1. The biases of judges:
Yesterday Sonu Nigam began the show with a lecture to Janta. His message was clearly directed at Prashant's voters. Javed Akhtar did the same couple of times before. People feel insulted with such lectures. They have their own mind and such comments from the judges only ignite their love for Prashant furthermore. Hence they passionately vote for Prashant.
Also the judges pointed out that the song was easy. But the theme was pop song and Prashant's choice was not at all easy one. There were only three genuine pop songs yesterday- the ones that Prashant sang, Chang sang and Ankita sang. Others had elements of classical melody and thus gave an extra edge to the singers. But as Javed is prejudiced against Prashant from within, he brought that easy song stuff. This negative attitude quickly fuelled a sense of vulnerability/insecurity to Prashant's voters. And they voted for him crazily.
2. The stereotyping of the Nepalese in India:
Nepalese Indians, Gurkhas and other Nepalese have significantly contributed for the good of India since centuries. They have fought for India in wars. They have highly contributed in saving lives of the Indian public during 1947 hindu/muslim riots. They have loyally served for the Indian bosses, whether it is in the Army or in the business sector or in the household or street jobs. But in return, they have most of the times received stereotypical banters and humiliation. This unites all the people of Nepalese origin in India for a single cause, whatever it is. Prashant is immensely benefiting from this unity and rightly so.
3. The overlooking of Darjeeling:
After the British left India, Darjeeling has been ignored by the central government. Darjeeling's tea is one of the most rewarding exports of India, and as much a proud symbol. But very little effort has been made for the uplifting of Darjeeling's living standard. Development has lost its pace too. The movement for autonomy was crushed and while Jharkhand, Uttaranchal were granted a state status, Darjeeling's effort was blocked. This also fuels to the frustration of Darjeeling people. They want to see their presence being felt in the central level. And Prashant has, probably for the first time, represented the whole India for Darjeeling. This is a matter of great pride for the Darjeeling people and therefore they vote for him as much as they might be doing now.
4. The bad name for Indian police:
Indian police is also always discredited for its efforts. To maintain law and order in such a big country is a huge huge task. But neither the member of the public, nor the Indian intellectuals respect the police as much as they deserve. Their salaries and benefits are far less than what other public servicemen are getting. The police service is mocked and humiliated time and again. Hence when Prashant takes the stage on behalf of the Indian police, it is a matter of great pride for them. Atlast one of their own is in the media for good reasons and they must be so happy. I don't think any police official is voting for others than Prashant and rightly so.
5. Prashant's modesty, appeal and soothing voice:
Prashant is so humble, so innocent, and so genuine in terms of character. He is so original. And his smile appeals. He is a good singer too. He has the gifted voice that fits with the melody of hindi music. His alaap is breathtaking. And he has sung the most versatile of songs. With a little bit of theoretical lessons on Indian suur and raag, he can sing all kind of songs brilliantly.
6. The complacency, laziness and greed of other fans:
Sony TV's audience must be in the figures of tens of millions. I am sure there are more supporters of Amit or Emon or even other contestants than Prashant in India. The population of Nepalese in India and the population of police is definitely hundreds of folds lesser than that of others. But Prashant's fans are more serious and they have more at stake than other fans'. It also seems to me that other contestant's fans are greedier than Prashant's fans. Why would they spend money when there's nothing important at stake for them?
However, I firmly believe that Prashant will not win the competition eventually. As more contestants are eliminated, their voters will start voting against Prashant. So when Puja get's eliminated, Emon will get support from her fans. When Chang gets eliminated, either Emon or Amit will get their support. And so does the trend develops. Even if he gets the most number of votes, Sony will intervene and announce a different winner. Sony is not doing so now because if it ousts Prashant today, it will lose a significant sum of money and rating that's coming from his voters at present. But if the votes are rigged in the final or even during top 3 elimination, Sony won't lose too much. The reasons why Sony will not let Prashant to be Indian Idol are as follows:
- The public backlash: The majority of Indians cannot accept the fact that someone of Nepalese origin wins the Indian Idol. Same happens if Chang wins the competition. Sony will definitely avoid such backlash.
- Prashant's weaknesses: Prashant is less a performer and more of a singer. Indian Idol has to perform a lot too. Prashant is not a clever chap. He lacks communicating skills. He cannot connect to the stage audience. His Hindi and English language skills are relatively poor. He is shy and doesn't dance. So he won't be able to sell the Indian Idol brand.
But Prashant will go on to become a noted playback singer in Indian and Nepali music. Because he can sing very well. He is very sincere and down to earth. He is someone who could be trusted. He won't be demanding. He is disciplined, dedicated and loyal. And every music directors love to work with such singers. One day sooner than later, Prashant will be singing some Bollywood hits and I am looking forward to that.
Fan Fictions
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
