Indian Idol 3 Caravan hits Mumbai

After traveling across 11 cities in Mumbai for talent auditions, the Indian Idol caravan or canter has now come into Mumbai. The talent hunt series adapted from the 'Pop Idol' format is now in its third season and will be telecast on Television from May. While the series increased its ambit of audition cities, the show will also be holding its first ever international auditions in Dubai. The lines for UAE have been opened on 19 March and will close on 4 April. The international auditions are for non resident Indians only. The show has retained Anu Maliik on the jury while singer Udit Narayan, Alisha Chinai and lyricist Javed Akhtar will join him. Speaking about the show Sony Entertainment Television Executive Vice President and Business Head Albert Almeida said, "As witnessed in the last two seasons of Indian Idol the third season too promises to take viewer engagement and interactivity to even greater heights while catapulting the Indian Idol into ultimate stardom." He also added that since last year many viewers were disappointed by the ouster of talented singers, this year the format will include a wild card entry which the jury will hand out to a deserving singer who has been voted out. The reality series has been a successful one for SET and in addition to a recording contract with Sony BMG, the 'Indian Idol' this year will be awarded a contract with the channel worth rupees one crore