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Posted: 19 years ago

11 finalists to converge in Mumbai on Tuesday for Indian Idol finale!

The top 11 contestants of Indian Idol will be in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Till death do us apart!

As the popular reality show comes to an end on 5 March, the most loved contestants of the country will come together once again to bid adieu to the show that has changed their lives for good.

The set of Sony's Indian Idol will play host to all the contestants who made it to the top 11 of the show. The contestants will be put up in Taj President in Cuffe Parade. Our sources say that they might give a surprise performance as well! An evening that will surely have viewers from all over the country glued to their television sets!

However, all does not seem lost for the nine contestants who have been eliminated --- Mukesh Pancholi, is being given a chance to try his luck in Mumbai by production house Optymistix. This is not all, Farah Khan's favourite, Rahul Saxena has already been signed on for Khan's next film, Happy New Year. If the grapevine is to be believed then he will be the voice of Shah Rukh Khan in the movie.

Rahul Vaidya, too has bagged a 20 lakh recording deal with Sony, apart from a promise of patronage from Sonu Nigam. Even Ravinder Ravi went home with Rs 60,000 in his account, a gift from ICICI bank.

Meanwhile, all these contestants are bound by a contract with Sony for three months --- that is they cannot enter into any kind of commitments for any music album or movies for that duration.

But not to worry! None of these youngsters are yet wary of their celebrity status. They are taking time out to enjoy their stardom --- and truly, this is fame that is well deserved!

By ANANYA SENGUPTA	Posted on 28 February 2005 7:30 pm
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Rahul Vaidya out of Idol race!

The 'Indian Idol' race has finally boiled down to the last two. Rahul Vaidya is out of the reckoning, finds Vickey Lalwani.

Rahul Vaidya - smiling through the tears!

Voice quivering with emotion, Rahul says he is clueless what went wrong with him in Thursday's episode. "I accept people's verdict with humility. I think I should have made it, but that's life. Now may the best candidate win," he says philosophically.

The two running neck and neck in the race are nervous. Almost biting his nails hard, Amit Sana asks, "What is it that you want to ask me when I am walking on the thinnest portion of the long rope I have travelled across so far?"

"I was confident that I will come this far. But there's a big difference in feeling about it and having actually achieved it," he adds.

Sana claims that he is clueless about the bets that are being placed all over the country about who is going to capture the Indian Idol crown.

"We are locked up in our hotel. We hardly read anything. It hardly matters to me. I am getting good sleep," he says with a shrug..

Sana, who, not so long ago, was tipped to win the coveted prize, was the third favourite (6/1) for Thursday's episode. "It hardly matters, " he shrugs. "But if you say that, it has made me even more determined."

So far, the contestants have chosen the song according to their whims and fancies. But in the final round, the judges - Anu Malik, Farah Khan and Sonu Nigam - will have the final say.

On the other hand, dark horse Abhijit Sawant, whose cool and affable persona seems to have won him a few extra points, was the first favourite for Thursday's episode (5/2).

Sawant however does not claim surprise over the betting. "I heard something about people gambling on us. That explains that the programme has become a rage," he chuckles.

"I think we both have our strengths and weaknesses. After the entire filtration has been done, now we both will have to hold our nerve. The one who will perform the best when it counts the most will win," he adds after a short pause.

The buzz now is, superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be the celeb judge for the grand finale. Remember, you heard it here first!

Posted on 19 February 2005 7:00 pm
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Rahul Vaidya will sing in 'Shaadi No.1'

It's champagne time for Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant, no doubt. But there's another lad who is celebrating with the bubbly too: Rahul Vaidya, one of the last four, who will start his playback singing career in Vashu Bhagnani's Shaadi No.1.

Vashu Bhagnani has asked Vaidya to lend his singing talent (unquestionable) to his forthcoming film Shaadi No.1 directed by David Dhawan. Vaidya has agreed.

Vashu Bhagnani

When contacted, Bhagnani said, "Annu Malik music director of Shaadi No 1 kept telling me that Vaidya is extremely talented. I hadn't watched the earlier episodes of Indian Idol but at Anu's insistence when I did watch, I got hooked to the programme, especially Vaidya."

Rahul Vaidya: lucky break

Bhagnani further informs that the song would be picturised on Fardeen Khan, Zayed Khan and Sharman Joshi. "Rahul's voice will be utilised for all the three heroes in the same song. I can't spill the details on how that would be done. But I promise, it's a beautiful song," he gushes.

Rahul Vaidya has recently signed a contract worth Rs. 20 lakhs with Sony Entertainment Television. Vaidya was unavailable for comment. But his sister Shruti offered, "His contract with Sony debars him from participating and judging any singing competition on any other channel, or doing any albums, for 60 days. Bhagnani's song will not be a problem."

"As far as I know, I can record with him anytime after 7 June. I may organise the song recording for 9 June," Bhagnani added.

Dhawan and Bhagnani are doing a film together after six years, their last joint effort being Biwi No 1.

Shaadi No 1 which is a laugh-a-riot stars Fardeen Khan, Zayed Khan, Sharman Joshi, Esha Deol, Soha Ali Khan, Ayesha Takia, Sophia Chaudhry, Riya Sen, Aarti Chhabria, Satish Shah and Rajpal Yadav.

By VICKEY LALWANI	Posted on 5 March 8 .30 pm
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Issue dated 2 March 2005

'Indian Idol'- The day after

Indians have finally got their Indian Idol. But are the Indian Idol and his parents breathing easy? Sapana Patil meets the parents Shridhar and Manisha Sawant to find out.

Abhijeet's poster welcomes all to Shahu Nagar

The lanes of Shahu Nagar, are marked by posters and boards, congratulating Abhijeet and offering him best wishes from the residents. It may be recalled that Abhijeet, in all his interviews has acknowledged the help and support of his friends and neighbours. "I owe it to them," he says.

The Idol's building, which will soon have a different look

This is the building that has been witness to Abhijeet's journey to fame. Thanks to him the building will soon sport a fresh look as he has promised to paint the building after he wins the title. It will be remembered in history as the building that housed the first Indian Idol!

Abhijeet's wellwishers express their love with bouquets

Fans from far away come to greet and congratulate, knowing they wouldn't meet Abhijeet but hoping they would. The collection of bouquets at Sawant's residence, reminded me that I had not brought one!

One and all, guests come to congratulate the proud parents

Neighbours and friends, from old times and new start dropping in. They want to wish Abhijeet and his parents a wonderful future. One of the visitors even offers Abhijeet the role of a hero in his play. Abhijeet's mother coyly refuses, eminding him of the contract with Sony. Winning the contest was not an easy thing for this Maharashtrian lad. He had to struggle a lot to realise his dream of becoming a singer in this cut-throat industry. Friends tell us tales of Abhijeet's struggles to establish himself as a singer.

An old time friend: Abhijeet's guitar

Abhijeet's guitar comforted him many in times of despair.
The flat that the Sawant's live in is small. As friends and relatives drop by, the tiny hall starts getting packed and soon the family moves outside in the compound to entertain their guests. But no one
wants to leave the Indian Idol's house.

The view from Abhijeet's balcony

While the neighbours got busy, I catch a view from Abhijeet's balcony. The one thing that made Abhijeet a darling of the masses is perhaps his humble nature. His ordinary beginnings, and his extraordinary feat is what makes him truly an Idol.

The hand that rocked the cradle: Abhijeet's mother

Abhijeet's mother finds time to cook as she is worried about her dear son's kidney stone problem. She gives instructions to the neighbours about Abhijeet's home coming ceremony. She also speaks about her interaction with Amit Sana. "He is like a son to me. I want to call the Sana family for lunch some day," says Manisha eagerly.

Buddies of the Idol

His friends join to celebrate Abhijeet's victory. All of them are happy that finally Abhijeet's hard work has paid off --- and they laughingly add, "the habit of sending Smses has finally paid off!"

We tried to catch up with the newly crowned idol, but he was busy celebrating his newfound fame with the who's who of television industry --- Kunal Dasgupta, Tarun Katial, NP Singh, Monisha Singh, and Nikhil Alva.

Life, for Abhijeet will be very different from now on, and his friends only hope that name and fame does not change him.

Abhijeet Sawant --- A simple man...A simple lifestyle...humble beginnings...meteoric rise! That's our Indian Idol.

Posted on 6 March 4:05 pm
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Idol finalist ties the knot!

The girl whose laughter tugged at millions of hearts, has a special reason to smile these days --- she has just got married!

Aditi Paul: 'I am here to stay, marriage or not!'

Remember the girl who laughed and cried in gay abundance with her fellow contestants, the girl who showered praises, made polite requests and above everything else, made people laugh with her on stage. Meet Aditi Paul, now Aditi Mazumdar.

Aditi, arguably the most loved contestant on Indian Idol, got married on 14 March to Suchintyo Mazumdar, a school teacher In Kolkata.

In an interview she gave to Bengali daily Ananda Bazaar Patrika, Aditi said that her husband is very supportive of her singing career and has been a pillar of strength during the contest. "He has always been an inspiration for me," says Aditi.

Denying all rumours, Aditi said that she did not get married because she lost, but her marriage plans had already been drawn up long before she entered the contest.

Aditi has plans of shifting base to Mumbai to pursue her career, but marriage and its ensuing responsibilities may mean a change in plans.

Mini Mathur, who confessed that Aditi was her favourite contestant, says, "The most difficult thing that I have ever done in my life is to get up on the stage and announce Aditi's name as the one who has been voted out."

Most of the people who have come to know her during Indian Idol, tell us that at first glance she seemed to be a bubbly immature girl, but soon you realize that she is very well read and articulate. "She made a classy and dignified exit," says Mini.

But the one thing that really troubled Aditi during the contest was that she was really homesick and missed Bengali food.

'This is your moment, make your dreams come true'

Mini had been providing Bengali meals to her off and on and that probably got her going.

The top eleven contestants of Indian Idol were all invited to the wedding, along with Mini, but they could not make it due to various commitments.

"Aditi's wedding did not come as a surprise to me --- I hope she is happy!" says Rahul Vaidya. A favourite of the group, Aditi had spoken about her fianc to Priyanka Venkateshwar as well, but she fell ill soon after, and the latter quit ---- "So any discussions on this topic, unfortunately didn't happen," says Priyanka.

But Prajakta Shukre has a very different story to tell. "We used to do our makeup together and I used to tease her about her wedding and she would jokingly tell me not to talk about it. She was a lot of fun. She called me after her marriage and told me that I will not be able to recognize her now," says Prajakta. With a traditional Bengali saree, red bindi, sindoor and mehendi, her look now, is a far cry from the girl who did a jig on stage!

We hope that Aditi has a very happy married life ---- and she pursues her dreams without any hurdles, and above everything else, let her dreams be shared by her husband and may he love her, and her aspirations as well!