Chandigarh, April 2: Yes, it almost seems like yesterday. A little over four months back, we sat crammed in a video-conference room in the city's infotech hub (Sector 34) making introductions with the all-new lineup of contestants at Indian Idol 2, Sony Television's musical reality show into its second season. It was an interesting mix of individuals - students, professionals, drop-outs et al. Their voices might have crackled and sounded garbled over the airwaves that day but those of you keeping a close watch on the proceedings since then will vouch for the fact that it's been well-contested. And with just two days of voting left for the aam janta to eliminate one more contestant to bring it to a one-on-one format, we pan over to the troika. This band of boys - Bikaner's Sandeep Acharya, Hyderabad's NC Karunya and Kangra district's Anuj Sharma - has been on a roll. After umpteen live performances and gala rounds, city-hopping and fan-building, are these three ready to tango? We decide to take them straight on. BUTTERFLIES IN THE BELLY ANYONE?: Sorry, come again, did we actually think they would be nervous? ''Nervous is not the right word. It's excitement,'' Rajasthan's candidate Sandeep Acharya corrects us first. ''I am not saying there's no pressure. We feel it all the time but that's not a weak point. I am really looking forward to the finals,'' says Sandeep. Ditto for Anuj Sharma who rules out any butterflies in the belly experience. ''We have worked so hard to get this far. And after all that we have been exposed to - live performances to being judged each week - all this prepares you at least mentally,'' admits Sharma. But if there's someone feeling something, it's the Hyderabad favourite Karunya. ''I am feeling insecure. All this hype about me winning might just backfire. The results are always shocking! I am confident with my singing, so there's no nervousness,'' remarked the 19-year-old. | | < = src="https://banners.expressindia.com/banner/eiintel.js"> < = src="https://banners.expressindia.com/adsnew/adjs.php?para=no&n=880104771&what=zone:470&target=_blank&exclude=," =text/> | LOTS IN COMMON: Apart from singing really well, if there's anything else that's common to these three, then it's their determination. With music running in the family, Karunya says he was all of five when he decided he wanted to exercise his vocal chords loud and clear. ''Since then singing and music has been my focus,'' admits Karunya who let go of his engineering degree for a chance in Indian Idol 2. ''Music is a passion and I can never have too much of it. There's so much more I have to learn,'' we hear him say. It's ditto for the other two who despite giving into parental pressures (vis-a-vis completing studies and aspiring for professional careers) stuck on with their singing. ''After my MA when my parents insisted I look for a job, I underwent training as a sound recordist and came home to open my own studio. I knew I had to have music in my life,'' says Anuj, our man from the mountains. Incidentally, his younger sister is married in Chandigarh. WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS: Win or no-win, the three say they have achieved a lot more than they could have ever dreamt of. ''I would often wonder whether I could be on stage with the biggies,'' chuckles Sharma who considers himself ''blessed'' for getting this far. ''While I haven't been approached by anyone yet, I would really like to work with Anu Malik and music director duo Vishal Shekhar,'' mentions Sandeep who admits a platform like this will act as a huge stepping stone for their careers. ''I can see myself as a playback singer in Bollywood,'' comes Karunya's confident remark. JUST CHILL, CHILL: Despite all that hype regarding the final stages, these three contestants have been taking easy, playing cool. ''Yoga helps in a big way,'' says Sandeep who though not very regular with the exercise, admits to thinking positive all the time to feel at ease. His contemporaries follow suit with Karunya getting his daily dose with Pranayam and Anuj taking time out with his daily prayers. FIRST THING FIRST: When you are interviewing contestants, it's all but fair to think of a 'what-if' question. So what's the first thing they'll do if they win, we put forth the question and here's what they had to say. ''One of the first things that I'll do is take the other 12 contestants for a long drive,'' chuckles Acharya. While Karunya will head first to his guruji for blessings and spend the rest of the time with family and friends, Anuj has concrete plans. ''There's a tiny mandir in my house which I have been keeping my family away from renovating because that's something I want to do,'' he smiles making clear his intentions post the win. So all that we can say now is - let the best man win, right? |
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