Posted:
| Highlights - Episode 4 Kolkata auditions: Stop singing or we will knife you! |
The City of Joy - Kolkata - was the final destination for the judges of Indian Idol Series 2, who had previously travelled to Mumbai, Delhi and Lucknow in search of that one performer who could be crowned the Agla Indian Idol. Anu Malik, Farah Khan and Sonu Nigam have come across a mixed bag of talent and misplaced aspiration, emotion and criticism during an exciting one-month journey spent discovering new voices In Kolkata, the Indian Idol Series 2 was shot amid the heritage buildings and trams, the palm trees and the mishti-dohi of Bengal. Seated royally in a vintage car, our judges passed by the narrow lanes and the slow-moving trams as they made their way through the old city to the audition area at Salt Lake. The aura around the venue was addictive and the atmosphere full of energy. After being greeted by Aman Verma and Mini Mathur, the judges discovered that hundreds of aspiring singers had practiced all night in a nearby open field, waiting in desperation for the sun to rise and show them the way to stardom. Impressed by the josh of the contestants, the judges moved to the audition room and began their job. Unfortunately the situation within the audition room turned out to be in stark contrast to the josh that was evident outside. The judges were disappointed by the quality of singers who auditioned. Then came Sandeep Acharya, all the way from Rajasthan, whose voice quality impressed all. In fact, the judges even said that if they had to give him a score, it would be 130 out of 100 for his singing talent. Kolkata, thus, got its first successful contestant. Then came the turn of Lopa Mudra, who was confident of her singing and her personality right from the word go. Though brimming over with confidence, she failed to impress the judges. In fact, Farah Khan went so far as to ask her never to perform ever again, while Sonu Nigam advised her to learn singing. With emotions running high, she burst into tears in front of the jury saying she had high fever and hence couldn€™t perform that day. Disappointed, she had to leave. Also shown the door was Swapan Pandey, a temple priest who had come with seven of his friends to participate in the competition. While he is a popular voice among temple visitors, he wasn€™t able to include our distinguished jury to the list of his followers. However, he turned out to be brave and promised he would learn and come back next year to be the Indian Idol. Then came the most dramatic moment in the episode when the judges got up to stab a contestant. Kunal, who sang with his eyes closed, was so bad that the judges scared everyone by approaching him with a knife. How did the dangerous instrument reach the audition room? Well, your guess is as good as ours! Then there was Manoj Kumar Shukla who sang a song with his face half-covered. He was rejected as soon as he started. In the midst of all this drama, Jolly Das was busy preparing her song for the competition. Her nervousness was clear on her face, but the moment she stepped into the audition room, she transformed completely. Even though she sang with her eyes closed, she managed to impress Farah and also the other two judges. What convinced them to choose her for the next round was her confidence and her belief that she would make it big. And finally came the tough nut, or rather the €˜hard-boiled egg€™ as Anu Malik put it. Shravan€™s rendition of Aashiq Banaya Aapne left Anu fuming. In sheer anger, Anu pronounced that his singing reminded him of a hard egg that would not break even if you boil it (sic). He insisted that Shravan avoid attempting singing ever again. What began as a josh-full journey proved to be a damp squib. After choosing a few good voices, the judges have returned to Mumbai where Round 2 of the competition is about to begin. In the Theatre Round, the 172 contestants, chosen from various parts of India, will be tested. While some will move an inch closer to stardom, many will pack their bags, maybe to come back again next year. |
Hindi TV Shows
Bigg Boss 19
Bollywood
Cricket
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
