| | | Sandeep Acharya the winner of Indian Idol 2 | As the moment to announce the winner drew near, it was no surprise about who will emerge triumphant. Sandeep’s victory was a foregone conclusion. The support from the crowd for Sandeep was unbelievable.
However, television channel Sony refused to divulge the exact margin by which Sandeep Acharya beat NC Karunya.
Soon after, Karunya told SUNDAY MiD-DAY, “I knew I would lose. I was expecting it. The result has not come as a shock to me. I am not shattered. The public support which Sandeep had was to be seen to be believed. But I am sure that if singing was the only criterion of winning, I was more deserving than Sandeep and would have edged him out.”
Co-host to Mathur, Aman Varma said that Karunya should have won the contest. “Karunya is a far better singer. But I think the Hindi channels are not popular in South where Karunya comes from, and that did him in.”
Karunya’s mother chipped in, “There is a lot of multiple voting which takes place. This was one of the reasons why my son could not make it. But I think the people who matter in our country know that Karunya is the real Indian Idol even though he did not win it.”
Sandeep argued, “Personally I don’t believe in regional voting. The whole nation was attached to this programme and votes have been coming in for all of us, from all quarters.” His mother could not control her tears of joy. She said, “Main jaanti thi mere bete ka smile sab ka dil jeet lega. Aur wohi hua.”
Judge Farah Khan said that Sandeep had come a long way. “I still remember the first day of the competition. He walked in with a long kurta and lots of oil in his hair.”
Sonu Nigam added, “But with in that awkward appearance, ek sone jaisi awaaz thi.” And Anu Malik opined, “Sandeep took the harsh comments constructively and worked on all his grey areas. I think Karunya had this notion that he’s already there.”
 | 'Indian Idol 2' winner Sandeep to bring out album
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service
Mumbai, April 23 (IANS) Sandeep Acharya, who won Sony's popular 'Indian Idol 2' singing contest that had millions across the country glued to television sets, says he was confident of victory and plans to release his first solo album soon.
Sandeep won over N.C. Karunya, the popular and discernibly better singer from Hyderabad, in the closely fought talent show Saturday night.
'I was confident of winning, though I wished all the best to my competitor and friend Karunya. Even if I had lost, I wouldn't have regretted. But having won, I feel a terrific sense of satisfaction,' Sandeep, from the small town of Bikaner, told IANS after winning the title.
'I am too dazed to decide what I want to do next. But yes, an album is definitely going to happen immediately,' he added.
Sandeep confidently sang Mohammad Rafi's 'Gulabi aankhen', Udit Narayan's (whom Sandeep idolises) 'Ruk ja ae dil deewane' and the Sonu Nigam qawwalli 'Tumse milkar'.
But no one suspected that defeat awaited Karunya who stunned the judges and star guest Kajol with his impeccable rendering of 'Sayoni', 'Badan pe sitare lapete huey' and 'One love'.
When the results came there was a look of stunned disbelief on everyone's face. But the audience poll triumphed over qualitative evaluations. In fact, Karunya had expressed his misgivings earlier during the evening.
He said: 'The voting from Sandeep's home state Rajasthan shows a clear partiality towards him. I believe it is like 90:10 ratio. Of course, I am confident of winning. But if I don't, it won't be a blow. I'll continue doing what I am here to do - sing.'
The show had innumerable highlights. The two finalists put up a brave fight against each other as the three judges - Farah Khan, Sonu Nigam and Anu Malik - joined by star-judge Kajol who for some strange reason squinted her eyes throughout to catch the razzmatazz, cheered clapped and even wept.
Farah's eyes turned moist when all the 12 contestants from over the months came on stage to sing the 'Indian Idol' theme song 'Woh pehli baar'.
Karunya dedicated his performances to his mother who celebrated her 50th birthday during the finals.
Copyright Indo-Asian News Service |
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“Indian Idol was never about singing only or else Karunya would have won over Sandeep. Unlike Karunya, Sandeep connected with the audience,” said Nigam. Malik agrees with Nigam saying that Sandeep was a package of good singing, humility and charm.
Farah smiled, “I think I was brought into this competition mainly because the channel knows that I have it in me to pick a star — the person who has the potential to be a super entertainer and popular with the opposite sex. Sandy is just that.” |
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