ANUJ out of the IDOL RACE!!

Anuj Sharma, the contestant from Himachal Pradesh has been voted out of the Idol race on Tuesday.

Anuj, who had got a lucky break earlier when Jolly Das was forced to quit the show due to chicken pox, has come a long way after being eliminated in the piano round itself!

What was surprising about Anuj's final adieu was the fact that the judges didn't hide their dissappointment in the man. They kept harping on how Anuj was the 'weakest link' in the top three. So finally when the verdict came, all the drama created around it fell flat!

Anuj, whose run to the top three was marred by controversies was humble in defeat and it seemed that he had already guessed the final outcome. None of the lensmen thus got their crying howling contestant.

Another thing that was quite noticeable during the shoot was the reaction of the top two when the results were announced. While Sandeep seemed disturbed, Karunya didn't seem to mind the ouster, maybe because he was the other one in line. This is one contestant who seems to have changed quite a bit since the audition days. He's no longer the dow eyed youngsters with dreams in his eyes. Karunya today has taken stardom in his stride, he not only sings well, but also mastered the art of handling the media. (He reminds me of Arpita of Fame Gurukul).

The drama on the sets was also at its best with judges objecting to host Aman Verma referring to the previous weeks spat as 'hungama' and asking him to rephrase the question that he had put to Anuj. Quite a scene it was with Aman looking really bamboozled! Poor chap...he just mouthed what the telly prompter prompted, I guess!

All in all as far as Indian Idol 2 is concerned, if only talent is considered then Karunya is a clear winner, but the fact remains that he's still getting the least number of votes. Perhaps it's Sandeep's boyish charm that's doing the trick for him!

Anyways, Anuj's ouster is not bad news for the show, but the man himself has a long way to go and his journey has already begun on a great note! Here's wishing him well!

Anuj Sharma isn't a cynic! He's taken his loss quite well...and plans to make a mark for himself in the field of playback singing. Tellychakkar.com spoke to the 29 year old just after he was voted out of the Idol race.

So how are you feeling at this point of time?
I am feeling really bad, but thisis a competition and somebody has to fo out. In every elimination round, I used to think that maybe today's my turn, but votes kept pouring in. I am thankful to all those who voted for me and helped me get this far.

What have you planned for your future?
I want to do playback singing! I want to prove myself to Anu Malik, so that he gives me an opportunity to sing for him (laughs out loud)! Seriously, I want to meet music directors and sing good songs. But for sometime now, I want to go home and sleep in my mother's lap!

Do you have any hard feelings for anybody on the show?
If you had asked this four months earlier, I would have told you that 'I blame God, that why didn't he give me the opportunities that the other singers had,' but today, I have no regrets and no one to blame, because I have got so much from Indian Idol. I really had fun on the show and the three of us really gelled well together. Whatever the judges told me helped me in the long run. Maybe, the judges criticised me because they expected a lot from me since they had got me back...given me a second chance!

In any point in your tenure as a contestant did you feel that you were not as good as the rest?
No, I was always confident that I could sing. There are days when one sings badly, but the response I got during the outdoor shows was immense.

Many of the reality show winners have resorted to doing stage shows because there's good money there...do you plan to do something similar?
I agree with you that stage shows are a great way to make money! Maybe I will do some stage shows too, because face it, everybody needs money. But my priority is and always will be playback singing!