A Closer Look at the Top 3 Contestants in Indian Idol

The time has come, as we are just 2 weeks away from selecting our 'Bharat Ki Shaan'. The Third Season of Indian Idol has reached the penultimate phase; the top 3 contestants Amit Paul, Emon Chaterjee and Prashant Tamang will fight it out tonight, to secure a place in the Finals. Now who are you rooting for? Who will be your Indian Idol? Do you wanna go down the memory lane, track the achievements of the top 3 contestants and then vote for the most worthy contestant? Here you go!!

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If there is one thing that hurts young Emon Chatterjee like nothing else, it is the constant comparison to Sonu Nigam. It is a great compliment that he sounds like his idol when he sings Sonu’s songs, but when the judges of Indian Idol berate him for sounding like Sonu, he feels greatly disappointed. Sonu himself vindicated Emon by saying that he does not sound like him when he heard him on the show. “Emon does not sound like me at all in fact, he has a much better range than me. At 17 he is singing a song which I sang at 25 with such finesse which in itself speaks for his talent,” Sonu had said. Yet, Javed Akhtar criticizes Emon week after week about it. Udit Narayan has often followed suit. But Alisha and Annu Malek have surprisingly agreed with each other and begged to differ with the other two judges.



Last week was no different. Emon sang the title track of Kal ho na ho and elicited the same response from Javed saab, to which Annu Malek challenged Emon to sing any composition sung by another singer. All his buddies on Indian Idol who used to defend him vociferously, have now gone. Chang, Puja and Deepali always said that he does not sing like Sonu Nigam. With all of them gone, he had only himself to prove his critics wrong. Emon did precisely that and how! He returned in the second round and sang Kishore Kumar’s Dilbar mere and silenced all criticism forever! Udit Narayan could not help but exclaim “Bravo!” Even Javed Akhtar in all fairness acknowledged that Emon had done very well to sing in his own voice.

Emon is now determined to sing in his own voice and put to rest all the ghosts of Sonu Nigam’s voice. Does this 18 year old master musician who is not only a great singer, an excellent drummer, a talented pianist and an admirable guitarist not deserve to be the next Indian Idol? You decide.

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He is the nicest guy ever, say all those who know Prashant Tamang. With his childlike innocence and his disarming smile, it is hard not to like Prashant. This Nepali cop from Darjeeling has not only done his community and his police force proud, but has become an inspiration to all youngsters who dream of making it big, but don’t have the courage to take that first step. With sheer faith in himself, this youngster has reached the Top three of Indian Idol. It is no mean achievement for one, whose only connection to music was listening to the radio sitting in the forest chowky where he was posted.

“My life has turned full 360 degrees,” he says, “since coming to Indian Idol. I have to pinch myself to realize that it is not a dream; I am indeed here in Mumbai. It is beyond my dreams…” he says with a smile. He is a man of few words, but few know that he is known for his sense of humour amongst his friends. He has been singing in the police band and has been hugely popular.

On Indian Idol, he has moved up in the eyes of the judges and viewers alike, with each passing week. His initial diffidence and reserve nature has off late been replaced with a newfound confidence which has started to reflect in his singing as well. Few know that he strums the guitar too. Annu Malek never fails to praise his courage and determination to reach the top. “Prashant has worked really hard to get here and I will not be disappointed if he is the next Indian Idol,” says the hard to please music director. If Annu Malek sees the potential in Prashant, then he sure has what it takes to win the title.

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He is good looking; he sings like a dream, he is a ladies’ man. He is Amit Paul. He hails from Shillong. He can sing in Hindi, English, Nepali, Khasi and Bengali too, that is when he isn’t singing in Tamil and Telegu etc. When he strums the guitar, women go weak in the knees. Is that good enough to be the next Indian Idol? The next two weeks will tell.

Soft spoken and well mannered, Amit Paul is a hit with women wherever he goes. This multi talented youngster auditioned for Indian Idol for a lark. Only after moving ahead in each round, did his confidence grow. But when his best friend and buddy Bhavin was voted out of Indian Idol, an emotional Amit could not go ahead with his performance. Overcome by emotions he forgot his lines. It did not go down well with the judges, but when he revealed the real reason for forgetting his lines, he won over the viewers and the judges as well. Viewers voted him back in the Wild Card round. Amit has not looked back since.

Having felt the angst of elimination, he practices hard and remains the most focused contestant on the show. With each week, he has gone from strength to strength in his performances. The judges are amazed by his determined fight back. They see in him the next Indian Idol. So do most people, going by the flood-gates of votes that have opened for him.

If Amit Paul is your choice for Indian Idol; go ahead and vote for him in large numbers. It is your chance to play an important role in giving the Indian music industry a voice to be proud of.



Author: Srividya Rajesh