Article: It's a tug of war

been selected in this round includ- ing two contestants from Dubai and one from London. He adds, "It will show the emo- tional journey with daily per- formances and eliminations. The special nine-day long Suron Ki Baarish will culminate with the viewers voting for the 10 finalists on June 9." Nandinii – being asked to take a break this Thursday Sony is set to , improve their ratings and engage the viewers with its musical real- ity talent hunt show Indian Idol 3. W ith three prime time shows- Ek Ladki Anjaani Sii, Virrudh and Durgesh and bad singers." What makes Indian Idol differ- ent? "We're involving the viewers in the process of searching the Indian Idol. We reveal characters as opposed to singers. We can only provide a stepping stone towards the music industry, not guarantee lifetime success. One thing is for sure, you'll see uncut diamonds." Biggest hunt Alva says this season's Idol is the biggest ever since it covered audi- tions in 12 cities over a period of two and half months. About the auditions in London and Dubai, he says, "The turnout was huge. It was their chance to connect to their motherland. It was deeply moving to hear them sing patriotic songs." He says that the search took them to Nagpur, Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar and terror struck Srinagar.: "We received militant threats in Srinagar but our search was intensive. We didn't give up. Nearly 25000 aspirants have audi- tioned this season." Search for finalists Miditech president, Niret Alva, says, "We've shown the search across various cities and coun- tries. It's a much younger demo- graphic this time and includes a wider socio-economic group." With The Piano Round to begin this Friday, Alva says that fourteen girls and 14 boys have Mockery of music How does he react to the criticism of the judges mocking bad singers? He replies, " popular vote A is not a critics vote or vice versa..a purist will also look at the show dif- ferently. Our format includes the search for the Indian Idol. We give viewers the opportunity to dis- criminate between good Competition Is there any competition from Voice of India and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa? He remarks, "They're both very different in their formats. There seems to be pre-selected tal- ent in Voice of India, whereas Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is a hardcore face-off between music composers. "Being in the same time band is not exciting from a producer's perspective. But it can be a healthy tug of war. The viewers will have to choose." About the judges and the hosts, he says, "One word from Javed (Akhtar) balances any contro- versy. Alisha (Chinai) and Udit (Narayan) have their own views. Of course, Anu (Mallik) is in his element. The anchors, Hussein (Kuwajerwala) and Mini (Math- ur), have also bonded well with the contestants." Sony's EVP and business head, Albert Almeida, says, "While the judges will continue to voice their opinions, the ultimate decision will rest with the viewers as they cast their votes for the next Indian Idol." "We're looking for someone who captures the imagination of the viewers," signs off Alva.