Indian Idol--the saga

The contestants of Indian Idol

Can any everyday Joe be an Indian Idol? The judges, each renowned in their domains, Farah Khan--a talented choreographer and film director, Anu Malik--a popular music composer and Sonu Nigam--a versatile vocal artiste, harmonise while answering this question--the basic attribute one needs is to be able to sing. In addition, a great personality, ability to vibe with the audience and sing one's way into the heart of every viewer will certainly go a long way in enhancing the contestant's chances. For it is not about the one who sings the best but the one who makes the audience sing along. After all, along with the jury the contestants will have to convince the entire nation.

In search of a singer who embodies all the traits that an idol requires, Indian Idol started its journey arranging auditions in major Indian cities--Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad. People poured in at the locations where auditions were being held. While some were ridiculed by the judges for their lack of singing aptitude, some were applauded for their display of talent. In the course of following weeks, eleven finalists emerged and became the focus of a mass hype.

From the very beginning, Indian Idol has never had a lack of drama, like Priyanka who was supposed to be one of the finalists backed out, making way for Amit Tandon, who is more popular among the young female crowd. Ravindra Ravi, in spite of not accomplishing the calibre that defines an idol was left unharmed, while more deserving contestants like Rahul Saxena or Auditi Paul were voted out. Rahula Saxena's departure affected judge Farah Khan so much, she broke into tears and promised she would sign Rahul Saxena to sing for her next movie Happy New Year. Auditi Paul, the Bengali diva in the making, who captivated the audience with her unique flair, graciously parted when she was voted out. Word on the street is, renowned music composer and a judge of the show, Anu Malik is so smitten with Auditi's vocal skills that he has signed her to sing for one of his albums. Rahul Vaidya after being voted out, has signed a contract for Rs. 20 lakhs.

After incidents like these one wonders has Indian Idol really achieved what it claimed it would? The fact remains, that anyone in India can send an SMS to vote for his/her idol and everyone can vote as many times as they want. This really procreated a dilemma as a single fan can cast unlimited votes for his/her idol while some fans probably have not been able to vote even once.

Regardless of these shortcomings, Indian Idol has presented the audience with two seasoned finalists Abhijeet Sawant and Amit Sana. Both are pretty diverse. If Abhijeet is the perfect choice for doing the playback for the lead actor in Hindi movies, Amit has an unconventional voice that can move the audience and can make them sing along. The lucky winner will sign a contract worth Rs 10 million with Sony Entertainment, besides being awarded a recording contract with a major Indian music label. So, who gets to be the first ever Indian Idol? We will all know tonight.