Viveik's doodh demand

IDOL'S TANTRUMS: Viveik Oberoi and Fardeen Khan with Indian Idol 2 finalists Anuj, Sandeep and Karunya

Starry tantrums may be part of dealing with a Bollywood star. But the folks at Indian Idol 2 experienced a peculiar demand from actor Viveik Oberoi, who appeared on the Sony show last night as a celebrity judge along with Fardeen Khan.

Oberoi demanded Subway sandwiches and a milkshake prior to the shoot. And agreed to face the camera only after he had eaten his fill.

Late Latifs

Both actors were considerably late for the shoot, held at the Kamala Mills, Lower Parel, on Friday. Even after they arrived, Oberoi and Khan were holed up in their vanity vans for two hours. Even though the channel had made special arrangements for their food, sources say Oberoi, insisted on Subway sandwiches, with a milkshake to wash them down.

Says an eyewitness, "This led to a frantic buzz on the sets, as arrangements were being made to procure the milkshake. One of the Idol unit hands had to rush in search of the nearest Subway outlet to fulfill Oberoi's craving. Everyone on the sets was talking about Viveik's milkshake." When asked about the actor's demands, the channel refrained from commenting. Oberoi, too, did not reply to our message.

Mohan and Pyare

The actors were on Idol 2 to promote their film Pyare Mohan, directed by Indra Kumar. On the show they referred to each other as the screen personas of Pyare and Mohan. After the shoot, Oberoi was uncooperative with the electronic media present. "He seemed to be in a mighty hurry and left immediately, while Fardeen waited and answered the queries," adds the eyewitness.

Other star celebs on Idol 2 include Tabu, Dia Mirza, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ameesha Patel and Preity Zinta, besides Karan Johar and Salim-Sulaiman. The one who came on time and minus starry tantrums was Preity Zinta.

The tussle between the top three Indian Idol 3 finalists —Anuj, Sandeep and Karunya — begins with shows in New Delhi and Lucknow, with their performances to be televised on Idol. For the next two weeks, no Idol contestant will be eliminated.

Idol 2 tidbits With only the top three left in Indian Idol, the show is coming up with a fresh new look in terms of rounds and performers. Voting lines are open from today till April 4. In the next two weeks, the show is going through its Cafe rounds, after which, will be the 10th gala, and then the top two will be chosen. The top three will perform in New Delhi's Ansal Plaza and in Lucknow's Waves. Fan following Contestants' fan following is crazy. Once, when Sandeep left his phone with someone for two hours, he received 849 missed calls and 1,059 messages from his fans! Karunya received a shirt from a female fan on his birthday and he has an emotional and highly attached banker lady who calls him before every performance to wish him luck. He, too, thinks these calls are a lucky mascot. New look Sandeep has coloured his hair. Karunya's coloured hair has been cropped shorter. Anuj's silky straight hair, too, has been cropped shorter, to give him a younger look.