| Lucknow rocks, says Sonu! |
| Impressed by the show put up by contestants from the region, Sonu Nigam says one should be prepared for a season of surprises on Indian Idol II. |
Shirin Abbas
Will Lucknow be giving the country its second Indian Idol? If one is to believe singer and Idol judge Sonu Nigam, one cannot waive aside the possibility."At the risk of evoking the ire of other people and making them angry, I'd like to say I was personally most impressed with the participants from Lucknow and pleasantly surprised with the quality of the talent at the auditions here, especially since after Ahmedabad I had more or less written off the chances of contestants from small towns. But Lucknow has been the big surprise."
Nigam says with shooting for the theatre round complete, he has seen the contestants from this region score favourably in this year's Idol rounds and has great hopes from Lucknow.
Asked to comment on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa's director Gajendra Singh's recent remarks that all present day talent hunts as also their judges (like Sonu) owed their origins to his brainchild, Sa Re... Sonu said it was true that he gained entry into the music industry through a platform like Sa Re Ga Ma (the Pa being added later) but said he too was involved in the evolution of the programme. "Unlike Sa re Ga Ma, talent hunts like Indian Idol do not just declare winners and leave them orphans," he said sharply. "Not only does Indian Idol provide a platform to new talent, it grooms them and shapes their careers ensuring they are given a base in the music industry. Almost all among the top ten of Idol finalists have found work in the industry and are doing well," he said. Newsline asked the singer if voting through SMS and public choice in talent hunts does not cast a shadow on the credibility of the winners especially when non-singers like Qazi Tauqeer manage to win on Fame Gurukul, edging aside more talented participants? "I would rather be in a country which offered platforms such as Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul and Sa Re Ga Ma to its youth rather than do without the same," Nigam replied. "I have had to stand ouitside the offices of music directors' offices begging for work, gone without food, water, tea coffee, just standing at their door for hours on end hoping for someone to give me a chance to sing. I'm glad things have changed and young talent today has platforms such as these which do away with all that. "Yes, that platform also gives the public the chance to pick its own stars too. Personally I too do not find Qazi the best singer among the Gurukul finalists but we must respect public choice. Let's admit that the most successful people aren't necessarily always the best. There is an honesty in his voice and an innocence in his eyes which has won the hearts of the public in his favour."Speaking about the incident in Karachi where a bomb blast ripped apart a bus next to his car minutes before a performance, forcing its cancellation and commenting on events like Pakistan's refusal of visa to Shubha Mudgal, Nigam said "I still go cold when I recall that incident. However the people gave me so much love and respect. I was welcomed with open arms. But such events are unfortunate because they leave a bad memory and are insulting especially when India does not follow the same policy. We have welcomed Abida Parveen, Adnan Sami, Meera, Strings and Fuzon with open arms. Let's just say we as Indian know how to respect art and artistes. If only others would follow our example too."
Indian Idol 15
