First Take on Indian Idol 2 contestants
Indian Idol is back with a bang. Abhijeet Sawant was chosen the first Indian Idol and now the hunt for the second Indian Idol has begun. Sony Entertainment Television held auditions for the same in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Calcutta.
The judges Farah Khan, Sonu Nigam and Anu Malik who played a very important role in selecting the first Indian Idol will continue to play the same role in choosing the second Idol. Aman Verma and Mini Mathur will remain the hosts for this show too. Speaking about the show and his experiences while choosing the second Idol, singer Sonu Nigam said,“We went to cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Kolkata for auditions. And this time I came across some good singers. As compared to the boys I noticed that the girls were more talented and sang better.”
Farah Khan said that she was straight forward with her opinions this time. She said, “I tried to be firm and straight forward because I never wanted contestants to waste their time when they cannot sing. I remember there was a boy who came down from Kashmir to Lucknow for the auditions of Fame Gurukool but was rejected later auditioned for Indian Idol. He was pathetic, so we told him to go back with his mother who had come searching for him all the way from Kashmir.”
The previous Indian Idol contestants Rahul Vaidya, Amit Sana, Aditi Paul and Abhijeet Sawant were also present during the auditions. The judges have short listed 172 finalists from which 28 will make it to the finals. Indian Idol Series 2 premieres on November 21 at 8.30 pm.
Rehan Khan
(street vendor)
This physically challenged Class X student sells clothes on the streets of Lucknow to make a living. He uses the money he earns to learn classical music from the Bhatkhande Musical Institute.
Anshuman Dev Varma
(journalist)
He composes his own music and has done a lot of shows. Having worked with Hindustan Times, Times of India and now Aaj Tak as a reporter, he now wants to pursue his love for music to impress his girlfriend.
Lavanya (radio jockey)
This RJ with Radio City always wanted to be a singer and is a disciple of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan for the last 13 years. Her idols are Lata Mangeskar, Asha Bhonsle, Sonu Nigam and Hariharan.
Swagata Sarkar
(housewife)
This housewife from Howrah, Kolkata, believes that marriage has been her biggest achievement. “My husband fell in love with my voice,” she says. She has learnt music from universities in Allahabad and Kolkata and plays the harmonium and the tanpura.
Lopa Mudra Das
(dancer)
One of the finalists of the Musafir Item Bomb contest, Lopa has learnt kathak, salsa, tango and jazz. She is learning music from her father NC Das, a musician with Vividh Bharati. She has performed in shows in South Africa, and Malaysia and is a theatre performer too.
Ravi Tripathi
(music teacher)
He is learning music at Suresh Wadkars music school Gurukul. He also helps Wadkar to teach new entrants. He had auditioned for Fame Gurukul but was rejected.
Deepak Kumar Halla
(orchestra-singer)
He has been singing for local orchestras and thus contributes towards the family income. The place where he stays has no electricity since the last four years. Deepak has been learning classical music and feels that the show could change his fortunes.
Mansimran Kaur
(engineer)
This physically challenged engineer from Delhi has also done her BA in Hindustani classical music and is an artiste on AIR (All India Radio) from the age of 16.
