Idol threat: Panna's shocking exit
By: A hitList Correspondent
In yet another shocking elimination round, 'Ideal Indian Idol' Panna Gill was voted out of the Sony reality show last night. And he was the first finalist to go away smiling.
Like Monali Thakur, Panna did not get the chance to improvise on his performances and singing and was directly voted out of the race. He had never before been in the Bottom Three of the sweepstakes, and was a clear favourite.
The backlash
Anchor Mini Mathur was devastated, and instead of asking for the judge's reaction, said, "Panna Gill's vote out is a huge loss for Indian Idol; he was a complete package with a great heart!" While judge Farah Khan said, "I had immense faith in him. This kind of judgement is not shocking but tragic; we are losing the best talents." Anu Malik was also very upset with the result. He said, "I am shocked to see Panna out today. I don't understand what it is that the viewer's voting for."
Never say die
Indian Idol 2 contestants and Ravi Tripathi (circled)
A true professional, Panna was practicing his last song on stage in an undertone while his pre-recorded tape was being shown on screen! "I am not going away for good… and I will not let Indian viewers forget me.
Indian Idol has given me so much that I could have never dream of."
The Bottom Three as usual shocked everyone, when, even after outstanding performances by Karunya, Sandeep and Panna, they were last in the heap. The judges though were not entirely shocked, as they had expected viewers to go against the good singers!