Contestants are over-confident: Abhijeet Sawant

Indian Idol winner Abhijeet Sawant has Moved On. In a surprisingly candid interview with Subhash K Jha he talks about his success, biography Aapka Abhijeet & poor performances on Indian Idol 2. You've had an eventful phase, including a biography. Yes, it does seem a little too much. But the book was planned as a bio-sketch of how I became the first Indian Idol. Usually success stories are visible to the public. Not me. Main achaanak limelight mein aa gaya. Somewhere we felt, why not let people know who Abhijeet Sawant is, what his life and success has been like? The book is largely about my childhood and my experience on the Indian Idol contest. Even if two youngsters are inspired by this Hindi-Marathi-English book I'd be happy. The author Shweta Pradhan had to really pursue me. I had no time to sit down with her. She stole moments with me in the car or hurried moments while I got ready to go home. The book got delayed. How has Indian Idol changed your life? Completely! I used to be common normal boy from a middleclass family in Maharashtra. Suddenly….I admit there're lots of external changes. But I don't want my basic nature and values to change. I'm making a conscious effort to remain unspoilt. Yes, outwardly my hair and clothes have changed. But the entire experience of 'stardom' was a culture shock to me. It was quite an eye-opener. I know one thing… you shouldn't allow success or failure to go your head. You should just continue doing what you are meant to in life and leave the rest to destiny. I've adopted that formula. Do you feel you've a responsibility as a role model for middleclass dreamers? Ek terah se bahut badi responsibility hai. Earlier I had people supporting me in my ambitions. Now there's a new group of people wondering how long I'm going to be where I am today. All I can say to these speculations is…stardom fame and all the other trappings are not taken seriously by me. My aim is to make a name for myself as a playback singer in the next five years. People say you've become arrogant. It's better to ignore such negative talk. I don't allow such talk to hurt me. No one in my family has seen stardom. Suddenly we're under public scrutiny. It's a bit daunting. I'd rather do what I've come to do. I've sung in Aashiq Banaya Aapne and Jawani Diwani. I'm a little busier with my live concerts. I admit it's becoming slightly repetitive. After a while I'd do less stage shows. Is the money the incentive to do stage shows? I can't deny it's a big incentive. But also, the thrill of interacting with audiences is also there. Meeting and performing for people in various cities is my way of repaying them for the success they've given me. It's also good publicity. But in India playback singing is the biggest platform for any aspiring singer. How do you deal with gossip about you? Kabhi kabhi bahut bura lagta hai when misinformation is published. No matter how much I protest against 'news' like the one about my girlfriend, engagement and marriage, people will believe what they want. If you protest too loudly it seems insincere. The journalists are doing their jobs, I'll do mine. How do you deal with fans? I'm lucky to not let the popularity go to my head. When I encounter the more insistent fans I try to give them time, shake their hands, get a picture snapped. I've fans who tell me to change back my hairstyle to the way it used to be…I take their advice seriously. It makes me happy to see them so involved with my career. What do you think of contestants who came after you on Indian Idol 2 & 3? They're very good and confident. When we were on Indian Idol we knew nothing about how to conduct ourselves. We hadn't seen American Idol. We were encouraged by the judges and by the public which voted for our singing. On Indian Idol 2 the public supported everything except the quality of the singing. This is truly unfortunate. Votes were given for clothes and hairstyle. And for contestants belonging to the voter's village. In our times the voting pattern was more sincere and voluminous. Nowadays the number of sincere voters has decreased. People vote for kicks not for merit. Good singers are being voted out. And these singers are to some extent responsible for their plight. Do music contestants seek your advice? The Indian Idol 2 contestants came to my book launch. I advised all of them. I told them they don't seem to be rising to their required potential, though they are capable of excelling. I'm disappointed by their performance. They are focusing on things other than singing. The sincerity and purity is missing in their performances. Sometimes in life when you know the way your eyes shut too quickly. The fact that we on Indian Idol 1 showed them the way has made the subsequent contestants over-confident. They're behaving more like stage performers than singers. I remember I had very long hair during Indian Idol. Someone suggested a conditioner. I didn't even know what that was! We were briefed to focus on our singing rather than clothes and hairstyle. Whatever clothes I was given I'd blindly wear and face the camera. When the undeserving get selected, there's naturally a question mark against the names of candidates from earlier on, like me. I'm really attached to Indian Idol and the contestants. I want them to know I'm there to advise them any time they need me.

Aditya is much ahead of me: Udit Narayan

Proud papa Udit Narayan is happy that his son Aditya is anchoring Zee TV's 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' at this young age. Willing to make a good citizen of his son, Udit gives all his best wishes to Aditya He knows well that there is a tough competition between 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' and 'Indian Idol' on Sony for which Udit is a judge. In a recent tête-à-tête, Udit talks about his son, his career and lots more. Here is the excerpt. Q: On one hand, your son is an anchor in Zee and, on the other hand, you are a judge in Sony? This is indeed a tough competition between a father and son indeed. A: He is quite young now, but seeing people's love for him it feels nice as a father. Many people have told me that he is much better than me and as a father I too think so. But, I think that the competition between us, as an anchor and a judge, is intense. Q: How do you feel when people compare you with your son? A: Like any other father, even I feel proud when people compare me with Aditya. I might be his father, but feel that I am much behind him. At his age, he has learnt a lot and has many other qualities that I did not possess at his age. Q: What advice do you give him as a father? A: I want to make him a responsible citizen and a good human. Thus, I keep reminding him of his roots. I always tell him to respect his elders and teachers. He might have been born to a father who is well known, but he always has to remember that a good character and ethics help in building a good personality, which in turn leads to the progress of a person. Q: Are you happy that he has chosen to anchor 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa'? A: Aditya always likes the show, but he once told me that it would be too early for him to anchor such a show. However, when the offer came to him, he had a talk with me and then decided to anchor the show. Currently, he is in the second year at Mithibai College and is yet to complete his graduation. I'm happy that people like him as an anchor. Q: What advice do you give him as a singer? A: I have already told you that he is much ahead of me in some matters. So I do not have to give him any advice as a singer. Q: A great singer like Asha Bhosle is giving him singing tips. What do you have to say for that? A: The goddess herself is showering her blessing on Aditya. What else can I ask for? Since childhood I have seen a habit of research in him and now with the blessings of Ashaji, I'm confident that he will be able achieve whatever he wishes for. Q: Aditya has done a diploma in English contemporary music? How much will it be of a help to him? A: Since childhood, I have seen an urge in him to become a good singer. He has learnt Indian classical music and to do well in the international market, he has also learnt English contemporary music. Today is a time for a versatile singer to have his hold on all kinds of music. Thus, I'm confidant that the course, which he has done, will be of great help to him in his career. Q: You had once sung a song 'Papa Kehte Hain'. Do you feel that Aditya is doing the needful on your behalf? A: (Laughs) I think it is pure co-incidence. Aditya was born in August 1987 and it was on the same time that this song sung by me had become a hit. I had never imagined in my life that my son would make this song a reality for me. - Rajnee Gupta

Indian Idol 3 - Second Theater Round

The second theater round started with a recap of the previous episode, where 123 finalists were reduced to 66. In this episode, we begin seeing the first of the Top 28. Fun times!

Contestants were interviewed about how they felt. While some people were okay, the show, obviously, focused on those that weren't. They had the opportunity to practice with their partners and music. The judges commented about how it is hard to sing duets and how each person has to be in tune with their partners.

Enter hosts Hussein and Mini, who shed a spotlight on two ladies who were not getting along. Shikha was upset because Shehnaz didn't remember the lyrics and wasn't practicing properly. Richa Aneja and Prashant Tamang were still having problems and Richa was shown crying.

Other contestants were shown praising their partners, while still unsure about how they themselves would do. Rehan Khan was telling his partner Rekha Purana that he might not make it but she definitely will. Rekha was worried she would have to go back to London!

Two people who did get along were Emon Chatterjee and his partner Shifa Ansari. Emon was worried that he wouldn't get in but Shifa would. Her response? Without practicing, neither one of us will get in! They were really cute and mad props to Emon for being so awesome! Shifa had apparently taught him some dance steps and he had added pressure because he said she's also a better dancer! So sweet! Okay, I'm done gushing about this guy. Really. Moving on. (By the way, they both got in there and impressed the judges. Alisha was ready to party herself! Yay!)

Cut to clips of people practicing in every spare inch of space -- behind furniture, in the bathrooms (anyone see Parleen Gill practicing in front of the mirror?) Maibam from Assam was also practicing in the bathroom. Cut to his performance, which he did with two other people. He wasn't that impressive, but his partners, Mayank Rao from Delhi and Nilakshi Bhattacharya from Kolkata were. They lost their tempo in the middle and the judges commented on that. When these three left the room, they had no idea of how they did. The judges gave them mixed reactions. But they had to wait, like everyone else.

Suhit Gosain and his partner Charu were up next and they went in complimenting each other and came out with Suhit spitting fire. So in a nutshell, this is what appears to have happened. Suhit says Charu put the entire blame on his shoulders in front of the judges because they messed up. Charu says that it was Suhit's fault. Talk about a friendly working relationship going awry! Okay, I'm going in indulge dear Sprout here. What the crap was Suhit thinking?! First of all, that is no way to talk to a girl. Second of all, he definitely should not be doing that on television. And third, what a potty mouth!! I mean, okay, I'm sure he was upset about something. But seriously, he can't just say whatever when he knows the cameras are looking for that stuff. And Charu. Really? Did she really blame him? Grow up people. And on top of that, the judges also gave them a tongue-lashing. They were not impressed. What a mess!

Then came the trio of Akshama, Jiniya, and Abhishek. The girls were okay, but were slightly nervous because Abhishek couldn't remember the words and had written them on his hands. They were okay, but nothing too impressive. At this point in the show, I was pretty much done and bored. The judges thought that they could have done much better than they did.

Then they showed an older pair -- Shashwat and Nandita. Shashwat was familiar with the song, but Nandita wasn't. This is telling because it's a popular song from a popular movie and she had never heard of it. Her partner commented on that as well. But they both handled each other like adults and all seemed fine until they got inside and Shashwat forgot some words so he yelled stop. At this point, Annu Malek told him that they were done and that the contestants don't get to decide when to stop. He told them they would not get another chance. The other judges argued that because of him, Nandita might lose her chance, but Mr. * was not willing to budge. There are some people that I just want to punch in the face. He's second on my list after Heinous. He was basically being a first-rate jerk. Shashwat fainted and had to be carried out of the room. Poor Nandita was trying to help him and make sure he was okay. But they did not let them perform again.

Like a breath of fresh air came the next two contestants, Meiyang Chang and Aisha Sayed, who sang beautifully. Okay, here I have to make a correction. His last name is Meiyang and his first name is Chang apparently. Chang said a beautiful couplet and went in there to kick some butt. The judges thought they were the best so far. Judge Jerk then asked him if he was really Chinese and he replied that he's Indian. His forefathers were Chinese. Judge Jerk then pointed out the obvious -- that music is universal and has no language. Duh Mr. Obvious!

Then more clips of Prashant being nice to Richa and her being a jerk back. They then tried out. Richa tried to show off and the judges called her on it. She was all cute about it, but it doesn't work for me so whatever. Moving on.

Our gal Ankita Mishra who started off cute during auditions but lost the title by the time she had finished was finally shown. Shikha and Shehnaz went through their performance, as did Shantanu Sudome and Sreeju Premarajan.

Then came time for decisions! The judges were arguing and discussing with pictures of the competitors in front of them. Okay, I'm just going to go down the list of who has made it so far (that I was able to catch) and who hasn't.

Starting with those who are out: (You know I like to get the negatives over with!)
Jiniya (I was really sad about this one!)
Shikha
Shehnaz
Maibam

And those who are in:
Abhishek
Akshama
Emon (yay!)
Shifa (yay again! she was cute!)
Suhit (really? it's cause he's popular, not cause he can sing)
Charu
Shashwat
Nandita (bless her heart)
Richa (yep)
Prashant
Nilakshi
Mayank

All in all, pretty predictable! I'm anxious to see the rest of the contestants who made it, including Maya and Uma. More on that from Sprout!

Indian Idol 3 to begin with piano rounds

MUMBAI: Indian Idol 3 has now stepped into the Piano Round whcih will see 28 contestants chosen by the judges performing to get through the top ten.

Beginning 1 June to 9 June, it will be 9 nights live of singing on Sony television wherein the contestants will perform live in the prime time and the other prime time soaps like Ek Ladki Anjani Si, Virrudh, Durgesh Nandini will take a hiatus for a week and will be back from 11 June with new storylines, highpoints and drama.

The viewers will now get a chance to vote for their favourite contestant. Voting lines will open from 9.00 pm on 1 June and close at 8.00 am on 2 June and so on for each episode.

In the Piano Round 14 girls and 14 boys will perform on alternate days, and each day will see contestants with the lowest votes leave the show, giving the country Indian Idol's top 10 finalists.

One of the Judges of Indian Idol 3 Udit Narayan said, "We have got some really talented and confident contestants from across the country and even overseas this time. Now the mammoth task is to chisel diamonds out of carbon. We have done our bit and we have now put the mantle on the audiences. I am sure they will make the right decision in choosing their 'Bharat ki Shaan'.

Speaking on the announcement of the 28 finalists, Sony Entertainment Television executive vice president and business head Albert Almeida,said, "In the third season of Indian Idol, we have set out on a journey to search for that one voice which will truly live up to the proposition of Indian Idol, 'Bharat Ki Shaan'. Our judges have been diligent and have fulfilled their responsibility of bringing the best potential candidates on to your television screens until the Piano Round. While they will continue to voice their opinions, the ultimate decision will rest with the viewers who will cast their precious votes. With voting lines being open, we are sure the world's largest democracy will tune-in and call in large numbers to pick their next Indian Idol."

Great singing, great bonding Indian idol

Great singing, great bonding Indian idol

MUMBAI: After the entertaining and heartwarming audition episodes of the third season of Indian Idol, the Theatre Round began with 123 participants who were selected from nearly 25,000 who auditioned from all over India and overseas. The journey of these 123 excited youngsters (some of whom are visiting Mumbai for the first time) began with the Theatre Round in last week's episode held at the prestigious NCPA theatre. The task of short-listing the 123 contestants to 66 (in round one, held on May 19 th) was tough. Normally the number is 60, but because of the excellent talent this year, the number has been increased to 66! This Friday, the episode (25th May, 2007) will showcase great singing, some fresh talent and the viewers will get to see bonding and friendship that makes Indian Idol so special to all. As we move on to the next level in the theatre round the competition only gets tougher! The contestants will be divided into groups of twos and threes and synchronisation with each other and the musicians will be their real test. This will be an acid test for the contestants as most of them will be performing with the musicians for the first time. As the 66 participants prepare for the duet round the air is filled with emotion and suspense, anxiety and fear. While all the participants have found their comfort zone to practice their duet, there are a few others who cannot find the right nook to practice. Some interesting moments from the episode… Hum saath saath nahi gayenge…? Richa from Amritsar and her partner, the cool cop from Kolkata, Prashant, have a major showdown. Richa first refuses to practice in her room (as her roommate is already there), then she point blank refuses to go to Prashant's room (as she says she won't go to other people's rooms!) and finally when they compromise and reach Prashant's room, she decides to practice with Prashant's roommate and not Prashant! Tough times ahead for Richa and Prashant. Will the two actually sing together in the duet round? Time waits for no man or woman… Once again Uma from Delhi (in the 1st Theatre Round she was late due to her exams) and Maya from Chennai (she said it was not her fault!) are late. Even after being late and almost out of the show in the first Theatre Round they are late once again. What would be the reason this time? Have they not learnt their lesson? In spite of judge Annu telling them that this is serious and they must not be late again…they have done it again. Will the two make headway this time around? Is participant ko gussa kyun aata hai? Suhit Gosain from Bhopal and Charu Semwal from Delhi is one of the singing jodis for the 2nd Theatre Round . While they bonded brilliantly and practiced the song in perfect rhythm back stage, on stage, the nervous Charu simply forgot her lines. Suhit tried his best and failed…but once they were out of the theatre an angry and disappointed Suhit blamed Charu for the lost opportunity. The episode got ugly when Suhit started raising his voice. They signed a peace treaty only after anchor-cum-friend Mini intervened and cooled down the two. We know you are here to win, but remember losers are also winners, in their own right! You both have made it to the top 123 and that it is a big win. What say? Singing can make your knees go weak …Saswata Bhattacharjee from Kolkata was all excited to be in Mumbai for the Theatre Round. A professional singer he came to conquer his dreams in the 'city of dreams'. Unfortunately while he was singing, before the judges, he forgot his lines. It is only human, but the goof up shattered Saswata and the youngster fainted on the stage. Exhaustion, excitement or disappointment…it was not Saswata's day. Don't lose heart there's always another chance! Jodi hamari… Meiyang Chang from Kolkata and Aisha Sayed from Mumbai came, sang and conquered the judges!. They made for one of the most popular singing pair of this season. Also, very popular and an instant hit with the judges were Harshida from London and her partner Padmanav from Delhi. They were so perfect with their rhythm, in sync with each other while singing and were voted the 'cutest jodi of Indian Idol'. Watch the 2nd Theatre Round on Friday 25th May at 9.00 p.m. for some great singing and some tearful heartbreaks. The stage gets tough and judging tougher. Stay tuned to Sony Entertainment Television for moments that you will cherish forever. Stay tuned to Indian Idol every Friday and Saturday at 9.00 p.m. only on Sony Entertainment Television.