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.

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!
__

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!

For the last two seasons, the coveted title of Indian Idol has been grabbed by two boys, Abhijit Sawant and Sandeep Acharya.

However, the girls who are competing in season three are showing off not just talent, but also oodles of glamour, style and attitude. So would Indian Idol 3 be a girl? When this question was posed before three of the 13 finalists, Charu Semwal, Deepali and Ankita Mishra, they were all smiles. In their first ever media interaction organised by Sony Entertainment Limited, the trio said they wished that one of them would go on to become Indian idol 3.

Advertisement
Hailing from Dehradoon, 20-year-old Charu Semwal always dreamt of becoming a singer. “For me, every moment during Indian Idol is precious.

I have dreamt of this kind of life,” says Charu. One of the strongest contenders, Charu feels that she can be the Indian Idol because she scores in terms of singing, performance and good looks. “I am working really hard on my singing and I believe my performance has been appreciated by the audience. And then, I look good too,” says doe-eyed Charu with a giggle.

Not far behind is Deepali, the 19-year-old from Patna. Deepali, who is not only a singer, but an actor and a dancer as well. Her RJ act had won her a lot of fans (including programme anchor Mini Mathur) on the show. “For me, getting into Indian Idol means making the dream of every daughter come true. People who believe that daughters cannot do anything should see that here, daughters like us are doing wonders,” says Deepali. “I am sure that I can win because I not only concentrate on my singing, but also on my performance,” says Deepali.

The last one, whose fate was still hanging in mid-air as the results of the wild card round were to be announced on Saturday night’s episode, is Ankita Mishra. Hailing from neighbouring Kanpur, Ankita

prefers to be called Ankit on the show. She has made judges Alisha, Udit Narayan and Javed Akhtar dance to her tunes. “My USP is not just my singing, but also the way I interact with my audience,” says the 17-year-old. On Saturday, she was more feminine than sporting her usual tomboy looks.

“I am a very down to earth girl and it is just my dress that is changing, not my attitude,” says Ankita. “I want to become a performer and win the hearts of people,” she said. The trio surely shows a lot of promise. And with the Gala round starting off from June 29 onwards, India is looking forward to watch the fate of these three talented singers.

The Indian Idol 3 episode ended with a boring cliff-hanger! Who will the esteemed judges choose out of Padmanav Bordoloi, Ankita Mishra and Suhit Gosain as the Lucky Thirteenth!? they obviously had never discussed amongst themselves who should re-enter the competition! They had to do it with the camera running, how else would the home viewers know that judges were doing their jobs, right?

So the show started with Mini Mathur and Hussain telling us that the judges were undecided last night! Really? The fact is that the show was recorded few days back, but do go on! So, they had huddled together to make a choice –

Cut to judges discussing the contestants!

Present it as was seen and heard!

Annu Malek: Suhit is a good performer, but Ankita is a better singer!
Udit Narayan: If you are talking about good singer, Padmanav is better than Ankita!
Javed Akhtar Saab: Yes, it is true that singing is important, but performance too is equally important!
Alisha Chinai: If that’s the criteria, we should consider Suhit, what’s wrong with him? (Oy! I don’t even know where to start! One must admirably loathe Alisha for supporting Suhit!)
Javed Akhtar Saab: It’s not that we are looking for either a good singer or a good performer; we are looking for a person, who has both of these qualities!

Secret discussions

Javed Akhtar Saab: So we all agree? Great! I am happy that we all are happy about the choice!

Back in the studio –

This is Indian Idol 3 – The Wild Card Results Episode Part Two!

Mini Mathur and Hussain called Suhit, Ankita and Padmanav on the stage and asked the judges what their decision was!

Javed Saab said that it was a very difficult decision as all the judges spent a considerable time discussing the merits and demerits of each contestant! It was a very tough call!

Mini pleaded to Javed Saab that he should announce the results as soon as possible! Javed Saab retorted by asking whether they thought the hosts expected the name just like that without creating the clichéd suspense! Javed Saab actually the answer is YES!

Thankfully, he must have heard me, because he said that the judges had decided that Ankita Mishra would be the Lucky Thirteenth!

Now, get this – Hearing Ankita’s name, the atmosphere in the Winners’ Circle was rather astounding because one could almost see that some contestants were not really happy about her inclusion, in particular Richa Aneja! The reception of Ankita in Winners’ Circle was lukewarm at best! Annu even commented that the gals in particular were not happy that Ankita was back in the competition!

So we finally said goodbye to Suhit Gosain! The good news is Alisha fought for him till the very end and the other good news is the comment that Annu Malek made about Suhit was thankfully edited from the show! Annu’s comment actually made the news and since many might not know, I am mentioning it!

Annu had said that Suhit was like a cockroach, which creeps back, no matter how many times one flushed it down the toilet! These were Annu’s words, not mine! So don’t bark at this tree, because it is a very wrong tree! Also, never shoot the messenger!

Javed Saab does not seem that harsh now, does he? I am a little shocked that Annu said this because as far as I knew, he was a Suhit supporter like Alisha! Anyway, I am glad that they did not humiliate Suhit on International Television before he exited!

Anyway, Mini and Hussain asked Padmanav and Suhit to say parting words. Padmanav said that he was privileged that the judges brought him back in the competition and he and Suhit had formed a special bond. Suhit always told him that Padmanav shouldn’t linger longer than Suhit in the competition and vice versa! So he was happy that they were leaving together! Aw, that’s sweet! Good to know Suhit is a nice bloke!

Suhit didn’t get the chance to say anything so the most talked about contestant of Indian Idol 3 went out of the competition without saying a word! Who says life is not full of ironies?

Anyway, so newsworthy stuff ended in the first five minutes, what happened next has to be seen rather than read, but I will try and capture the fun that was remainder of the show!

The guest star of the show was Sunidhi Chauhan – who by the way was a product of a Competitive Reality Show! So to say all the reality show winners wither away in India is not true! Talented ones do make a mark! To know what performances should be like, one must see Sunidhi perform – she was mind-blowing!

Sunidhi kick started her set by singing, “Crazy Kiya Re” – She did an awesome job! Parleen Singh Gill was either too excited or he knew that the camera would capture him, because he was in full form and trying to dance the steps of the song! It was really cute though! I have heard that Sunidhi gives great stage performances and although I have not seen even one of her shows, I would love to go for one! Really good!

Then… Deepali and Charu Semwal sang, “Beedi” – a song sung originally by Sunidhi and we know that Charu sings the song well, but man, tonight she was awesome. In fact for a minute there I thought Deepali was singing with Sunidhi! However, I must say more than Charu, Deepali was just awesome, the harkats or the embellishments they both employed were so beautiful that frankly it was one of the finest performances of the night! Sunidhi joined the duo with all the other gals and took the song to an entirely different level! Y’all must see it to believe it!

Sunidhi said a few words praising and encouraging the Top 13!

After that the Top 13 took the stage by taking a trip down memory lane!

Smita Adhikari, (who by the way is receiving steroids treatment to reduce her acne) Charu, Puja Chatterjee and Ankita started the medley with, “Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo”!

Meiyang Chang, Emon Chatterjee and Parleen in bell-bottoms (I kid you not) took over with, “Ena Meena Deeka”!

Then three guys and three gals were paired up for, “Aajkaal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche” and they were,

Abhishek Kumar with Jolly Das, (Abhishek was wearing a flaming red bell-bottom),
Prashant Tamang with Deepali,
And Amit Paul with Richa!

After that the boys came together to sing, “Aao Twist Karen” – Yes, you are supposed to do the Twist!

And the medley ended with the Top 13 singing, “Babu, Samjho Ishare, Aur Hum Pukare” from one of my all time favourite Indian comedy, “Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi”!

Obviously, Annu could not help but join in the twist after such an amazing medley and asked Alisha to join him for a twist! After it was all over, Udit said that none of the performers on stage were bad and they all did an excellent job!

Then Mini and Hussain informed us that the final competition would kick start from June 28th, 2007, but till then the Top 13 would have fun with Sunidhi!

And hence as a fitting finale to this awesome episode, Sunidhi decided to sing, “Sajnaji Wari Wari” and after a while, the Top 13 joined her! This song is so popular that one cannot escape it at any discos or pubs in India! It is a fun song and I would be lying if I said that me gal and I did not jump up and dance like crazy when they were performing! The great thing was that one could almost feel the enjoyment of all the contestants!

So next week, the grind starts! Thankfully, this year all the contestants are really good, that is, if you don’t count Jolly Das! So the competition is going to be really awesome, but that also means that everyone will be only as good as their last performance! Also, this year I am hoping that there might be no more controversies because finally we know that S(u)hit does not fly always! (I know, that was a cheap shot but look at it this way; no one is going to mention him again! And I am mentioning him because I am jealous! NOT!)

Also, to all those who pitied us, should pity themselves, because unfortunately we are always right! He he! Just kidding!

The contestants of Indian Idol 3 are the best ever confesses Anu Malek who has been with the show since the first season. It explains why the judges could not come to a consensus on their choice for the Wild Card Entry last night. They reserved their verdict last night but tonight it shall be revealed. Who will the judges vote for? That is a surprise!

Celebrity guest Sunidhi Chauhan makes the wait worthwhile with her star presence and simply mind blowing performance. She drives people crazy with her singing and when she sings Crazy kiya re it is near pandemonium. The singer, herself a winner of a popular singing contest, joins contestants to set the stage on fire with Beedi Jalaile… Sunidhi is an idol for most of the young contestants for whom it was a dream come true to share the stage with her! Sunidhi, on her part asked the judges to judge her performance and Anu Malek had just one word for her: “Rock Star!”

Inspired by Sunidhi’s presence the girls gave a spirited performance with a medley of retro songs …ranging from the hit Helen number Mera naam Chin Chin Chu …to the Mumtaz-Shammi Kapoor hit Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche… from Brahmachari to 60’s hit Aao twist karen from Bhoot Bangla. Must say they were even dressed for the occasion! The boys couldn’t resist joining in the fun and at the end of it simply turned out to be a dance riot on stage with everyone having a blast as Sunidhi belted … Sajna ji vaari vaari jaonji.

Catch the Saturday Night fever at 9 p m on Indian Idol on 23 June only on Sony Entertainment Television.

Indian Idol 3 is now becoming very attractive. The piano round is coming to an end and we now know the top 6 female contestants. Last night, 3 girls were eliminated. Shifa, Harshida, and Vartika were eliminated by the votes of the viewers and all of them accepted their elimination gracefully.
I did not like that Shifa had to leave. She was a good singer and I am sure that if she continues then she will shine some day.

Last week there was a moment on Indian Idol 3 that stopped me dead in my tracks. The girls who compete in the show were asked to pick someone from themselves to jettison. One by one, they were asked to hold up their choice scribbled on a piece of paper and explain their vote. And the girls of Indian Idol 3 dug into each other with a frenzy that belied their on-screen sweetness.

Then, just before the vote-off, this was replayed for the entire audience. And it cut deep. There was shock, guilt, shame and tears. At least one girl hung her head down and looked like imploding. Indiscipline and saazish in the ranks! It is one of the singular triumphs of reality TV that it can deliver a moment rich in drama like this –one that can bring a lump to your throat but won’t matter to most people in a week.

Focus on the contestants
Idol 3 shares only a loose structure with that other musical reality show – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. While SRGMP focuses primarily on the judges and the competition, Indian Idol builds its stories around the singers.

Early on Idol shows gave us glimpses of selected contestants in the audition round via montages: the contestant at home, hanging out with friends, doing alaaps with her guru, wearing a cap backwards and just being funky . Later as auditions gained in intensity, we saw moments of high tension – tempers snapping, girls and boys circling and backstabbing each other, and my personal favorite – on demand fainting.

As the show moved into the piano round – and hence the studio – Idol showed us how the contestants prepared for their performances. We saw the girls and boys working hard and having a good time – with a carefully placed product from a sponsor close at hand.

An Enid Blyton fantasy
All of this struck me as very Enid Blyton-ish. There was a reason why her books were so popular and why series like Harry Potter continue to successfully dip into the same formula. It’s all about the back-slapping dudeness, the sisterhood, the togetherness, the competitive rivalries, the mess ups and the victories. Because Idol exploits this narrative, it keeps itself fresh – each week brings a new set of issues. After all how many Himesh Reshammiya jhagdas on SRGMP can one watch in a week?

The first round is running in Indian Idol-3 In the first round of elimination from the boy’s team Bharat Bhushan and Roshan Singh were voted out. Pinki Maydasani and Rashmi Vijaya are the two girls who had to leave the show because they got the least votes.

‘In my elimination, the major factor was poor voting. I didn’t get sufficient number of votes because I was not properly highlighted. The public couldn’t connect with me.

‘I sang ‘Firta rahoon’ from ‘The Killer’. I was a little nervous because I am not camera friendly, but I was satisfied with my performance,’ said Bharat Bhushan, who will go back to Meerut and pursue his graduation study.

‘But I will continue to do shows because my financial condition is not so good,’ added Bharat.

On the other hand, Roshan Singh was not so happy with the judges especially, Alisha.

‘I was shaky during the performance and my performance was ordinary. I wish I had chosen some other song. I sang ‘Tum dil ki dhadkan mein’. But I would also like to say that the judging was very poor. Alisha Chinai’s comments, in particular, did not make any sense,’ said Roshan, who is an engineer and plans to return to Australia to earn his living. ‘I can’t make a living out of singing here.’

Both Bharat and Roshan rue that the focus is more on entertainment and singing takes a back seat.

‘The entire process of selection is satisfactory but too much drama is involved. The focus is more on reality and less on singing,’ said Roshan.

‘I am not so comfortable in front of camera. For instance, I was asked to pretend that I’m talking to my father and I found it very awkward. I couldn’t bring the right emotion,’ said Bharat.

Roy explained that the moment the public is involved the focus automatically shifts to the reality part.

From STAR to Zee to Sony, all the channels have reality talent hunt programmes but the sad part is that most of the winners and the participants fade away after the show.

‘The whole idea is to give these youngsters a platform and exposure they never had. Rest depends on how they take it further,’ said Roy.

Indian idol-is back hit on the small screen with Tears and joy are back on sony tertainment television. It is different from previous two due to quality of singer.Now they are Young and vibrant with stardust in their eyes, the contestants are gifted with rich and melodious voices.

‘We have got some really talented and confident contestants. We have done our bit and we have now put the mantle on the audiences. I am sure they will make the right decision in choosing their ‘Bharat ki shaan’,’ said Udit Narayan, one of the show’s four judges.

The judges – Javed Akhtar, Anu Malik, Alisha Chinai and Narayan- selected 123 contestants from 25,000 candidates across India and overseas. Of them, they handpicked 28 aspirants who gave a mind-blowing performance in the piano round that started June 1.

Indrajit Roy, creative director of the show, said they plunged into the preparations for the third innings soon after the second season ended.

‘Immediately after wrapping up the second season we started working on the next one. The entire auditioning took two-and-a-half-months. From small cities in India to Dubai and London, we travelled across the globe in search of talent,’ Roy told IANS.

Asked to name his favourite, Roy rattled off a long list of names. ‘Shantanu Sudame, Abhishek Kumar, Prashant Tamang, Smita Adhikary, Charu Semwal and Aisha Sayed are awesome. They are hugely talented singers.’ said Roy.