC were felicitated.

Earlier the programme started with the welcome address by Rupak Chetri followed by garlanding of the portrait by the chief guest while the vote of thanks was proposed by Rajesh Gurung.

The programme was followed by a cultural entertainment from various groups of Gorkhas.

Meanwhile, the Gorkha students union has wished all the best to the Prashant Tamang, Indian Idol and requested all individuals to cast their vote for him.

The Indian Idol contestants did not have a clue of what was in store for them when they sat chatting with Mini Mathur for the weekly episode of Roobaroo . There was singing, dancing and even acting! In a hilarious performance Parleen and Ankita enacted the golden fiftees’ hit song Awaaz de kahaan hai…! In the middle of all the fun and games they had a surprise visitor on the sets. There standing in their midst was none other than Abhijeet Sawant, the first Indian Idol!

Abhijeet was delighted to be back on the sets of the show that took him to dizzying heights of popularity. He was happy to see familiar faces on the sets. He said he missed his team of Indian Idol as he sat there on the same show once again. “A big difference this time is that I came in my own car and not a borrowed one as I did during my Indian Idol days!” he said happily. Abhijeet is ready with his new album shot in Ladakh. Catch the first glimpse of the new album as it premieres on Roobaroo.

Abhijeet has been keenly following Indian Idol. Pointing to Amit Paul he said, “You are progressing in the same pattern that I did, so work hard you just might be the next Indian Idol!” Amit was so thrilled he obliged Abhijeet by singing a Telugu song. Abhijeet reciprocated by singing a Bengali one to the delight of all the Bongs present! The contestants had a whale of time bombarding Abhijeet with questions and doubts plaguing them. The star that he is now, Abhijeet answered each one of their queries with honesty and was seen offering tips way after the lights went out.

SET Asia ’s Indian Idol gala round takes the viewer’s on an emotional journey of young aspirants waiting to realize their dreams. The third season of Indian Idol promises to be nail biting right to the final. SET Asia has given audiences the honour of selecting that “one voice” who will become the pride of the nation.

On Roobaroo special telecast on Thursday Mini mentioned about Richa’s exit and the contestants were asked about their feelings for Richa. Prashant and Amit were asked to sing the song ‘Yeh Dosti’ first in Hindi and then in English as they have become best friends like Jay and Veeru of Sholay. Then an award function was shown in which the Ganga Jamna Saraswati Award was given to Smita and the Natak Baaz Puraskar was awarded to Abhishek. Mini gave a tissue paper roll to Smita as award. After that the performance of Charu, Deepali and Ankita that they gave when they were in Lucknow was shown and then their visit to the Radio city was shown. Lastly the contestants were shown rehearsing for the galas.

Milan Singh along with his parents was invited to be a guest on the show Indian Idol telecast on SET Asia which was a dream come true for Milan. Milan Thakur, the eldest son of a family fled to Mumbai from Bengusarai near Patna to be a part of Indian idol. He confessed that “I love music and singing and wanted to take part in Indian Idol that is why I did what I did”. The boy took forty thousand rupees from his home and came to Mumbai with his two friends, a man who befriended them on the train to Mumbai helped them to get rooms in a city hotel for Rs 400/day. They roamed the streets and even slept at railway platforms when the money got over. The point to be noted is that running away from home does not always end in a musical journey, as all are not as lucky as Milan.

All the contestants performed well on the performance round. On Saturday night the show Indian Idol 3 started with presenting a family who came from Pakistan to meet the Indian Idol 3 participants, they wished the contestants and invited them to Pakistan. Then the contestants sang the Roobaroo 4 theme. Then Smita entered the stage with a complete makeover which suited her very well. The judges were asked to take the name of one contestant and all the three judges except Javed Akhtar who was absent took the name of Jolly. Then the contestants were asked to vote out one name and most of the people voted against smita. The hosts announced the names of the persons who were in the bottom four, they were Emon, Deepali, Smita and Jolly. The judges were shocked to see Emon and deepali in the bottom four. Jolly Das was the unlucky one who got eliminated in the second galas. At first jolly took it sportingly and she sang the song ‘Gazab Ka Hain Din’ towards the end of the song she broke down to tears and all the other contestants of Indian Idol 3 were shown consoling her.

Indian Idol 3 is not just another talent hunt show, it is the most involving and entertaining show that one can ever see on Television. Indian Idol 3 telecast on SET Asia has the potential to allow the audience to play an integral part in deciding in what will happen and be instrumental in choosing that One Indian Idol – “ Bharat Ki Shaan”.
Indian Idol 3 is a television phenomenon which has glued the people to their television sets. All the contestants of Indian Idol 3 are great singers and good performers, they all have the spunk, spirit and the force to become the next Indian Idol. The Wild Card entry gives hope for the 18 people who were out in the Piano Round. Sony Entertainment Television Asia’s esteemed panel of judges consisting of Javed Akthar, Udit Narayan, Alisha Chinai and Annu Malek have a tough task ahead as they have to short list the lucky 6 out off 18. The wild card contenders will have to give their best as it it is their last chance to fame, fortune and moving closer to chasing the dream title of being the nation’s Indian Idol 3.
The Wild Card Contenders destiny lies in the hands of the viewers as they will have to give the verdict. The contstant with the highest number of votes will be the viewers choice ‘Wild Card’ while the second ‘Wild Card’ will be decided by the judges. It will be a nail biting finish as there will be a lot of drama, cheers and heartbreaks. Catch the rocking Friday night Performance only on Sony Entertainment Television Asia at 9:00 pm.

To vote for your favourite contestant sms the contestants first name to 2525. A BSNL/MTNL fixed landline user can televote by calling 19024242525 followed by 01, 02,….or call on the IVR 1255525 to place your vote. Mobile and wireless consumers can call up 5052525 followed by 01, 02,..to cast your vote.  You can also vote Online at www.indianidol.sify.com/iwayvote/

Friday Night, the 12 Finalists expressed their personalities by selecting suitable songs! Some were good, some were average and some were really bad! On Saturday night – one more contestant was sent home packing…

Mini Mathur and Hussain started the show by informing us how awesome the performances were and how Abhishek Kumar, Jolly Das and Smita Adhikari succumbed to great pressure and could not perform that well! They also stated how Prashant Tamang and Charu Semwal received negative comments from Annu Malek, but added that ultimately the voters had decided the fate of one contestant… Who will be staying? And who will be leaving?

This is Indian Idol 3 – The Result Show!

Before the Bottom Four were disclosed, they showed a clip of a Pakistani family, which visited the Indian Idol wannabes as they were great fans of the show! Their interaction with the 12 Finalists was really sweet! The Finalists sang, “Roo-Ba-Roo” and dedicated the song to the family! I must mention that the lady (I think she was the mother) personified class and looked very dignified and smart! Actually the entire family was great! The contestants were really pleased by the visit and Meiyang Chang said that he prays that the tension between the two countries gets resolved sometime, so that they too can visit Pakistan and interact with the people there! The family said that meeting the contestants and the reception they received was way more than they had expected!

Hussain stated that music can bring hearts together! Actually Hussain I think Art does that! Any Art! In fact, I think Art is the only thing that transcends all the boundaries and all the barriers!

Well, it was a feel-good clip and I thought it was a great start!

Next up was Makeover Story – on Friday Night they had ended the show with a cliff-hanger of sorts, it was about Smita’s new avatar! So after showing the awful clip of negativity that surrounded Smita’s personality (starting from Annu Malek telling Smita that she had a boring personality to Smita saying that people disliked her looks) they showed consulting optician, dermatologist and stylist, and then Hussain and Mini introduced the new Smita!

I’ll admit she looked good, but if I have to be really honest, I don’t think she looked bad to begin with! Sure, her skin needed serious treatment, but besides that Smita is a cute gal! Anyway, the hair colour, the contact lenses and the dress worked – she did look glamorous! Annu told her that she acquired an exciting personality (Oy!), but now she had to concentrate on singing in tune!

With that the elimination process started…

Mini asked the judges, who they thought should go home…

Annu Malek chose Jolly,
Alisha Chinai selected Jolly,
And Udit Narayan picked Jolly!

Javed Akhtar Saab wasn’t present, but I guess he too would have singled out Jolly!

The hosts turned to the Contestants and asked them the same question…

Smita Adhikari chose herself

Parleen Singh Gill chose Jolly

Puja Chatterjee chose Charu

Meiyang Chang chose Smita

Charu Semwal too chose Smita

Abhishek Kumar also chose Smita

Prashant Tamang went with Smita

Ankita Mishra chose Jolly reluctantly

Amit Paul chose Smita

Deepali chose Jolly

Emon Chatterjee chose Smita

Jolly Das chose herself

Phew!

So if you are not keeping count – 7 Contestants including Smita herself thought that she should leave, while 4 Contestants including Jolly thought that Jolly should leave!

Mini then concentrated on Smita, Parleen and Puja, and not surprisingly, Smita landed in Bottom Four! Parleen and Puja were declared safe!

Hussain turned the attention towards Chang, Charu and Abhishek and said that he had bad news for one of them and called on Abhishek’s name and said that they’d disclose it after a break! Coming back from the break, Hussain kept these three in limbo and moved towards Prashant, Ankita and Amit!

Amit was the first one declared safe! Ankita too was established safe quickly and so was Prashant! Mini brought the focus back on Chang, Charu and Abhishek and declared that they all were safe!

WHAT?

Emon and Deepali were in Bottom Four? Seriously?

Ok, I can guess that maybe Annu’s comments about Emon and the so-called over-confidence might have swayed brain dead voters, who vote listening to Annu, but what is the excuse in Deepali’s case? The gal was flawless, her voice is amazing and frankly her inclusion came as a huge shock! Actually it was equally shocking to see Emon in the Bottom Four, the kid is a great singer and although I criticized his performance, I criticized him based on his standard and no way in heck is he a Bottom Four candidate!

Oh yeah, Jolly too was in Bottom Four as expected!

Mini asked Deepali if she had expected to be in Bottom Four, Deepali stated that since all the singers were really good, anyone can get eliminated including herself! Next Emon was asked about it and he said that due to the criticism he received by the judges, he had prepared himself for elimination!

Deepali was declared safe and I assure you there was a collective sigh of relief!

Hussain asked Smita that she had come on the show with many desires and if she is ousted how would she feel, Smita stated that she never expected to reach this far, but thanks to the viewers she made it this far despite her bad looks! Oy!

Hussain asked the judges to comment on the Bottom Three

Annu almost screamed that Prashant should have been in Bottom Four, (I didn’t think Prashant was bad at all) with Charu! (That I agree with!) Annu questioned juntas’ selection of Bottom Four! He asked, “On what basis did the junta choose Emon?” Err… Hello! I think you were the most vocal critique of Emon and yet you ask this? Ever heard of irony?

Annu then rattled that compared to Emon, Parleen (who he had praised lavishly) and Abhishek have to work really hard to get to Emon’s standing! Ouch!

Udit said that he too was shocked to see Emon and Deepali and then more or less stated that he had performed well, but it seemed like Kolkata did not vote enough as all three were from Kolkata!

After that…

Emon was quickly put out of his misery and was declared safe!

Annu stated that he was very relieved that Emon was back in the game!

Why? So you can damage his spirit again? And what was with that awful suggestion that Emon should sing in a thicker voice when he reaches the upper register? As far as I recall Javed Saab had asked you to give pointers to Emon about it – which you didn’t – at least on the show and if this is your extend of help, I am surprised you survived this long!

So the Bottom Two were Smita and Jolly – as I had guessed!

Mini declared that Jolly Das was leaving the show! Smita was declared safe!

Jolly was admirably calm and composed, the contestants however seemed crushed! Charu had tears run down her cheek, even Ankita had tears in her eyes, Smita obviously was crying and then Abhishek! Ok, I am sorry but I think his reaction was more for the camera, because it was in excess! I can be wrong, but I didn’t see any tears in his eyes!

They showed Jolly’s journey and well it is always heartbreaking to see anyone’s dream wither away! So despite me not liking Jolly’s voice, I was rather sad!

Jolly sang, “Gazaab Ka Hai Din” rather well, I think song choice killed her chances! I was really surprised by her composed demeanour, but when the contestants joined her on the stage, she finally broke down! One word – Heartbreaking!

So Jolly finally said goodbye to Indian Idol stage paving way for 11 Finalists!

Next week, Shabana Azmi presides as a judge! I have no idea about Shabanaji’s musical knowledge, but I know it would be an excellent show! So see y’all on Friday!

Cheers!

Last week, Deepa as usual did an outstanding job of covering the First Gala and the Result Show, despite her busy schedule, so once again kudos to her and many thanks! This week, I am back in the driver’s seat! Now, here’s a fact, we try and incorporate most of the conversations in the show – word for word – and that unfortunately takes a lot of time, because we cannot ad-lib when we are quoting, and since many of y’all stated that y’all wanted instant recaps, I have come up with a solution – we would add the judges comments later on… if y’all desire! But now let’s try a new format and see how feasible it is! So are y’all ready? Let’s get to it!

This is Indian Idol 3!

The Second Gala of Indian Idol 3 started with Mini Mathur and Hussain’s voice-over reminding us – how brutally Richa Aneja was sent home packing! I think her exit song was a very cruel joke, I mean anyone would cry singing those words after getting eliminated, why should Richa be any exception?! Richa’s departure had nothing to do with her performance in the First Gala; she was the victim of great hatred! Oy Vey! I am happy she is gone before it got uglier! Ironically, her departure touched very many people who hated her – mind you, not all were sad! In any case, it is my belief that Richa just might be a force to reckon with in the future! So all is not lost!

Anyway, Mini and Hussain explained how Richa’s elimination had scared and motivated the remaining 12 and how they were ready to give their all in Performance Round!

But before the performances started, they showed clip of three young kids who ran away from home to be a part of Indian Idol 3 and they actually invited one kid with his family on the show and though Javed Akhtar Saab and Annu Malek reprimanded him for running away, I thought that the decision to acknowledge the kid was extremely dangerous and in poor taste, because knowing the fact that majority of Indians are nuts about being in front of the camera, this might just encourage more youngsters to do the same in the future, because ultimately it is about getting in front of the camera!

Anyway…

The Theme for Second Gala was Contestant’s Choice – Songs that best described the personalities of 12 Finalists!

Here’s the question this week –

What Song Best Describes Your Personality?

Answer is mandatory! Kidding! But try it, it might be fun!

Anyway, so the hosts asked the esteemed judges what song best describes their personalities!

Javed Akhtar Saab sang (that’s right) “Mein Zindagi Ka Saath Nimbhata Chala Gaya, Haar Fikr Ko Dhuae Mein Udaata Chala Gaya!”

Javed Saab, I loved the choice, but I would assume most smokers would choose this song, not that I know if you smoke or not, but this song is anything but a campaign for anti-smoking and UK just banned smoking in public!

Alisha Chinai’s choice was her hit, “Made In India!”

Alisha honey, the song is about you wanting a guy made in India, how exactly does that describe your personality? Oh I get it; your personality is about finding a guy! The Suhit obsession makes sense now!

Udit Narayan sang, “Mein Yahaan, Mein Yahaan!”

Udit sweetie, to be present in so many places is not always good news; I mean this attitude has hurt you massively at the domestic front, hasn’t it?

Annu Malek – Ok, I knew he would sing, so I had braced myself and I’ll admit I didn’t brace myself too well, because by the time he was through I was literally on the floor, laughing my guts out! Oh yeah, he sang, “Ek Garam Chai Ki Pyaali Ho!”

So Annu, your personality states that you crave for any gal, who’d give you a hot cuppa tea? Good God! And I thought we Britons were nuts about the tea! Well, I am part Briton, so it counts! Seriously dude, you can’t sing!

So, after Annu was done, I was ready for anyone’s singing and thankfully, Mini and Hussain called on the first contestant!

The First Contestant was Meiyang Chang…

Chang stated that he had a very carefree attitude during his school days and hence, he decided to sing, “Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai” – Chang has an unpredictable voice, I mean I have heard him sing so many times, but if one asks me to recall his voice, I can’t! He is no doubt a versatile singer, but it is my belief that he has to have some sort of base voice or he will be lost as just another good singer! What I am trying to say is he needs a signature as far as voice is concerned!

The performance was rather great, because he sang the song ably, with right punches and great modulation, but I think he needs to find his identity to be the next Idol!

The judges loved his performance!

My verdict – 8/10!
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The Second Contestant was Charu Semwal…

Charu stated that ever since she was a young kid, everyone called her a “Fairy”, and hence her choice was Suneeta Rao’s amazing hit, “Pari Hu Mein” – Ok, I will be frank, this is like my all-time favourite Indi-Pop song, the way Suneeta has rendered this song, she has managed to create that required ethereal mood. So it was a very ambitious choice made by Charu!

Unfortunately, Charu could not do total justice to the song, she started weak, which was a pity because the impact starts with the first line, ‘Aayi Mein To Aayi’! Then Charu forgot a line in the second verse, which is unacceptable to me, if you are singing the song since childhood! It was an average performance at best and I was really saddened by that; as Charu is a really great singer!

Barring Annu, the other judges liked her performance! Imagine the shock, I actually agreed with Annu!

My Verdict – 5/10!
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The Third Contestant was Amit Paul…

Amit stated that he was rather naughty and wanted people to know that fact, hence he chose, “Jhoomru” – I always thought that Amit was a good singer, but with this song, he proved that he was a great singer. The song is a Kishore Kumar’s masterpiece and a very tough song to tackle! I have found that to yodel ably is extremely difficult, trust me, I have tried! But Amit yodelled with great ease and gave a smashing performance!

Javed Saab gave him possibly the best compliment that Kishore Kumar would have approved of Amit’s singing! All the other judges liked the performance as well!

My Verdict – 9/10!
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The Fourth Contestant was Ankita Mishra…

Ankita has a colourful personality and by the way, Parleen more or less choreographs Ankita’s performances… and Ankita stated that “Rangeela Re” depicted her personality beautifully! I totally agreed with her, this gal is an awesome performer, she knows how to sing well and how to create drama while performing! The great thing about this performance was that she utilized the stage space brilliantly, she even used props! It was a mind-blowing performance!

If there was any fault with Ankita’s performance, it was the fact that she sometimes slips in singing, because performance takes the precedence. But I certainly think that Ankita is the most brilliant performer among the 12 Finalists!

The judges loved her performance, but asked her to prefect her singing… Annu added that he had never seen any contestant in the history of Indian Idol make such a great entry!

My Verdict – 9/10! I would have loved to give her a 10, but she still needs to work harder!
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The Fifth Contestant was Emon Chatterjee…

Emon said that he was ambitious and has numerous desires, hence he decided to tackle, “Chaand Taare” – Since the Galas have started, I have noticed regretfully that Emon tends to over-sing or under-sing the songs! Emon, no doubt is a wonderful singer with a very cute personality, but the fact is he should know when he should stop over-selling the song! It was a good performance, I even love the song, but it could have been better!

Ok, here’s the fact, the song starts with Piano intro, Emon deleted that part and then went for the generic verses, I thought he took an easy way out, he could have been the greatest, but he toned down a lot after last week’s criticism, and that’s where Emon failed! I was truly unhappy about his performance!

The judges said that Emon has a great voice but the spark was missing! Annu went and said that Emon was a victim of over-confidence!

I don’t agree with Annu, but I do agree that Emon is not totally in the game!

My Verdict – 6/10! I know it shocks me too!
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The Sixth Contestant was Smita Adhikari…

Smita stated that she is a happy person, who is lost in her own world and hence she chose “Khush Rang Heena” as it best described her personality! Smita stating that she was a happy person was kind of an irony as she received the coveted Cry-Baby Award on Roo-Ba-Roo! I love Smita, I think she has great potential, but this performance was just bad! Here’s the deal, most think that Heena’s title track is probably very easy to tackle, but the fact is, it just might be the most difficult song ever composed! There are so many singing ornamentations used in composing each word to music, that the song is laden with harkats… if you listen to the original carefully, you would find so many micro tunes that it may just shock you!

Smita tried no doubt, but her singing was flat and she eliminated the tough Alaaps, Taans etc that makes this song brilliant! It was a total let-down, because I sincerely thought with all the classical training Smita has had, she could have done a great job, but alas, she couldn’t!

The judges all thought that Smita messed up, except Alisha and this led to a showdown between Annu and Alisha! Can’t we all just vote out both these judges? Sigh!

My Verdict – 3/10! A definite candidate for Bottom Two!
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The Seventh Contestant was Prashant Tamang…

Prashant stated that he was considered very dependable and he was indeed, and hence his choice was “Mein Hu Na” – I am so going to invite ire of Save Prashant Lobby, but here’s what I have noticed, when Prashant hits certain notes, he tends to get a little nasal and I think he should really work on that, saying that I commend Prashant that despite not going under any musical training, he is a natural singer, he is no doubt good, but I think a little training will help him eliminate the minor flaws he has and he can be one of the greatest singers of India, if not the world!

His performance was good, he sings all the songs ably and I know that he’ll be safe!

All the judges barring Annu thought he did a great job! Your funeral Annu!

My Verdict – 6/10!
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The Eighth Contestant was Abhishek Kumar…

After high drama last week, Abhishek received the Drama-King Award on Roo-Ba-Roo! Abhishek stated that he felt that his personality was that of a heartbreaker and hence he chose, “Bachna Aye Haseeno” – I’ll be brutally honest – I hated his performance! Not only was he off-key, he was off-tempo! He emphasised on the word ‘Bachna’ in a weird way and his ‘Ho Ho’ lacked the required punch!

Abhishek is a great singer, but this was just not his day! I hope this does not land him in Bottom Four, because frankly he deserves to be there!

The Judges with the exception of Alisha actually agreed with me and Annu more or less said the very things that I found faulty with Abhishek’s performance, and now allow me to kill myself! Ok fine, after completing the recap!

My Verdict – 4/10!
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The Ninth Contestant was Deepali…

Deepali had confessed that she would concentrate on the performance, not just singing! Deepali stated her forte was singing! And according to her; she wanted a personality, which would be magical and hence zeroed in on “Jab Chhaye Mera Jadoo” – Oh My God! What flawless singing! In my opinion, this was the best singing of the night! As far as performance goes, she is no Ankita, but hey, at least she tried!

I am going to be a little shallow, I think Deepali should do something about her eyebrows; she appears to have a Uni-brow, and although that’s not technically true, I definitely think that if she got rid of the excess where the brows meet, she’d be a knockout! Other than that – Deepali is awesome!

Judges loved her comeback and predicted that she was a Top Three Candidate!

My Verdict – 10/10! What can I say, I loved her singing!
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The Tenth Contestant was Jolly Das…

Jolly stated that her personality was very peppy and she was rather unique, and hence she chose an obscure song from Zubeida, “Mein Albeli” – I will be truthful, I never liked Jolly, not this year, nor last year! The problem with Jolly is that she sings with a restrained voice and her enunciations are absolutely pathetic! I had to strain my ears to actually understand what she was singing! It was a horrible performance!

She actually had shocked me last week by singing, “Bairi Piya” decently, but this week, Jolly I knew was back and it is time for Jolly to leave the competition for good! One would think that if one gets more than a year’s time to prepare for the competition, one would work their butts off, not so in Jolly’s case!

The judges hated Jolly’s performance about her personality! Alisha tried to be nice, but Annu got on her case and it got really uncomfortable!

My Verdict – 2/10! Bye Bye Jolly!
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The Eleventh Contestant was Parleen Singh Gill…

Parleen is no doubt one of the best looking guys in the competition, but his choice of song based on his personality was a little too presumptuous for me, Parleen sang, “I Am The Best” – Look, Parleen is great looking, sexy, great performer etc, but Parleen has yet to prove that he is indeed a great singer! I wasn’t too happy with his performance, it was nowhere near perfect, and it was just an above average performance!

Well that was my thinking, because apparently the judges loved his performance! Annu even gave him a hug after creating unnecessary drama! Huh! So I was the only one who thought that he was going flat many times? Maybe! Oy Vey! Oh but I loved his mum and his brother – very cute!

My Verdict – 4/10!
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The Twelfth was Puja Chatterjee…

Puja was devastated last week as she had received severe criticism from the judges and was subsequently in Bottom Two, so this week Puja was keen to give a great performance! Puja described her personality as peppy, happy and naughty! And hence she zeroed in on, “Hawa Hawaii” – I adore Puja, I love her voice, but I have to be truthful, she was far from being perfect! She had tremendous difficulty with the last lines of the first verse and kept on repeating them more than necessary! she also ad-libbed a bit, but all was not lost, she managed to sing the song well in totality!

I have a fear that in future the judges would harp on her for having a voice of a young gal, which she is and I am hoping that I am totally wrong about that!

Puja said that she was very sad that she had pained the judges last week by not giving a good performance and had worked real hard to please them and the judges went, “Aw!” and gave her good critique! Ok, I know I am being a bitch, but honestly, weren’t Puja’s dialogues that of an apple polisher? In any case, the judges were happy and Puja wasn’t bad, so we all are happy!

My Verdict – 7/10!
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Now my only rant –

Ok, will someone please tell Annu and Alisha that they are no Simon Cowell or Paula Abdul? Seriously, Hussain was right (even though he was jesting) that Annu has an inflated ego! Annu was right on many counts, but it becomes difficult to respect his judgements thanks to his tool-like behaviour! Also, is Alisha for real? Come on woman, speak your mind, don’t be such a goody two shoes!