Aspi's Drift

Is Indian Idol Season 4 the year of the voter mutiny?

2009-02-20T00:01:00.000-06:00

Something happened last week on II4 - which was just hitting its stride mind you - that stopped everyone dead in their tracks. The last singer who could hold a tune without losing sur or occasionally issuing a croak, Rajdeep Chatterjee, bit the dust. Eliminated!

All of this came as a bit of a shock. Why? Two reasons. First: Rajdeep had been a judge favorite throughout the season. And for good measure. He has a pleasing if somewhat stiff personality. And he could sing better than anyone else on the show. Second: the hot favorite for elimination last week was Torsha Sarkar, possessor of a fine voice but also a highly nervous personality that led to numerous shaky performances. Just the previous week she had rendered a version of "Laila Mien Laila" so horrifically out of tune (3:30 in this vid) that it sounded like the opening bars of an alley cat symphony.

More horrors! One after one fellow contestants Kapil Thappa and then Sourabhee were ushered into the safe zone. And when the final name was read, Torsha jumped up for joy and that smile on Rajdeep's face - well it looked more frozen than a Slurpee.

So why did Indian Idol 4 lose all its good singers? To that question you might say: dude, you are missing the point. II4 has never been about good singers. Its been about decent enough singers who could be good. And to that I'll say: fair enough. But its still a singing competition - and you can only get so far unless you have a good set of pipes on you.

Let's zero in on the judges shall we? II4 has four of them: Anu Malik, Javed Akhtar, Kailash Kher and Sonali Behl. Anu and Javed are the card carrying members. The other two are temps - or at least in their first season. Both Anu and Javed bring tons of experience with them. This makes them ideal judges. But they are also - how to say this politely - professorial. Which is perfectly ok until we get to the root issue.

All season long, Indian Idol 4 has resembled a classroom. Students come in, take a test (i.e. perform) and then the teachers have a go at them. Like all teachers the II4 judges also seem have students they love and who can do no wrong and students who they hate and who can do no right.

What used to happen to teachers' pets? Most people in class disliked them - I remember issuing mock gags whenever a teacher used to issue a radiant smile at her favorite just for showing up. And what about teachers' whipping boys? I found myself rooting for them.

Rajdeep was the teacher's pet on II4. Sure he sang well, but even on occassions that he issued thanda performances the judges genuflected in his presence.

On the other side of the fence, an early season disagreement with Javed Akhtar landed Kapil Thappa in the hot zone. The judges played gilli danda with the poor guys emotions - berating for him for acceptable performances. At one point this got to be so silly that the charming train wreck of the season - Remo Ghosh - would molest a song and get green lights all over the place. Kapil would come in and do a decent job and he'd be staring down the barrell of a gun.

This kind of judge contestant dynamic existed in the previous season as well. But it was offset by the fact that the judges often got into fights - thus dispelling the notion that they were adults for long enough to not let the Classroom of Doom fiza to settle in. This year the regal Sonali Behl seems to have had a calming effect on everyone, inadvertantly issuing the show a disservice because now the judges don't appear so juvenile.

Add the fact that Anu has been getting petulant with the voting audience. Often he's lost his temper at the voting junta for not dispensing their duties correctly and not understanding music and sur. This often ended up looking like (a) he was digging into the viewers for not agreeing with him and (b) he was a teacher who played favorites with one student and looked down on the rest of the school! You could just feel the voting audience squirming in their seats.

If judging the man rather than the performance is the fastest way to lose credibility with the audience, disrespecting them is the fastest way to establish battle lines. As far as phaltu Drift theories go - mine is that the way the judges positioned themselves this year did poor Rajdeep in.

The audience voted for Kapil because the guy came out with full confidence, sang his heart out and just swallowed hard when the judges called him bhulla bura. They voted for Sourabhee because she is this year's Indian Idol. They voted for Torsha because they didn't empathize enough with Rajdeep (after all, didn't he already have the judges on his side?).

None of this bugs or bothers me. The entertainment quotient of Indian Idol 4 has steadily gone up with the season, thanks to the hosts and ironically enough the judges themselves. Its poised to deliver a fine finale. Entertainment, rather than delivering a genuine breakout star, may well be Indian Idol's destiny.

Rating Indian Idol 4

2009-01-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

If Indian Idol 4 were a map this year, someone seems to have gone over it with an eraser and deleted all the talent markers. Sure the producers have been working hard to jazz up the contestants - I once saw a contestant strumming a guitar on a decked out moon - but there is no real replacement for voice and personality. Add to that those nutty, commercial inserts that stop the show dead in its track and bump up the eye roll factor.

Fortunately, the Indian Idol staff in front of the camera is having a banner year - having risen to the challenge of providing the entertainment missing from the contestants. Let's see how everyone has been doing, shall we?

The Hosts

We've talked about Meiyang Chang before and his hiring as co-host was an early win for the creative team. But just as importantly Hussain Kuwajerwala has filled in the considerable void left by last year's co-host Mini Mathur. Its hard to walk the line between classy and goofy bindaas - but Hussain seems to be able to do that, pulling off even the most staged dialogs with just the right amount of cheese. Week after week he shows us what a great clothes hanger he is - be it an outfit that is innovative or just plain confounding.

Best of all, he's great at hustling eliminated singers with respect for both the contestants and us, the viewers, who have to put up with the same sob drama every week.

Anu Malik

By embracing his inner curmudgeon and positioning himself as the blustery but loving Daddy, Anu Malik made himself entertaining on Indian Idol 4. He's still maddeningly inconsistent in his judgments - picking people rather than performances. But its part of his allure - and because he's not exactly separating the wheat from the chaff, how he judges is immaterial on this show.

Off and on he'll lose his temper - especially when he senses baghawat on the show. But for the most part he comes across as a short tempered, yaar-dildaar types. And this is good positioning - because look how many people like Salman Khan.

Javed Akhtar

This year's most entertaining hasti on the show, Javedbhai cut loose this year in the auditions. Faced with a sea of very modestly talented hopefuls, Javedbhai let a bunch of them have it. (Pri has a great collection of Javed zingers on her blog)

Lately he's developed the "Javedbhai Look of Encouragement". This look basically says "we all know you are as close to being a real singer as a watermelon is to a banana" while wonderful words of cheer come out of his mouth. He retains a sweet articulateness (his mini-speech at his birthday celebration left me touched) but also unleashes his ire periodically. "You kept your feet within your sheets" he admonished poor Kapil Thappar once "but that sheet wasn't spread out much in the first place!"

Speaking of which, Javedbhai: that Kapil is such an endearing boy - leave him alone, na?

Kailash Kher

Kailash fills the spot of "giant singer hasti" on the show. But he's turned out to be such a Pillsbury doughboy that he simply won't pull anyone up - even when the contestant has clearly declared war on sur. This leaves me disappointed, not to mention feeling cheated. What is the point of having a mahasinger on the show (and clearly Kailash has proved that he is), if all he will do is find words to avoid saying the inevitable, which is: you suck!

Heck, if we needed a cheerleader on the show, we could just have hired Celina Jaitley and given her pom poms.

Sonali Behl

Sonali's done what I didn't think a woman could do on Indian Idol - held her own without shedding class. It helps that she is majorly gorgeous, but more importantly her no-nonsense approach means that no one walks all over her.

Key to all of this is how she's placed on the judges panel. Pushing Anu Malik to the end of the table means Anu has only one alliance he can form - that with his neighbor Kailash Kher. And Kailash is too nice to gang up on anyone. Shorn of allies, Anu is much easier to keep in check and because Sonali sits right down the middle she just turns her head around towards Javedbhai and Kailash to recruit them to her point of view.

Did I also mention that she looks hot?

Why Meiyang Chang will save Indian Idol 4 (If SONY will let him) - An Exclusive Drift Interview

2008-11-07T01:05:00.002-06:00

Let's not mince words: Indian Idol is under siege. It's failed to throw up a genuine superstar in any of its seasons save the first one.

Its contestants have struggled to make a mark in the music biz. Some have had playback opportunities that haven't gone anywhere. Others have tried to make a name for themselves on the reality show circuit. But might I remind everyone that the name of show is Indian Idol, not Indian Hopeful! In the rising face of competition, both from other reality shows and shows that produce big names - Idol ended last season with the risk of being overrun.

Worse was to come. Idol started season 4 with a clutch of raw, inexperienced singers. And in the early Piano rounds, it lost almost all the really good ones. Crisis mode, engage!

But Idol 4 got one thing right: inviting Meiyang Chang to host the auditions and then promptly extending the offer to continue through the Piano rounds.

Meiyang's tall, easy rider presence has been a sparkling one - he's struck up a bromance with co-host Hussain and his punchy introductions inject much needed life into the show. He is able to mingle easily among the contestants - allowing their stories to come to the fore (the show's USP) but still commands respect from them and the judges.

Forget the guys who have won the competition, Meiyang has the potential to be the show's biggest idol since Abhijit Sawant. And if SONY is watching the same show I am, they'll be quick to recognize this and invite Meiyang to host the Galas for them.

I invited Meiyang to stop by the Drift and tell us about what life has been like on Indian Idol this season. And he's so engaging that a short exchange turned into a long one and we added in pictures from Meiyang's personal photo album in as well.

NOTE: All pictures and their captions are the property of Meiyang Chang. Don't copy those without his permission. The text in this article on the other hand, is mine and something you can go to town with. Here is the Drift Copyright for reference.

AspisDrift.com: Meiyang, how did you end up hosting Indian Idol this year?

Meiyang: After Idol 3, I was fortunate to be approached by Sony BMG to sign up for Artiste Management as well form a Boy Band with two others, the perks of which were having our own music album and videos.

Six months passed by, performing live and meeting people, learning the ropes. In this entire period, it was impossible to let go of the memories of the life altering time I had spent as a contestant in Indian Idol 3. I wanted to be associated with the show once again, but I wondered how it would be possible, since as per the format of the show, I am not allowed to participate again.

Around March 2008, I came to know that the auditions of Indian Idol 4 would be held shortly. I was excited and called up Mini Mathur ma'am, our host for last year and was excitedly chatting her up, telling her how eager I was to see her on the show again. It was she who told me that she was not doing the show this year due to personal reasons and that Hussain sir was not available for the auditions period. There was an audition going on FOR the person who would host the auditions! Many prominent TV personalities were being discussed.

At this point I thought, THIS would be a perfect manner to be re-associated with the show I love the most. But at the same time, I also knew how fruitless my attempt could have been, considering the names that were up for grabs. Still, having my record of popularity last year, plus the fact that I am a decent orator and my looks are novel and work for me, and that I am part of the show, I put forward a request to the production house to consider me.

After watching me audition, they were impressed but thought I'd do a better job in a younger show like something on MTV, and that I looked too 'young' (I guess they wanted to say not authoritative-looking enough) for a premium show like Indian Idol. I was dejected but took heart from the fact that I had made a good impression.

Fortune shone upon me and within 2 weeks time I got a call telling me I was in. I thank the channel and the production house for taking the risk of casting someone who was a newcomer and who also did not fit the image they had for an Indian Idol anchor, a gamble that thankfully seems to have gone down well with the viewing audience. The channel also tweaked the format of the show since Idol does not accomodate ex-contestants as anchors in any of the versions worldwide.

Initially, I was offered only the auditions phase which was a hurricane - hectic and fast paced!!! But then they decided to continue with me in the Ru-Ba-Ru segment as well. The biggest surprise came when they called me to co-host the Piano rounds with Hussain sir (who was back by now) as an equal! Now I'm anxiously waiting to see whether they retain me for the rest of the show as well

AspisDrift.com: What is a typical week for you like schedule-wise these days?

Meiyang: I shoot three days a week for Indian Idol that includes two days for Piano rounds and one day for Ru-Ba-Ru. These three days are extremely unstable in terms of timings. We always try to shoot smoothly and finish within the stipulated time but depending on the technical acuity, celebrities joining us and many other unavoidable things, the end-time always fluctuates.

I usually take 1-2 days off completely to relax or spend time with friends and family. Of course, the remaining days go into music classes, daily chores, networking (and being in a humongous traffic city like Mumbai, every simple chore takes an eternity to finish).

As of now, all my concentration is on Indian Idol. I have live shows lined up in the next few months, and am also going through a couple of movie scripts. I wouldn't say I'm a very busy man. I'm living a chilled out life but am raring to find more work and slog it out!

AspisDrift.com: What is co-host Hussain like to work with?

Meiyang: I would like to thank Hussain sir immensely for giving me the confidence that radiates on screen. Working with Deepali for auditions was easy since we're good friends and at par. But he is someone who's been in the industry for a long time and has carved a niche for himself on television. And I knew him as a TV personality then and was completely in awe of him.

I remember the first day I met him I told him "The problem is how do I address you on the show, because I'm used to calling you sir?"

And he said, "Brother, in terms of achievement you might be my junior, but on this show we are equals. And from now on, let's be friends rather than junior and senior"

And that's how, he came up with the idea of "Partner-Buddy" to make it comfortable for both of us. He has taken immense pressure off my mind and constantly keeps giving me tips without being preachy. He is extremely supportive. We share many light moments on the sets where we talk about anything under the sun (read- studio lights lol ;) - from judges to contestants to our future plans to fitness etc.

Very few people would be so generous as to let a newcomer get equal standing and make them so comfortable, and he is one of them. And I'm immensely grateful and love him for that

How Indian Idol singer Bhavin Dhanak is building his career one song at a time - An Exclusive Drift Interview

2008-10-15T01:37:00.001-05:00

What happens to talented singers when they drop out of the race early on one of Indian TV's premier singing competitions?

When Bhavin Dhanak started last year's Indian Idol 3 in the Piano Round, he instantly went to the top of the class. And it was easy to see why: he had rugged good looks, a playback ready voice and a standout ability to stay in sur.

Yet Bhavin was one of the first to fall victim to audience voting. Horrified at this, the judges quickly brought him back via wild card. But Bhavin could never gather enough SMS support, making his final bow from the show before the Gala Round kicked in.

Its been over a year since Bhavin has been working to make it in Bollywood. I've kept tabs on his career: he's always extremely amiable and forthright and I am very happy to have him share his story with everyone on the Drift.

AspisDrift.com: Hi Bhavin, it's been a while since we heard your voice widely but it was good hearing you on Ek Rupaiya from Krazzy 4. Tell us a little bit about how you ended up singing on that song.

Bhavin: Hi Aspi, I know its been quite sometime now, I was restless too. Well Ek Rupaiya happened quite easily actually. I didn’t expect it to be that simple.

I had my voice recorded on a CD, I sent that CD to Rajesh Roshan through a friend who works for him. He heard it, called me for a rehearsal, and that’s it. A week after that I recorded the song.

It was a very overwhelming experience, when I was in the recording room, about to start the recording, Rakesh Roshan entered the monitor room to join Rajesh Roshan, along with Javed Akhtar. I was so nervous, shivering. But I was comfortable when I was okayed on the first take itself, and I heard Rakesh Roshan praising me in front of Javed Saab, who by the way already knew me because of II3. After that it was a cakewalk.

AspisDrift.com: It’s been over a year since Indian Idol. How did you end up on the show to begin with?

Bhavin: Well Indian Idol was something that always fascinated me. I had seen people’s life change in just 6 months being on the show. I had auditioned for Indian Idol 2 also, but didn’t get through. But after that I had decided there’s no looking back now. I trained hard for almost a year, and auditioned in II3, and got through all the audition rounds and reached the Piano rounds.

AspisDrift.com: Tell us a little bit about the process of singing on Indian Idol. How do the songs get selected? How do you get ready for the performance?

Bhavin: Well the song selection is done by a music manager appointed by Sony. Basically the participants have to write down, on a piece of paper, a list of songs they are very good with, and give them to the music manager. The music manager (who has by now heard all participants so she knows who sings what) then decides which song will suit who.

I was pretty lucky with my song selections coz I got exactly what I had asked for. That’s probably because I knew exactly what genre I was good at and what genre I was not.

AspisDrift.com: After the first few weeks, who did you think were the most likely to win the show?

Bhavin: Honestly I was pretty sure some people were definitely reaching the top 10, Emon, Chang, Pooja, Deepali, Amit, Prashant were few whom I had expected, and they did. I also expected Shantanu, Padmanav, Harshida, Aisha and of course myself to be in the top 10 too, but that didn’t happen.

AspisDrift.com: What was the biggest thing you learned on the show that you used after you left it?

Bhavin: On the show I think, up till my first performance, I was competing with the other, but after my first performance went off really well, I got some very positive comments from the judges and my co-contestants, after that the competion was with myself, I wanted to sing better than my first performance, and better in the next.

In this whole process of competing with my own performances, I realized where I stood in terms of singing caliber and potential. I knew what my flaws were, and what my good points were, and after my elimination, I worked extensively on my flaws, and polished my good points. Also, I think I took home a lot of self confidence.

When I perform today, it’s a totally different Bhavin Dhanak than before. I am never nervous, never jittery, I always enjoy myself when I perform, and for all that, all the credit goes to my experience on the show.

AspisDrift.com: Any special incidents or moments that you remember from Indian Idol?

Bhavin: A lot of things happened when I was a part of the show, and fortunately everything good.

One special incident I remember was between Amit Paul and me, when both of us were in the wild card, and waiting for our results, which was the next day, I remember the piano rounds and the Galas, both happened in the RK studios, but there were different sets, so when we were in the wild card round, just round the corner from our sets, the gala sets were being readied, and Amit and me would go there almost everyday and imagine ourselves on that stage.

I remember once when Amit had tears in his eyes and he asked me, “yaar bhavin mein is stage pe perform karunga na yaar?” and I had told him “of course tu perform karega.” And look where he is today.

Amit, Prashant, Shantanu, Roshan and me were the best of friends on the show, and are very close even now.

AspisDrift.com: If you could turn the clock back, would you do anything on Idol differently?

Bhavin: Well, if I could turn the clock back, I would not even think of changing anything in the way I sang at the show, but yes I think I would definitely change the way I was on camera during the time we stayed at the hotel.

I was quite reserved, and camera shy. I couldn’t really do anything except sing, I never tried to mimic, or say anything funny, or got into a controversy, so I was never given enough footage, and maybe that’s the reason I didn’t get any votes, because the people watching the show, saw me singing straightaway in the piano rounds, I didn’t connect with anyone.

I think if I would’ve changed the way I spoke in front of the camera, I would make sure all the attention was on me, all the time.

AspisDrift.com: Who do you like more as a singer from the final two: Amit Paul or Prashant Tamang?

Bhavin: As a singer I would have to say Amit Paul, Prashant is still raw and untrained. Though even Amit has not had any formal training, but he had been singing professionally even before Indian idol, so he had his practice I guess.

AspisDrift.com: Ok, so once you left Indian Idol, did Sony or the people at Indian Idol help with your career?

Bhavin: Well that’s something that I was disappointed with. I didn’t really get any support from the channel, I had to struggle, I had to meet people everyday with my demo and show reel, and look for work. And I finally got work and proved my metal, so I kept getting work without the help of the channel.

But yes, I would definitely not deny the fact that one of the reasons I got work was because I was a part of Indian Idol 3, I was seen on TV that’s why people know me today, and I am really grateful to Indian Idol for that.

AspisDrift.com: What was your early struggle after Idol like? How did you get started with doing shows?

Bhavin: Well as I said earlier, it was not very easy to get work, in the start, there were lots of reasons, one being that it was not the shows season at that time. So it was a very frustrating period, because I had got out early from the show, and was at home for almost a month without any work.

But during that time, I met a lot of people, who could give me potential shows, and finally I started getting shows. I was not doing as good as maybe Amit Paul, Emon or Prashant, but I was doing work that I was happy with.

AspisDrift.com: Have you been interested in doing any of the music Reality TV shows?

Bhavin: I was very keen on Saregamapa before I got through Indian Idol. Because that’s what gave me the push I needed. But at that time, I didn’t think I was good enough for it. I think the standard of singers on SaReGaMa is higher than any other reality show.

AspisDrift.com: Your break in Krazzy 4 came via a demo tape. What is on that demo tape? How was it recorded?

Bhavin: On my demo, I’ve got three songs. One’s Aatif Aslam’s “Aadat”, the other one’s Euphoria’s “Mayeri”, and then there’s Shaan’s “Musu musu hasi”. I got the minus one tracks (only music, without vocals) for these songs, hired a friend’s studio, and recorded the songs.

AspisDrift.com: What are your strengths as a singer? What type of songs do you think you would excel at?

Bhavin: As a singer I think my strengths are my voice, my ability to sing Western as well as Indian classical songs, and my grasping power, that helps me learn a new tune by listening to it just once, which is very important for playback singing in today’s time. I think I would really excel at soft romantic love songs, as well as the peppy numbers.

I really wish if I get a sad song to sing though, I think a good sad song is an instant hit, look at Aadat, Tadap Tadap Ke, etc.

AspisDrift.com: Could you name three recent songs that you absolutely loved and said to yourself: "I wish I could have sung those?"

Bhavin: I think the most recent one is Kehne ko Jashn e Bahara from Jodha Akbar, sung beautifully by Javed Ali, Kabhi Kabhi Aditi from Jaane tu sung by Rashid, and Rubaroo from RDB, sung by Naresh Iyer. I also wish I could’ve got to sing Maa from Taare Zameen Par.

AspisDrift.com: Who do you think are the hottest music directors in the business right now - those that all up and coming singers want to sing for (apart from A. R. Rahman of course)?

Bhavin: Well I think the new breed of music directors that have come in the market are all brilliant. Be it Pritam, Vishal n Shekhar, Vishal Bhardwaj, Monty Sharma, Anand Raj Anand, and of course Shankar Ehsaan Loy.

Apart from them, there are also some new people out there who have proved their talent, like Mithoon, whose given music in films like Anwar, The Train, Bas ek Pal, etc. then there’s Amit Trivedi, who gave music in the brilliant movie Aamir.

I can personally recommend Amit Trivedi, and I am so sure this guy is going a long, long way, I can say this because I have worked with him, and he is a powerhouse of talent.

AspisDrift.com: Finally, any advice for aspiring singers who want to make it in Indian music?

Bhavin: Well I think I am too small to be giving advice to aspiring singers, because I am still an aspiring singer myself, waiting for that big break. But whatever I’ve learnt through my experience is, while being a good singer is most important; it is also important how you are as a person.

I think you should never let fame and money get into your head, coz the faster it gets to your head, the faster you are going to hit the ground. I take Shaan and AR Rehman, as examples. They have achieved so much in life, they have made their presence felt world over, yet they are the most humble and down to earth people I’ve ever met.

How to be an Indian Idol

2007-09-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

While Prashant Tamang's win on Indian Idol 3 wasn't a surprise coming when it did, the fact that it came against a strong contender - Amit Paul, and that this "upset" happened for the second time in a row should be enough to make you wonder what it takes to be an Idol.

There is no formula or even multiple formulas, but we can attempt to look closely at why Prashant scored to see if there is something worth emulating for contestants to follow. Note other explanations about regional voting abound - I'm going to ignore them, they aren't interesting enough for me.

Have at least something worth talking about. Prashant's ability to hold sur and taal might have been second best to Amit Paul's but he did have an extraordinarily sweet voice. When he got everything right, he sounded terrific and the junta was willing to forgive everything else.

Have a decent backstory. Member of the Police Force is a nationally unifying theme that everyone can identify with - especially now that Manmohan Desai isn't around to abuse them in every movie.

Make mistakes, just keep them under control. Prashant sometimes would miss a beat, he would lose sur, his taal would go for a six. But these were minor infractions that humanized him - making him an underdog to root for.

Keep a low, steady profile. While other contestants jumped up to grab the limelight, Prashant plugged away steadily - concentrating on singing and making sure he only projected one personality - his own. Significantly this allowed him to ride out the natural ebb and flow of popularity that all other contestants were subjected to.

Set a standard only slightly above average. In other words, stand out but don't head to the top of the class early on. This allowed Prashant to escape the harsh standard of judging from the likes of Anu Malik and Javed Akhtar that saw Emon and Deepali getting braised and eventually kicked off the show.

Be nice and smile a lot. This simple dudeness that Prashant projected endeared him to many. More importantly in the later rounds when he became a serious contender, it allowed him to ride the judges taanes with grace. As the judges got into their own popularity ebb, this then developed into a serious "lets vote for Prashant and stick it to those judges" feeling that ran through the fans.

Will Prashant make it big as a singer? Going by the law of averages, the chances are slim. But in the end its an irrelevant question. The whole "Bharat ki Shaan" is an artificial sleight of drama given to what is essentially reality entertainment. And for us to see it as anything but would be deluding ourselves.

Indian Idol 3 Grand Finale

2007-09-23T23:15:00.000-05:00

Priya, who loves TV and Prashant Tamang wrote this after the Grand Finale.

I am giddy, I am silly
I am a fan, of this man

The judges were pissed
Some of the audience hissed
But he kept his cool
And proved no fool

Forever humble
Never did he stumble
Flashing that smile
All the while

When he cried on his friend's shoulders,
I hope his success knew no borders

For he is truly a gem well deserving of this fame
And I hope that one day you'll all think the same

A unanimous candidate

2007-09-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

Beth points us to this piece by Soumyadip on how Shillong has turned loony in the wake of the upcoming Indian Idol 3 mahayuddh. Bonus: childhood pics of Amit Paul.

Amit Paul is already an icon in Shillong. Almost everyone is talking about him all the time. From the barber to the taxi driver, the point of discussion is Amit. Giant screens have put all over the city so that people can watch 'their boy' in action. MLAs and MDCs (Member of District Council) are falling over one another to sponsor free PCOs from where the public can punch in their votes for Amit.

Goal or Gol Maal??

2007-09-18T10:22:00.000-05:00

Regular reader Mind Rush speculates on the togetherness of John and Bipasha based on their appearance on Indian Idol. Stardust just called, they want to start a new column called Mind Rush's Musings

Like many others who believed the rumors, I confess I was convinced that Bips had dumped John and found Ronaldo. So I was hugely shocked/surprised/thrilled to see them on the II3 show. They looked fabulous, individually and together. So does that put the nasty rumors to rest? Not so fast, buddy...

This was the first time that I got to see John Abraham and Bipasha Basu interacting with each other. However as much as I want to say “jodi salaamat rahe” I could not help wondering if “something happened” in their relationship. I base this on a few observations.

First, like the Bard say: ”the lady doth protest too much...” They were trying too hard to show that they were a couple. Cleverly inserted dialogue indicated to the audience that Bips hears him sing day and night (read: “We are together”) The “mother-in-law” also came to the show as part of the happy family (read: “We are together”) More comments about John did this, John did that (read: “We are together”)

But there were other pieces of their on-stage interaction that raised red flags. A couple of times when the topic of other women came up John looked very uncomfortable and Bips looked tense. Then she lightened up but her comment about John being bitten and pinched was almost said in a manner so as to provoke or embarrass John and not support him. Hmmm...what’s going on?

If I were a writer for Stardust I would at this point quote some unnamed close friend of the couple. This supposed secret source would verify that the couple broke up because John had an affair and then Bipasha found solace in the arms of a sympathetic Ronaldo. The souce would go on to confirm that the couple have broken up and moved on but remain friends and temporarily are making joint appearances to promote the movie.

In the end, it all worked out. The II3 show was a huge success. The couple looked awesome. I will definitely go see their new movie.

Lekin tera kya hoga, Ronaldo?

Anon points us to this five-escort celebration by Ronaldo

Indian Idol 3 Top 2: Saved by His & Her Hotness

2007-09-17T06:33:00.000-05:00

Forget Abhiwarya, for me John Abraham and Bipasha Basu have always been Bollywood's First Couple. Why? It's hard to imagine two people without too many filmi family connections bucking the odds to emerge with successful careers and a long-standing relationship.

John may not win an Oscar but he is a fine physical actor if you ask me: he's terribly underappreciated in Bollywood where you have to act with every fiber of your face (exhibits A & B: Shahrukh Khan and Ritwik Roshan). Bips on the other hand managed to look graceful even in the high-crass No Entry - an outstanding achievement in the face of overwhelming odds like Fardeen Khan and Celina Jaitley.

Plus, there's always the Building gossip that tells me that John shows up 10pm-ish almost daily and takes Bips on long motorcycle drives in the night. Such romanchuk behavior is noteworthy.

And I was double glad they showed up on Indian Idol 3 on the second show of the weekend because Rubaroo and the show has lately been putting me to sleep. I'm not sure what did it but it started with last week's Rubaroo in which the rather unfortunately named JoJo showed up wearing a fanny pack and revealed a penchant for pointing everywhere, especially up (hey, didn't your Mom tell you its rude?). Then this week the Top 2 featured a "live" performance vibe, Hussain yelling into a mike (like my Dad on the phone whenever someone would call from London) and a rather sweaty Sanjay Dutt looking like he had arrived straight from the gym without stopping at the showers.

But in the John & Bips episode, this whole soccer theme to tie in with their new flick Dhana Dhan Dhan...Goal was pretty crafty. If you're going to shill, this is the way to do it. Work hard to do something creative and then give us two lovely people with great chemistry to look at.

On to the singing: Amit Paul delivered fine performances and looked very much the Indian Idol that the judges have been hoping he'll become. However, two things happened that rocked Amit's boat and neither of them was the terrible headband-wristband combo that I thought had died out since Mark Knopfler left Dire Straits and wisely embraced Alt Country.

First, Prashant Tamang happened. Evenly and quietly, the guy has been weathering all the storms that come his way. His good-natured straight-lacedness has allowed him to motor along at a fine mid-tempo and avoid the peaks and valleys that other contestants suffered from. And on this week's show his song selection was outstanding. In particular, "Aashiq Banaya" not only suited his voice and stretched his range, but it is sure to be a hit with the SMS generation.

Second, the dog ate Amit Paul's lyrics. Pretty badly. So badly in fact that Javed Akhtar's comparing that gaffe with Prashant's earlier missing of a single beat and calling the score even was scarcely credible.

Time and again Amit has bombed at critical moments. Is he afraid of success? Does he have ADD? Did he forget to turn his cell phone off? Who knows! But add to all this the fact that Prashant has always been a storehouse of SMS votes, this could well be the slip that cost Amit the Idolship.

Also:

sidekick tells us that Emon and Deepali are recording for Anu Malik

raj would like to see the II judges undergo judge training next year

Sania wants her sweetu Parleen back!

Meg wants us to support a wild card for Arshpreet on VoI

Priya explains the appeal of Prashant Tamang

Anju points us to a John and Bips interview on Koffee with Karan and mentions how upset she is with "that crazy woman Alisha"

qwitiqqx reports on the results of Himesh's master plan

Indian Idol 3 final stretch frenzy

2007-09-14T10:06:00.000-05:00

The Times of India reports in a piece called Hills go into Indian Idol frenzy on its front page today:

Perfectly sober people, including senior bureaucrats and ministers, are doing bizarre things to get either Amit Paul from Shillong or Prashant Tamang from Darjeeling voted as India's next singing sensation.

Announcements are being made during football matches, marriage ceremonies and birthday parties to see either of the two singers through. Some ministers are exhorting voters to send SMSs in favour of their favourite crooner; others have booked PCOs for the job.

Even former militants are allegedly browbeating residents to vote for the local star.

Can this Indian Idol judge be saved?

2007-09-04T09:16:00.000-05:00

Javed Akhtar has a personae that has been built up over the years: a kurta toting poet of fluency and intellect. A man who writes with his head but always with a rose in one hand. He commands a lot of respect - just take a look at his lead in our poll.

But for the last few episodes on Indian Idol 3, that crown has been slipping. And last week, Javed Akhtar threw a horrific tantrum that lasted two shows and - despite Mind Rush's hilarious theory - shook the faith of his fans.

Can this judge be saved? Have I ever held back on phaltu advice? Here goes.

Javedbhai, don't put pressure on yourself by trying to sound intelligent all the time. See when you do that, you'd better walk a straight line. No double standards, no chamchaagiri - that kind of stuff. Otherwise you come across as pompous. We know you can't do it. So sometimes - instead of trying to force an equation between a spunky girl's performance and the state of bharatiya naaris, just smile and have some fun. Say something silly. Heck, even say Mindblowing if that's what it takes.

On the other hand, forget Mindblowing and please keep saying umda and uttam - both words you've used and which I like a lot!

More respect, less chamchaagiri. And I'm talking about Alisha and Udit here - both of whom have been taking your barbs with good humor and enhancing their reputation. If Amit Paul bombs, we won't think less of you for saying it. If Anu Malik spouts more of his confouding theories, we'd think highly of you if you called him on it.

Occasionally allow yourself to think that others might be right. For example, if Sonu Nigam says Emon doesn't sing like him, allow yourself to believe it instead of insisting Sonu was fibbing.

Lose your temper more maturely. Otherwise you end up sounding like Richa Aneja who you once reduced to tears for her bachpanaa. You get my point?

You always hold me spellbound when you dig up some stories from the past about Indian artistes. You're someone whose career longevity spans three generations. How about putting it to good use and entertaining us all?

And finally, definitely wear those sparkling kurtas. I'm digging them. Really, where can I get some?

Since I've been accused before of hating sexy people, please also do read Mind Rush and Bong hits the bong's excellent defense of Judge Javed.

Javeda Zindagi on Indian Idol 3 Gala Round

2007-09-01T23:44:00.001-05:00

Amit Varma once said on India Uncut that Javed Akhtar could spout philosophy about a shoelace. And ever since then, I've always been particularly amused whenever Javed tries his best to say something insightful about what is essentially a straight situation week after week. And this week was the most entertaining he's ever been on the show.

It went down like this.

In what was called the "Judges Round", the judges picked a song for each contestant. Then the contestant picked a song from among those choices and sang it. Alisha helped out the contestants here by offering choices that suited them. Amit Paul and Prashant Tamang both took her up and delivered fine performances. Then, Ankita picked Anu Malik's choice. And finally Emon decided to sing Udit Narayan's choice. All of this left Javed Akhtar looking like he needed a hug.

Mini Mathur, never one to miss poking the judges, pointed this out. "How would I know" said Javed "The singers picked, so they would know". Now for some funny reason this reminded me of a regular conversation between my childhood langotia yaar and his Mum which went something like this. Mum: "Babloo, how come you flunked math again!", Babloo: "How would I know, Mummy. The teacher gave the marks, ask her!" I know I have a point in here somewhere.

Thus when Emon finished, the garajte baadal finally burst and Javed let the poor guy have it. "Sing in your own voice!" he said to a thoroughly confounded Emon. A bit of an arguing frenzy ensued. Here Emon did something smart. Realizing that the situation was out of his hands he hung his chastised head - a smart way to seek any sympathy votes that might be there for the taking. Aneek, you might have competition here.

Later Emon sang a song by Kishore Kumar. This time Javed khush hua. But that wasn't the end of it.

In the next show Emon took his now-perpetual spot in the danger zone. And when the choices had been whittled down to two, Javed picked up the mike and first delivered a somewhat overwrought message about how he'd like to see Ankita in the final three because it would represent the advancement of naaris and then proceeded to verbally beat the crap out of Emon.

"Dekhiye" he admonished "He won't make it as a performer because he's bad at it! And because he sounds so much like Sonu Nigam, he'll never be a playback singer!"

Ouch! Man, what a meanie! Briefly Anu Malik tried to defend Emon but Javed was so pissed at the general lack of love by then that he started doing something I've seen my little boys do - talk over each other. Maybe next time he'll plug his ears with his fingers and go "la la la". That'll be fun!

Couple of things that touched me on that show. First, when Javed's sister - who was a guest on the show and lives in Chicago - said she turned on the TV to watch the show whenever she missed her brother, she made me go hai and wish I had a sister. And when Malik's little girl Anmol surprised her father by coming on stage and belting out a number, Anu turning to putty made me feel both old and choked up.

Mini and Hussain, what's with the lame fake flirting? Get a room or get a rakhee. But cut out the nok-jhok, its unnecessary!

Finally, congratulations to Drift poll voters whose faith in Ankita's exit was rewarded, but boy she really showed us for three long weeks, didn't she?

Indian Idol 3 Rubaroo: Bhraata ya Boyfriend

2007-08-31T10:48:00.000-05:00

When I was nine years old, being an only child, one Rakshabandhan the school decided to make an example of me. They had the most chikna girl in school tie a rakhee on my wrist in front of everyone during assembly. Not only was this a tremendous emotional adjustment for me to make but cruel lukkhas teased me relentlessly for years afterwards calling me "maal ka bhai".

Despite considering it to be a touching and wonderful custom, one can understand the subconscious apprehension I feel whenever Rakshabandhan approaches.

Now this whole "bhai or premi" thing on music reality shows has been most amusing. Whenever someone talks about a potential romance between anyone, the girls jump to tie imaginary rakhees on the boys. Remember Richa Aneja and how she announced she was Prashant Tamang's "sister"? That was pretty funny! But whatever happened to just being friends?

Am I the only guy who is creeped out by someone feeling out a girl for a date and then settling to be her relative? And wasn't it a little too weird for guest Leslie Lewis to ask Ankita to romance her newly rakhee brothers? Having said that Ankita may have croaked through "Pyaar kiya" but her serenading the boys was both bold and cute.

Now over to the Drift memsaab (that would be the wife) for her take: Mini seems to be playing matchmaker for Deepali and Chang. And wow, Chang dropped a bombshell when he admitted he was going to meet Deepali! Maybe he's going with a proposal! It would be so cute if they got together. In fact, the best finale for Indian Idol 3 would be if they announced their engagement.

Sure, given that there's hardly good singers around.

Indian Idol 3 Gala - Pretenders and Contenders

2007-08-26T02:04:00.000-05:00

It's never good news for a show struggling for good singers like II3 to end up with three of its vocal luminaries in the bottom three. And the prospect of losing one for sure made everyone jittery this week - most of all host Mini Mathur who looked anxious, became snippy and looked ready to fall apart as she crossed her fingers for the unlucky name to be announced.

And that Chang caught the rough end of the voting is just another result because we are at a point where someone has to go and the judges have been drumming up Amit Paul and Emon as the two most talented contestants for weeks now. But the fact that he left before Ankita and maybe even Prashant might cause some to gnash their teeth. Speaking of which, Prashant continues to surprise me - he's still the only contestant who's never been in any kind of danger. Guess he does have an army of voters punching SMS short codes for him.

And before I go on to make fun of Alisha - her taking care of Chang touched me. If I was picking a team, I'd definitely want her on mine. But hey, at least we won't have to hear her "Chingu Mingu" anymore - which always somehow conjured up visions of a dancing monkey for me.

The evolution of Javed Akhtar as a judge on II3 has been noteworthy to watch. I'll start by saying I'm not a big fan - perhaps even envious of all the attention he gets. Hey, the last time I tried wearing a kurta and slung a bagalthela on my shoulder, the men laughed and the women rolled their eyes. Maybe its the Shabana Azmi halo that does the trick for him.

In any case, early on during the auditions, I would amuse myself by noting that Javed was a little too eager to give yellow passes to the girls. Later, with Anu Malik absent, he was the voice of reason as his co-judges Alisha and Udit went bananas praising anyone who as much as opened their mouth. His honest dressing down of a certain aspiring rock star had me jumping up in my seat and clapping. When Anu returned, Javed bid adieu to common sense and got to work on some solid chamchaagiri of the Mali.

None of this I mind. But when - without provocation - he chose to take what I thought was a rather nasty potshot at resident teddy bear Udit Narayan, it annoyed me no end. Fine Javedbhai - tell us about good singing. What would a premier singer like Udit know anyway? But I'm warning you, one of these days that guy is going to stop laughing and go postal.

So what was the momentum for the rest like on II3? Prashant is finding out that a voice like honey isn't enough to keep him out of trouble. His performance in the disco round, riding on the back of a poor song choice, sounded sweet but was very ordinary. Ankita's vocal nakhras on "Aap Jaisa Koi" (which I've come to hate as a song) sounded good to me. Amit put in his best singing in weeks and sounded close to peak form but Emon took a bit of a blow - choosing a terrific song but letting his voice dip into "Ek Chaturnaar" territory.

A glass half full on Indian Idol 3 Rubaroo

2007-08-24T07:33:00.000-05:00

My wife is way smarter than me. But while I won't concede that Javed Akhtar is awesome, Shabana Azmi is a goddess, Uttarakhand is better than Nargol or that Bongs are the most talented people on the planet - if she tells me she loved II3: Rubaroo yesterday, I'll admit perhaps there is something there. So while I was bored to tears, I'll try my best to see the glass half full here.

First, II3:R gives us the opportunity to listen to the singers without backup music. This gives you an excellent insight into their tonal quality and ability to hold a tune. There was a contrived game host Mini Mathur played with them early on where she would conjure up a situation and ask the contestants to sing a relevant song. This elicited a groan from me initially but listening to the kids sing was educating.

Second, there was "spontaneous" celebration of Mini Mathur's birthday. And this revealed a rather interesting aspect of her personality because normally a chatterbox, she seemed lost for words without looking like an overwhelmed mess - no sobbing, sniffling or on-demand fainting. Nice! Later her rather amiable husband Kabir Khan showed up - displaying all the energy of a 20W bulb. This is a good thing because he looked laid back enough to complement his partner.

Finally, I have a suggestion: since we are talking reality show here (within the recognized limits of reality these days), why not just take the camera inside the contestants' dorms and make it a half hour reality fest? Perhaps a day in the life of a contestant. Or the evolution of a performance from idea to execution. Or: now that one of you has been kicked out, what happens when you get back to the dorms? Who knows - I might even watch without annoying my wife with fake snores.

SRGMP and II3: Dosti and Dikhawa

2007-08-23T15:41:00.000-05:00

Right from the beginning Indian Idol 3 has focused on its contestants first, then the judges. This is a marked departure from SRGMP - where the gurus hold sway over the contestants.

But just like spontaneous social networks form around any given Web 2.0 scenario, so too have the contestants formed their own camaraderie. And more than the vogue-for-the-camera stuff that goes on in II3, I am beginning to enjoy the cute little things the singers do for each other on SRGMP.

Take vocal help for instance. How cool was it that both Sumedha and Mauli sang backup for Raja Hasan on Chinamma Chikamma recently? Or that both Hasan and Harpreet sang their hearts out for Poonam? And even the fake dholak-dafli thumping in the mehfil during the qawaali episode where everyone sat together and took their turn on the stage?

There are moments on II3 as well: watching Emon, Chang and Amit lounge around and uh, jam was one such instance as Mind Rush recently pointed out. But for the most part, thrusting a camera in the faces of the contestants and asking them about their friendship feels fake to me. Even less genuine, when contestants are ordered to show bhitoogiri to promote some product, like say, a scooter. Urk!

Indian Idol 3: An unbalanced equation

2007-08-18T23:26:00.000-05:00

This week's Indian Idol 3 contained one terrific moment which laid out the judges' power equation for all to see. Before the final performance of the show, Anu Malik was suddenly struck with inspiration (given his reputation this probably meant that he thought of some random previously recorded song). He burst out into tune - choosing curiously to imitate a trumpet to convey the sur. He then asked Javed Akhtar to pen the lyrics, which Javedbhai promptly did. Then Anu asked guest Sonu Nigam and Udit Narayan to sing a line each.

It's to host Mini Mathur's credit that she pointed out that Anu didn't give the remaining judge Alisha Chinai anything to sing. Anu laughed it off. But here is why the judging situation in Indian Idol 3 isn't working - the aces are all held by producers, or music directors like we call them. Film directors sign on producers, not singers. And producers sign on singers. In other words, between the singer and their roji-roti stands a producer. And often it can be this guy called Anu Malik.

Having said that, Sonu showed everyone how to handle Anu: chato him, state your opinion, then ignore Anu. Of course, doing that week in and week out can grate on anyone - even a teddy bear like Udit Narayan. I'm not a huge follower of Sonu in the Indian media so when my fellow bloggers tell me he is a egomanaical pain, I won't argue - I don't know any better. But I have always believed he's the best singer in India and with time we'll look on him as someone who surpassed even Mohammad Rafi (sorry, Mum).

His dismantling of the contestants' performances was absorbing and reminded me of Asha Bhonsle's brief stint on SRGMP which reached similar heights. He even awkwardly challenged Malik once, who gracefully conceded the point.

Now, the performers ebb and flow during the course of a show that lasts several weeks. I felt Emon was both outstanding and enjoyable this week. His stock is rising just as Prashant's is taking a beating. (Prashant still remains the only contestant to never get his feet wet in the danger zone). This is reflected in the Drift Stock Ticker for II3.

Finally, a word to the hosts: can we stop those uh, creative games during the segment you call "Results!" and I like to call the kiss-off? One of these days a contestant is going to refuse to leave because they can't be sure where the joke began and if it will ever end. Come to think of it - that could be a lot of fun. Carry on, then!

Indian Idol 3: Voice or Vivacity

2007-08-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Just when Indian Idol Rubaroo looked like it might have a future, it went and jumped on a grenade.

Early on in this week's show, some fan voicemails were played and emails read out. These were terrific to listen to - full of tacky jazbaat. Crudmonkey! I thought, is this the crowd I belong to now? And I must say that message for Chang sounded suspiciously like Bhumi to me. But I thought the entire show had some good fun with it including the contestants.

Yet more interesting was the minor catfight between Ankita and Puja about performance versus singing, prompted by the jhagda from the previous episode between the Teekhi Talwar and the Meethi Chhuri. Is this show about a singer who can perform or a performer who can sing?

Look at it this way: what is more likely to turn you off? A contestant who dances with uttam energy but sings like a cat on a hot tin roof or a contestant who can barely shake a leg but sings in perfect sur with a sweet voice? Right, I thought so.

It isn't a good sign whenever a guest who gets introduced provokes a "Who?" reaction. So when Sonia Mehra - daughter of Vinod Mehra (sounds like a matrimonal spot already) - showed up, it was apparent we were headed for a snoozefest.

Looking awkward and fidgety, Sonia Mehra tried to smile her way out of trouble. But man, that G is a tough act to follow and the show immediately sagged. Now turns out Sonia Mehra is pseudo-famous for a towel dance in her upcoming flick. Would it have killed Mini Mathur to have squeezed some fun out of that by bringing it up? But no! straight faced questioning ensued. Toothpicks couldn't have kept my eyelids up.

Aftershock and Hussainshock

2007-08-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of readers have emailed me and at least one reader left a comment asking about the outfitters who dress up Mini Mathur on Indian Idol 3. Mini - who seems to be a lover of blues and magentas - gets her closet filled on II3 from After Shock. The closest I can find anyone bearing that name on the web is a UK based designer and retailer called Aftershock (slightly different spelling, probably same shingle)

Now Aftershock lists a bunch of celebrity customers (including "several Miss UK's") but no Mini Mathur. So I might be wrong here. If I am, drop me a line and I'll be happy to correct this post. (UPDATE: Aftershock's Mumbai outlet at CrossRoads 2, Nariman Point, dug up by our web detective, Manish).

Co-host Hussain, on the other hand, recently popped up on the show having forgotten to put on his banyan. The resulting man-cleavage on a flowing kurta made him look like the love child of Keannu Reeves from Matrix and Himesh Reshammiya from Aap Ka Surroor. And this hurt my eyes.

Preemptively, let me say: anon, really, its not that I hate him for being sexy.

More Updates:

Sania tells us Hussain's wife Tina dresses him up for II3. The referenced article here.

Speaking of which, Ritha wants us to know that Bappi's wife packs his dabba and guess what she puts in it?

Indian Idol 3: The Gala turns blah

2007-08-11T09:20:00.001-05:00

Anyone who has played competitive sports will tell you that in any tournament its not just important to play well but to peak at the right time (right, England?). And up against its musically more accomplished competition - SRGMP and VoI, who seem to be picking up steam - Indian Idol 3 seems to have hit a rut.

The singing this week descended to bathroom level for the most part and the judges' naataks are becoming repetitive and tiresome (compare this to SRGMP who has fresh takes on jhagdas weekly).

Let's take the singers: Amit Paul is II3's luminary. Yet lately - aided by some misguided song selection - we've seen holes in his singing at a rate that could rival any Bollywood plot. Puja and Deepali have been reduced to nervous wrecks by Anu Malik and seem to have lost all josh and masti in their voices. Emon's inability to maintain his tonal quality when hitting the lows is now obvious. Ankita tries desperately to overcompensate for lack of sur (note to girl: never sing behind the judges - it's bad feng shui) And Prashant Tamang's singing now reminds me of a tightrope act - he could stumble and fall any second. The only exception to me seems to be Meiyang Chang - who has started singing well and choosing his songs carefully. He's smart enough that you think he knows when to peak.

And the judges: Udit Narayan's explosion - all 0.0005 tons of it - was interesting for a nanosecond. But both - Javed Akhtar's unprovoked and somewhat mean-spirited attack on Alisha and Udit and later Akhtar's chamchaagiri of Anu Malik running into rough weather over Prashant's singing - were promising but didn't go anywhere juicy.

This has got to be a headache for the producers. It's certainly giving me one.

Indian Idol 3 Rubaroo with G

2007-08-10T10:25:00.000-05:00

The Rubaroo episode of Indian Idol which airs every Thursday has always come across to me as a forced show - an attempt to jostle for ratings and lure audiences to watch an additional night of programming. The initial goal - I'm sure - was nobler: expand the backdrop against which Indian Idol 3 operates by exploring the lives of the contestants. It's meant to be an opening act for the two shows - performance and results - that follow over the weekend. But its never quite hooked me in.

Ganesh Hegde - his dancing highness - on the other hand I have had much fun with. His album G was terrific - the most fun Michael Jackson never had. And so when he showed on Rubaroo, I kept watching instead of hitting the stop and delete button.

Why was G cool? He had a laid back sense of style that seemed unforced. He refused to chato anyone, focussing instead on casual conversation. He had an energy that diffused itself across all the contestants - they started the show looking like they were in a maatam and ended up in a free for all dance.

His advice to the contestants was pretty entertaining to watch. He taught Chang a move based on fitting a light bulb, opening a tap and snuffing out a beedi. Later he told Ankita to do her riyaaz along with her performance so she can figure out how to modulate her moves around her vocals.

His only blemish - he said mindblowing once. Tsk, tsk, any more and you'll be on the M-list, Ganesh.

An Idol in the breaking?

2007-08-05T17:59:00.000-05:00

A lot of people - from the judges to the darshaks to the voting junta - seem to agree that Amit Paul comes closest to being an Indian Idol. In fact, the judges already seem to have anointed him. In the poll to find the winner on this blog, he leads with over 27% of the more than 1600 votes that have been cast so far. The poll stats tell me his appeal is global - he gets props from the US, UK, India, Middle East and Australia. Heck, he's even gotten poll votes from Norway and South Korea.

But last week in the Indian Idol 3 Gala Round, our man bombed. His singing sucked - but by his own standards, it positively blew. Trying to wrestle with Sukhwinder Singh's typically rustic and powerful rendition of the title track from Omkara, he forgot the lyrics, struggled to hit the lows and generally in the face of some mounting panic seemed to barely hold it all together.

Although Javed Akhtar waved off the performance by saying he was lost in Amit's voice (you liar, you), Ila Arun did pull him up and suggested that he might not be best suited for these types of (folksy) songs. Later, this resulted in a hilarious jhagda among the judges.

In light of the fact that Emon and Deepali, after recent dips, have been hitting the right notes, this becomes significant. Amit is a wonderful singer, but any singer can lose his confidence quickly on this pressure cooker of a show. I'm sure all his fans will be crossing their fingers when he comes out to sing this coming Saturday.

Indian Idol 3 Gala Round: The Mali and his flowers

2007-08-05T14:48:00.001-05:00

Rupal, who stops by here, calls him a Malli. Saritha calls him 'Ek aisa mali jisse gulab pasand nahi'. And like a proud gardener, Anu Malik has been claiming every good performance as a result of his khakdaoing the contestants. It hasn't helped that Javed Akhtar has been a ready chamchaa encouraging him and not helping Alisha Chinai or Udit Narayan stand up to him.

Last week Malik lost his temper and the plot. First he defied common sense and attacked guest judge Ila Arun's criticism of Amit Paul's seriously flawed performance of "Omkara". Ila looked puzzled, Javed motioned to her to let sleeping dogs lie. But anyone who can sing about flaring her ghagra around has more spirit than that. So Ila persisted, Alisha joined in and poor Malik lost control: he started ranting like my 5 year old son, Youngling. Alisha looked ready to have a heart attack. Ila Arun looked like she could have thrown the mike to dislodge Malik's hairpiece.

Later in a rather deliciously devised segment, the judges were asked to rate each other. I'm sorry to say I still haven't been able to elevate my intelligence to the point where I can understand what Anu is trying to say. "Alisha is a good judge when she wants to be" he said. Perhaps he meant: Alisha is a good judge when she agrees with me. Who knows?

Everyone called Udit a waffler and afraid of commitment - which he accepted unsurely. Alisha then fired a serious salvo at Javed Akhtar by calling him a wordsmith without a heart. This must have hurt - especially for someone who calls himself a poet. So Javed responded by asking Alisha to stop giggling.

Hooray! Thanks for reading this blog, Javedbhai!

Indian Idol 3 Gala Round: The gulab and the hathoda

2007-07-29T17:57:00.000-05:00

Sure Anu Malik gives balanced comments - sometimes. Most of the time he appears to either hand out a gulab or bring out his hathoda. But like every scooter that works only in first or fifth gear needs a closer look, Anu Malik's comments came in for scrutiny from Alisha Chinai this week.

For a while now in an effort to make that forced episode of Indian Idol 3 (Rubaroo) seem interesting, the producers and Mini have been drumming up a romance between contestants Deepali and Chang.

This resulted in a public dressing down handed out by Anu Malik to Deepali after a particularly insipid performance. "This crush is crushing your singing" he declared. Next episode Deepali was in the danger zone. Now she's been there before but this time Alisha Chinai flew into a rage - lambasting Malik for bringing her personal life into play and holding him responsible for her lack of votes.

The host, Mini Mathur, having first killed all chance of any budding romance by publicly outing it at the alter of ratings gain, now proceeded to act indignant, having forgotten that she had helped put wood to the fire that was being fanned. I'm not complaining - a much entertaining jhagda ensued.

So should Anu have dug into Deepali's personal life this way? It depends on what role people expect Anu to play. If he is a judge, I believe he should stay away from it. If he is a mentor, he should point it out - perhaps not so harshly but its well within his rights to question any possible distraction.

There is some precedence for this: his public reaming of the stagnating Emon Chatterjee has resulted in Emon cutting out the cheeky harkats in his singing. In fact, in the same show he delivered a rousing rendition of Malik's own Sonu Nigam special "Iss Pyaar ko mein kya naam doon" re-staking his claim to the top spot.

With Deepali though, this hathoda approach puts the contestant down a slippery slope. First, she is struggling with her votes - she always gets much fewer than she deserves. Secondly, not everyone - and I believe gender plays an important role here - responds to the barking, abusive coach archetype and raises their game.

Muddled as it was to me there were some positives. Alisha Chinai picked up the mike and made herself heard and she did it well. Chang quietly and gallantly supported his friend without fear of reprisal from Malik.

And a darshak made a terrific point during an audience reaction clip. Why is everyone talking about Deepali, she suggested, aren't there two people in the romance? Indeed!

Indian Idol 3: Kiss offs and Kiss Curls

2007-07-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

The smart folks who voted here for who will be eliminated on II3 this week got it dead right. A whopping 38.9% of the votes went to Charu Semwal - who promptly got the kiss of death on the show. Goodbye Charu, we'll miss that fine bone structure.

Meanwhile the whole girls versus boys fire was fanned by the hosts of the show early on, knowing no doubt that three of the bottom four would end up being girls.

Javed Akhtar - visibly pissed at the emerging gender bias - picked up the mike and called the voting junta bhala bura. He's right of course about voting patterns and gender affinity. But his argument of women not being able to help themselves when given the opportunity was both simplistic and disappointing.

Finally, Alisha Chinai needs to attend an urban dictionary course. In an attempt to be chakaas-cool, she kept misusing phrases to amusing effect. "You really blew it" she said when praising Meiyang Chang. She tried to rouse Charu by exclaiming "You really gave it to us!". Later she informed Ankita Mishra "Aag laga di tumne! You smoked it!" On top of all the trip ups, she also said mindblowing once - minus 10,000 points!

Also Alisha, congratulations on singing increasingly complex songs with panache - loved your work in Raqeeb. But can you go easy on the curling irons? Your bouncing curls are distracting and make you look like that most unstylish Parsi aunty from Vadodara who ran away with the guy from Goa. Any more curls and they might have to be given their own Republic.