Sunday's episode, for me, was the best episode since the live shows began.
Obom was very good per usual. It was nice to hear Sadhana maam sing with him.
Dipan was also very good as usual, but you could feel an extra amount of soul in his performance today. I'm glad Kumar Sanu gave him all the credit he did because he deserved it.
Kumar Sanu's live singing is always wonderful. So are all of his songs, but every time we get to hear him is a gift.
I loved Ananya's performances. Soulful in her first and sensual in her second. She showed her verssatility and while she isn't perfect, she is consistent and delivers great performances on a weekly basis.
Subhodeep was also as good as usual.
Vishal nailed it with regards to Adhya. She had been struggling lately and needed to rebound badly. This was her best performance since the auditions/theater rounds. I don't know how long she can stay afloat, if it's too late or all that but I was very happy to see her do well again.
Shreya singing Menu Ishq Da just, uff. Sensory overload.
I was going to save this for the end, but it brings me so much joy to see how much love and respect the panel has for each other. We all know that Vishal and Shreya revere Sanu ji, how much respect he has for them, etc. We know Sadhana ji, Anuradha ji and Sanu ji are forever connected. But hearing Shreya get so much praise from Anuradha, who she reveres? She deserves all of that. You can tell how much it meant to her.
The reason why I but the above point so early is because of how impossible it is to elevate the show after such a thing happens. You need a transcendent performer to follow that. Often times, the best singer of most seasons on any show can't do it justice. And they gave Menuka that spot. And she not only lived up to it, she took it to another level. Seeing legends like Anuradha and Sadhana ji crying and showing her so much love and respect is all you need to know about the level of singer that Menuka is. It's beyond winning the trophy at this point. She's transcended this show. Her performances are events of their own accord.
I almost feel bad for Maithili. The 20 minutes that preceded her performance were on par with the best 20 minutes you'll see on any show, whether it's a singing show or anything else. The sounds, the vibes, the feels, all were perfect. Unlike with Menuka, who is consistently great and was trusted with following several great performances and unforgettable moments, Maithili was asked to follow those things AND Menuka's performance, And Shreya and Sadhana ji singing together. She had no chance today. She did a good job singing a song that is not in her element. It was one of her few performances I didn't forward. But she got completely dwarfed, including while Sadhana and Shreya sang with her.
Perforance of the day is undeniable: Hussain and Sanu ji rocked Dhak Dhak so hard that it might be the greatest performance of anyone for the entire season. Finale wala performance.
So to summarize, everyone did at least very good. Some of the performances were great. What took this show to the next level, along with Menuka's performance,was the intangibles. The stories between the guests and Sanu da, their performances along with Shreya and Sanu da, and with the contestants. The vibes were so good. And closing with that iconic gem? How do you top that? It's a good thing there's six days until the next episode, because it was such a perfect episode rich with so much great content that it will fulfill your appetite for the whole week. It's a good thing they gave no preview of next week either, because it's not needed and probably won't live up to this episode anyways.
Indian Idol 15
