Choosing the third Indian Idol

The Indian Idol judges and anchors have been busy travelling around the country looking for the right kind of contestants. As the countdown for this reality show begins,we got the judges to give us a take on the talent quotient, interesting incidents and overall on the third season of this world acclaimed reality show.

Annu Malik

About the talent
The contestants this season are exceptionally talented. Surprisingly this time we have come across lot of youngsters between the age of 16 -18 years. The viewers are going to have a tough time choosing their idol as the competition will get tougher and tougher as the show progresses to the next level.

Incident
Contestants look for acceptance in your eyes. There was one contestant who knew I was not happy with the way he was performing, so he started dancing so that he could see that acceptance in my eyes. There was another incident when a contestant who was a good singer but was low on confidence. While she was singing I immediately started playing the table as the table giving beats, automatically her confidence seemed to grow and she performed really well.

From the first season to now
Season one was the first time that such a show was launched on Indian television. There was a sort of curiosity and excitement amongst the viewers about the show; also it had some great talent. The second season was good. The third season has immense talent and is going to be difficult for the viewers to choose their Indian idol. We have come across singers who are exceptionally good and can give a run for their money to most established singers today. I am really looking forward to this season as I am confident that the talent we are going to present to our viewers from across the nation is going to put them in a dilemma on whom to vote for.

Udit Narayan

About the talent
We have got some really good talent. What I have noticed is that in terms of participation and talent the women candidates are a step ahead. It's a great learning experience as I have come across such talented singers. It is amazing to see the kind of confidence that the youngsters today have.

Incident
I think this was in Kolkata, when a fan came in aping me in terms of dressing and hairstyle. It was quite hilarious to see him behave like me.


Javed Akhtar

About the talent
We did have a lot of mediocrity but at the same time came across some good talent too.This time we have some extremely young singers who are exceptionally talented and it's going to be difficult for us as well as the audiences' to make their choice. Each and every city that we went to the talent has at times disappointed us as well as completely taken us by surprise. I am looking forward to this show as I am quite optimistic about the kind of talent we are going to bring forth to the audiences".

On Idols as a platform
Indian Idol is a great platform for upcoming talent. When we started our careers we did not have any such platform that would give us such an opportunity. The youth today should consider themselves lucky to get a platform like Indian idol to showcase their talent. It is on them from there to take their career forward".

About the contestants
I am amazed to see the kind of confidence the youngsters have. The spark in their eyes, the charisma; some contestants have taken us by surprise. At the same time mediocrity is inevitable, we have come across contestants that have annoyed us."

Alisha Chinai

About the talent
We have come across some great talent this time. Many youngsters have taken us by surprise with the kind of confidence they have. I am sure the viewers are going to have a tough time judging as the show moves on to the next level".

Incident
There was this crazy fan who walked in with a cake, a teddy bear soft toy and photo frames of mine. His intention was not singing though but he was happy meeting me in person.

Mini Mathur

From season 1 to season 2
Season 1 had some fantastic singers. As this was the first time that such a show was introduced people were not prepared. The second season was good. The third season is going to take the viewers by surprise as this time we have a whole lot of young talent. Also due to the geographical spread this time, we have got talent from the rear parts of India.

Funny incident
There is this one person who claims to be thirty years old from season one. He has been there for auditions every year and has some documents that prove his age. I consider him as our lucky mascot.

Hussain Kuwajerwala

Incident
This was in Kolkata, when I got a call at 1 am from the production saying that they want to shoot.I was surprised and actually reminded them of the time. The people were already queuing outside the audition center. Their commitment has taken me completely by surprise.

Talent
The talent this time is exceptionally good and I am sure the viewers are going to find it tough to choose their Indian Idol.