The Idol’s back!

The Idol's back!

Indian Idol II packs a great combination of reality show and talent hunt competition

Abhishek Mande

Idol for the couch potato!

Indian Idol II premieres tonight. At the outset, if you are expecting it to be anything different from the first one you will be in for a disappointment. The format of the show is just as it was the first time round. The judges are the same, so are the hosts. But the contestants are new. And frankly that was why one watched the show the last time, isn't it?

It must have been late into the night as the camera panned the streets beside the venue of the auditions. Contestants lined up waiting for their turn… some wide awake, others fast asleep. In the medley of songs playing in the backdrop, conspicuously missed was the Johnny Walker classic 'Yeh hai Bambai meri jaan…'

The episode came across as a very well-packaged, fantastically edited (watch out for the 'Dus bahane…' scene) and with a perfect blend of melodrama, mush with a dash of antics and the juicy carrot of a contract worth a crore. The show works on the basic principle: viewers love to watch someone make a fool of themselves on national television. One of the earliest aspirants was perhaps the most hilarious. He came, sang the 'Khaike pan banaraswallah…' number from Don and frankly had one in splits. "God, people are ambitious ," one might say after looking at him. But hey, that is the whole basis on which the show rests. To give its viewers a 'superiority complex'… and keep them hooked till the end.

The other chap worth a mention was Jigar Kapadia, who showed off his biceps (or the lack of it) and his love for his mother. Of course the love was reciprocated as the mother proudly proclaimed "You will be the next Indian Idol." Sadly (though a little predictably, he doesn't please the judges. The mother intervenes but to no avail. Far from being the 'next Indian Idol' he doesn't even make it to the second round!

Of course, the others who have been featured at length make it to the second round. But the whole concept of profiling contestants before they appear before the judges makes it easy to know who's in and who's out. But among these, the one man who deserves a mention is one, Parmar, who might look like a fool at the first glance. But for some reason, he does qualify. Perhaps he will be out eventually.But it isn't all work at Indian Idol as the makers decide to play a prank on Sonu and his fellow judges -- a burkha clad lady insists she was there to get married to Sonu! What happens next? We've given out enough, don't intend to spoil all the mystery!

What you'll watch tonight

Photo 1. An irate Farah Khan offers a contestant a banana

Photo 2. Jigar Kapadia begs for another chance, but is out

Photo 3. His mother tries to intervene but in vain

Photo 4. Another wannabe? Well, he makes it to the next round!

Photo 5. The burkha is a failed film star turned pop star

Photo 6. Aap Ghar Jaao: do we need to say anything more?

* Exclusive: We tell you what you'll watch tonight as Indian Idol's second season premieres on Sony...

ahhhhhhhh!!!! can't wait any longer...
by the way...thanks for the info