News/Articles/Comments on Indian Idol 2 - Page 7

Same time, same place

The good, the bad and the desperate hit your TV screens as Indian Idol returns, says our correspondent

Sulakshana Gupta

JUDGES aren't supposed to be partial, but Farah Khan was so impressed by one contestant that she decided to hire him. So, even though Prajapati from Mira Road won't win a platinum recording contract, he is now Khan's personal chef.

Indian Idol is back and so are popular jury members Anu Malik, Sonu Nigam and Farah Khan with their scathing remarks and critical feedback directed at the scores of aspirants who want to live the Abhijeet Sawant dream

''This time the level of desperation is at an all-time high,'' says Nigam, who entertains frequent calls from complete strangers requesting personal auditions. It's come to a point where he's even willing to change his cellphone number.

With a whopping 30,000 contestants tried, and people who refused to leave the judges' room even after being eliminated, the trio were forced to come up with ingenious ways to get the message across.

So they've turned to accessories for help, for the times when words aren't enough — toy guns to shoot with, oversized headphones worn when the singing is just too painful, placards that say aap ghar jaao and assorted fruit to hand over while being shown the door.

''With so many people each day, we didn't want to seem repetitive, so there's this element of fun,'' says Khan.

No one's assaulted Malik yet, but a lot of tears have been shed. In the very first episode, we run into Jigar Kapadia, a young stud in tight jeans and a bandana, accompanied by his cheerleader mom. Unable to stomach his rejection, she storms back in and demands a second chance.

Nathu, a daily wage earner from Jalgoan, sold his vessels to come to Mumbai without informing his family. In the second round, we see him in bad shape because his sick wife has not eaten for two days.

Having watched one season already, the contestants are more savvy and know exactly how each jury member responds. ''Last year people got aggressive, this time they're trying the emotional blackmail route,'' says Nigam referring to a Delhi girl who threatened to commit suicide unless they allowed her into the theatre round. In his mild and diplomatic manner, Nigam has sent her and the rest of them packing.

But for the most original one-liners, the audience always turns to Anu Malik. To one contestant he remarked, ''Let there be fire power or you go home and take a shower.''

With his locks having grown a few inches, Malik's the only one who looks different from last season. And he loves it that the oestrogen quotient's shot up.

''There are loads of girls this time, I'm quite sure that the Indian Idol will be a woman,'' he says.

It wouldn't be the same if the odd-balls didn't show up. In the first few episodes we also catch of glimpse of 16-year-old Mohit Tyagi from Delhi popularly known as Kashish by his peers because of his love for curled lashes and long bindis.

Alok Tyagi, a 19-year-old bespectacled lad from Faridabad has a penchant for wigs especially a long red mane which he wears to the audition.

Until the last round, the format remains the same. In the top 12, however, the judges have decided to pick an equal number of girls and boys to even out the chances.

sakshi... thanks for the articles 😊

Why I quit Indian Idol II


Archana Pania | November 21, 2005 19:04 IST


It's been over a month now. When they found out I had qualified for the second round of Indian Idol II, my family and friends were a lot more excited than I was. I simply had mixed feelings. There had been no childhood dreams of winning a singing competition, after all! Still, it's always fun when you're not taking things too seriously.

The best thing is, this reality show gave me a much-needed reality check.

To start at the beginning, what helped was the fact that there were a lot of other people – including my boss, colleagues, the watchman from Nepal and neighbours – who felt pride at the thought that I was a contestant. Then there was that little thing about emotion – the idea that millions experienced what each contestant went through. It was a bit like war, with participants fighting a battle to win the hearts of millions. Neighbouring aunties promised to vote for me, and even the office canteen boy looked at me differently when he realised I was part of the show!

So, keeping all this in mind, and ignoring that nagging voice in my head asking me not to attempt Round Two, I went for it. How I wish I hadn't.

At this point, I can't help recalling an incident from the first round. I was the third person in line when, without warning, a camera and crew shot up in front of me. Wearing a fake smile, a man asked, "Why do you think you will be the next Indian Idol?" Without a second's delay, I replied, "I don't think I will be." People around me burst out laughing. But I was just being honest.

Coming back, I was just not sure about attempting Round Two. I realised I would be just another face generating interesting content for people to giggle about. I knew I wasn't hungry for the title. My colleagues were shocked. I told them I was not interested in sleeping and waking up to a camera just to entertain people. I am not a personality or an actor (who is getting paid for the same). All I had wanted was a bit of fun. So, going through Round Two would mean a waste of not just my time, but also that of the judges and production crew.

But one of my colleagues was insistent. She said she wouldn't go if I didn't. And she had been taking singing lessons for 13 years! I couldn't help agree.

We arrived well in time. One of the women at the show was trying hard to be nice. She probably remembered me from the last time, when I had given her a piece of my mind for making us wait 13 hours without food before asking us for a sound byte.

All contestants are given accommodation for four days during the qualifying round. The girl I mentioned asked us to check in with our bags. Considering I didn't have one, she scoffed at me for the 27th time, gave me someone else's bag, and told us to walk in holding it while they filmed!

There was work to be done at the office, so my colleague and I begged to be let off for a few hours. All the while, I continued to dither. Should I, shouldn't I? I didn't want to go on, but, at the same time, there was that free five-star accommodation to consider. Five hours later, I ended up returning to the shoot. We returned to find a panicky production guy, who said that other contestants had also wanted to go out after we left. Apparently, we had set a bad example, so the show's producer wanted to talk to us. We were duly asked not to leave for the next three days. We could go only where they told us to go, and do only what they asked us to.

After a short conversation with my boss over the cell phone, during which I giggled a lot, my colleague asked me to keep it down. She said there had been insinuations by the production crew that I didn't care about being the next Indian Idol. Laughing was not allowed. At that point, I knew I had to make up my mind. Was I going to take their behaviour? Or was I going to laugh my way out of the place?

I called a friend, a guy I refer to as my spiritual guide. All he said was that if there was no passion in it, and if I was in a "don't know" zone, maybe it wasn't for me. He was right. I had never had much to do with singing. I had tried learning from two gurus in the past, both of whom I had run away from. So, why spend time with people who clearly knew little about music – let alone 'launching' talent – and compete for something I didn't want in the first place? Just to make my neighbours happy?

Turning to my colleague, I told her I had to get out. I hugged her, wished her luck and left.

Looking back, those eight hours changed my life. I stood up for myself. I felt good about the fact that no one managed to take my laughter away from me. I could giggle as much as I wanted to.

A few people still refer to me as 'Idol'. I'm hoping they stop. Soon. I can see no pride in being someone who smiles when he or she is told to. I don't need a title for being someone's puppet. I like my own title, Archana Pania! And, you know what, I don't need a million votes to burst into song whenever I feel like either...

wow... this article is great 👏 👏

I Liked it too! Very good article!

Indian Idol back to rock the nation

Indian Idol is back to rock the nation with the launch of its second season tonight at 8.30 p.m. on Sony Entertainment Television. Tonight's show will take you on a journey of excitement and frenzy through the auditions. Some good, some bad and some ugly voices will entertain the viewers. Also watch out the three judges -Sonu Nigam, Farah Khan and Anu Malik, give their comments during selection.

Thousands of wannabe singers are waiting for their chance to hit musical stardom. The Indian idol contest this year received more than a million registrations with over 30,000 aspirants being auditioned by the judges. People from all parts of the country came for the auditions. The excitement, craze and devotion of each contestant promises to be an emotional roller coaster. The judges are looking for aspirants with good voice and a different style of singing.

30000 !!!

it's a Big number..
if one contestant takes at least one minute..
then it..500 hours..

are there more judges beside out Great Three..Edited by I_Want_Peace - 18 years ago

Killing with cruelty… That's what I thought when I saw my three favourite Indian Idol judges - Sonu Nigam, Farah Khan and Anu Malik - return this week with a second innings of Sony's watchable music contest.

First the good news: the trio of judges looks better than before. Sonu's new haircut suits him far better than the long-haired look during the last run of Indian Idol. And somehow, Farah looks more glamorous than before.

But must they be so unkind to the contestants. Admitted that some of them are downright pathetic. But so what? Lack of caliber isn't a crime. I cringed when a contestant's mother came before the judges to plead her son's case. I cringed when Anu Malik told a wannabe singer, "Who's your guru? Tell him to take a long holiday."

And I virtually collapsed in embarrassment when Farah gave a contestant a banana to show how bad he was.

Gosh, can't these judges keep their kela instincts in check???

agree with u..... only Sonu gives constructive comments... n one thing i didnt like abt the show that they waste time by showing ppls home n bla bla... theres no need for that.... they should have shown audition of all the selected contestants...... I really was looking forward to hear Abhijeet's cousin Amit Sawant.... what a name! 😆 Amit Sana's first name & Abhijeet's last name 😆

Even i feel the same. there were so many from saregamapa
contestants who were selected from mumbai auditions. but none of their selection was aired.
btw sakshi thanx for the articles .