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Indian Idol 4 – First Gala and A Shocking Elimination

Ajay

2008-12-09 11:38:22

The first gala episode of this year’s Indian Idol started off with a group performance by the Top 14 to the song "Bar Bar" from the movie Lagaan. This was followed by the judges reaction to the recent Mumbai blasts. Anu Malik said that it was a very sad thing to have happened and Javed akhthar, who was an eminent public figure during the peace march, exploded by saying enough is enough. After observing one minute silence for all the victims of the blast, the show was handed over to the cool hosts Hussein and Chang

For all those who may have trouble recollecting, this year we have fourteen finalists, Shini, Rajdeep, Saurabhee, Kuldeep, Mohit, Tulika, Kapil, Remo, Prasanjit, Priyanka, Bhanu Pratap, Ananya, Bhavya and Torsha, out of which the first gala will witness the elimination of two.

The theme for this first gala was that theme which has been overused and sometimes evoke a response of “not again” in the minds of many - Love

Shini – "Mehboob Mere"

Anu Malik – Your holding notes were exceptional
Sonali Bendre – Well, she talked about family and other things
Javed Akhthar – Your performance was exceptional

She can't dance at all but man can she sing. For some time Bhavya was the favorite of many but I have to say that Shini out ranks Bhavya by quite a bit. She was not flawless this time but near enough.

My Rating – 9/10

Rajdeep – "Ek Din"

Sonali Bendre – I am impressed.
Anu Malik – Fantastic
Javed Akhthar – If everyone sings like this then all we judges can do is sit and say wow

It was a very good performance, no doubt. Add to it the fact that he walked right up to Sonali and sang a few lines for her made it cute. But I would really love to see him trying on other genre of songs like his classical rendition of the first piano round.

My Rating – 8.5/10

Saurabhee – "Pyaar ki ek kahani"

After her performance, Hussein asked her why she was so sad and she said she didn’t do as good as she could have done. To cheer her up she did shake a leg with Hussein and Chang to Shakira's "Hips Don’t Lie".

Javed Akhthar – You gave more importance to your performance and hence you fell short in the singing department
Sonali Bendre – This gal deserves another chance
Anu Malik – Your performance was outstanding and I would request the audience to give her another chance.

I love the original version of the song. Its such a haunting melody. Unfortunately Saurabhee's version did not sound even close. She can definitely dance and man, can she shake those hips!

My Rating – 6.5/10

Kuldeep - "Bhakhudha"

Javed Akhthar – It was your best performance till date
Sonali Bendre – Your song touched me.
Anu Malik – Your song didn’t touch me at all.

Here the judges fought a little with Javed Akhthar and Sonali Bendre on one side and Anu Malik on the other.

I would say he sang the song pretty well - nowhere near flawless but he stayed in tune and did things correctly. The main problem is no one should try to sing Atif Aslams song's live, even Atif Aslam himself should not try. I heard him in one of MTV’s programs and he was squealing. Kuldeep, I think, did a pretty good job and his brief dance with Ananya was cute, too.

My Rating – 7/10

Mohit – "Khuda Jaane"

Javed Akhthar – Your high notes sounded like shouting
Anu Malik – You sung the line “Khuda Jaane” brilliantly
Sonali Bendre – Your singing was weak except for that one line

Javed saab had a problem with his high notes. I had a problem with his low notes. At some point while he was struggling through the low notes, I thought he was saying the words and not singing, but I felt that he made up a little during his high notes.

My Rating – 6.5/10

Tulika – "Aayeyein Mehrrabaan"

Anu malik – gave a long over due bad cuplet
Javed Akhthar – It was good singing but not your best
Sonali Bendre – I would wish that you could come to the next round

She has got to sing a song of another style. Her songs are becoming predictable and boring. She had Chang on stage and they looked cute together.

My Raing – 6.5/10

Kapil - "Saawariya"

Javed Akhthar – It was a weak performance
Anu Malik –You tried very well and for that I salute you
Sonali Bendre - Her comments were not even shown which shows how important she is...

This is the first time I have seen him tackle a difficult song and I must say I liked it a lot. He may not have been perfect but he did try, and more importantly, he did try it very well.

My Rating – 7.5/10

Remo – "Zara si dil Meain"

Anu Malik – I am not impressed.
Javed Akhthar – This was flawless singing
Sonali Bendre – Your performance was not upto the gala standards

I think he concentrated too much on the high notes and hence the remaining parts suffered. It was a good performance by his standards but that’s not saying much.

My Rating – 6/10

Prasanjit – "Pehli nazar mein"

Sonali Bendre – She said something in marathi which I take was a compliment
Javed Akhthar – It was good singing
Anu Malik – Outstanding performance

He was one of my favorite contestants and I felt disappointed. He sang it okay but again an Atif Aslam song and that says it all.

My Rating – 7/10

Priyanaka – "Oh Meri sona re"

Sonali Bendre – Your performance was very cute and very good
Anu Malik – Outstanding performance
Javed Akhthar – Your song selection was good, but singing could have been better

This was the first time I actually enjoyed Priyanka's singing and, with a very heavy and reluctant heart, I find myself agreeing with Sonali.

My Rating – 8.5/10

Bhanu – "Tera jaoo chal gaya"

Javed Akhthar – It was a good performance
Sonali Bendre – It was a good performance
Anu Malik – It was a good performance but could have been much better

He started off in a very bad way but picked it up as the song progressed. His high notes, especially, were pretty good. It was one of his better performances.

My Rating – 8.5/10

Ananya – "Hum dil de chuke sanam"

Anu Malik – came out with another bad poem
Sonali Bendre – It was fantastic
Javed Akthar – also complimented her

She took a big risk with this song and she pulled it off, more or less. The original version has an enigmatic touch to it which she couldn’t quite pull off but otherwise it was brilliant singing.

My Rating – 8.5/10

Bhavya – "Aao na"

Sonali Bendre – I am speechless. It was flawless singing
Javed Akhthar – gave her a standing ovation
Anu Malik – You started off with some problems. Your sound quality is very nice.

She did a very good job, no doubt. Somehow, I doubt it was worth a standing ovation. She could have done better with this song, but her voice is absolutely magnificent.

My rating – 9/10

Torsha – "Yeh meral dil"

Anu Malik – Your voice throw could have been better
Sonali Bendre – Indian Idol has to be a girl (what the hell?)
Javed Akhthar – You have an inherent dignity in your body language. Hence the flirtatious quality required for this song was not present

She danced along with the song and it was not very good. She tried to do it correct but it was not up to the mark. Her singing also was, as Anu Malik would say, "okay okay".

My rating – 8/10

There was a couple of incidents in this episode. One was Shini's husband coming on stage, another was a perceived fight between Bhavy and Torsha. Since these don’t have anything to do with the actual show I am choosing to ignore them.

A plus point I note with this year's Indian Idol is the pair of Chang and Hussein. They make a wonderful pair and some of their antics are really funny.

A huge negative point to the show is the heavy influence of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa - specifically the opening group performances with the fake mic and the heavy dramas and antics and all.

Elimination

The first elimination episode started off with a group performance by the Top 14 to the title track of Indian Idol.

Without much preamble Hussein and Chang informed the audience that Mohit and Tulika are in Bottom Six. Then the other contestants were asked to stand in two groups, depending on what they think of their position, ie safe or danger. Except for Prasanjit and Saurabhee, every one thought they were safe. I was really heart broken to see Remo standing in the safe group. Anyway, one by one the safe contestants were announced and the list is as follows – Torsha, Rajdeep, Prasanjit, Saurabhee, Kapil, Remo, Priyanka, and Bhanu.

This leads to a very depressing Bottom Six. Ananya, Shini, Bhavya, Kuldeep, Yulika and Mohit. Bhavya and Shini are supposed to be the best two of the group, as far as singing goes, closely followed by Ananya. In my mind the idieal Top 5 would have been these three along with Rajdeep and Prasanjit.

It was mentioned in the beginning that one of the two, ie Tulika and Mohit, would be eliminated. Tulika was declared safe meaning Mohit was declared out.

Bhavya said she was frustrated that despite good singing and good comments she finds herself in Bottom Six yet again. At this point both Kuldeep and Bhavya was declared safe leaving Shini and Ananya.

Shini was given an envelope and asked to speak out the name written in that cover. It was her own name and she was declared safe. In another twist, it was decided that only one contestant instead of two would be eliminated. Mohit was given an envelope in which Ananya's name was written. Turns out Ananya was the one eliminated. That result left everyone speechless, and even Mohit himself could not believe it.

A tearful Ananya was asked to sing her last performance Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and it was kind of sad to see her go. She was a very good singer and, as I said before, a Top 5 material.

Well, thus ended the first edition of this years Galas. Hoping the next Gala will bring much improved singing and a more accurate result.

Indian Idol Four – Gala No. 2– Hindustani Folk Song & Result

Michael Jackson settles with Sheik

Article open, for guests to react

Shenova ( Head Editor )

2008-12-09 14:31:57

She who thinks!
	Nice job, Ajay! The one thing that is quite apparent from the II recaps is that it seems that the Indian viewers will put up with more twists and antics written into the show than will the American viewers. Keep up the good work!

GUEST ( Guest )

2008-12-11 10:04:37


	Agree with most of your review except Ananya. She wasnt as bad as Remo or others and to give her credit it was a very difficult song. But you can clearly make out that she was having difficulty singing it. I am sad to see her go out and she could have done better with an easier song. Once again Remo survives, but then he is the Chota Don.

Don't mind me, I'm just a guest.

GUEST ( Guest )

2008-12-11 20:52:40


	I disagree with your review of Prasenjit. I thought he was fabulous even in the first gala

Don't mind me, I'm just a guest.

curlio ( Website Owner )

2008-12-11 21:27:34


	Guest said: I disagree with your review of Prasenjit. I thought he was fabulous even in the first gala and ain't it nifty that you stumbled upon this lovely website where you're allowed to disagree. Perhaps a longer exposition of your disagreement might be in order. What is it about Prasenjit that you like? Alternative opinions are always welcome as long as they are presented nicely with an eye towards discussion.

Ajay	2008-12-11 22:47:27


	[ Guest said: Agree with most of your review except Ananya. She wasnt as bad as Remo or others and to give her credit it was a very difficult song. But you can clearly make out that she was having difficulty singing it. I am sad to see her go out and she could have done better with an easier song. Once again Remo survives, but then he is the Chota Don. Yeah that was very sad to see.....But wouldnt it be wonderful if Kapil and Remo become the top two.... edit: Ajay - 2008-12-11 22:51:16 GMT -

Ajay	2008-12-11 22:48:13


	Guest said: I disagree with your review of Prasanjit. I thought he was fabulous even in the first gala Dear Guest...I never said prasanjit was that bad...It was the song selection which was more of a problem than anything else...And after giving that fabulous performances during the wild cards this certainly was a major let down

GUEST ( Guest )

2008-12-12 11:12:26


	II4 -- Indian Idol 4 Highlights 1) Hussain-Chang as co-hosts! What a delightful pair. Who would have thought that the struggling singer from Ii3 would make such a good co-host with Hussain. 2) Overall quality of singing - The II4 singers are definitely a cut above the II3 singers. Most of them are trained singers (except for maybe Remo and Kapil). 3) Sonali Bendre -- she may not be an intellectual like Javedji or a music expert like Kher ...but she maintains a certain level of dignity at all times. She resists the temptation to get into any prolonged or childish arguments with Anu Malik (unlike Alisha Chinai). Lowlights: 1) The annoying public voting pattern that results in elimination of good singers -- esp women. The fact that 3/4 in the bottom 6 were amongst the best female singers in II4 is proof that we will see more unpleasant suprises. 2) The unnecessary "romantic tracks" between the contestants takes away from the primary focus of the show. - esp Mohit and Tullika. Focus on your singing, guys. 3) The so called "rivalries and fights" among contestants. This is even more dangerous to telecast because it can adversely affect the image of the contestants in the public eye (and hence affect the votes that they get).

Don't mind me, I'm just a guest.

GUEST ( Guest )

2008-12-12 14:19:04


	I am the guest who commented on Prasenjit's performance. I am sorry I didn't intend to come across as rude. I agree that song selection could have been better. But I could say the same about Rajdeep too. Given what his song was I think he did a fantastic job with it. In fact , based on his earlier performances I was curious to see how he would sing a romantic number. I thought he softened his voice extremely well to suit that song.

Don't mind me, I'm just a guest.

curlio ( Website Owner )

2008-12-12 18:07:26


	Guest said: I am the guest who commented on Prasenjit's performance. I am sorry I didn't intend to come across as rude. You weren't rude, just a little too direct to the point. As I said we like discussion here. Now that I have broadband I'm thinking of actually checking out a few clips of Indian Idol just to see what the heck y'all are talking about

Shenova ( Head Editor )

2008-12-12 21:12:18

She who thinks!
	curlio said: Now that I have broadband ... Welcome to the 21st century!

curlio ( Website Owner )

2008-12-13 04:57:55


	Shenova said: [...] Welcome to the 21st century! eh, still more like the late 20th century. It's wireless so it's still not what is now "fast" as evidenced by the fact that many sites still take FOREVER to load. Now that I've made a step up though I do wonder how I ever managed with dialup?!

GUEST ( Guest )

2008-12-24 03:38:01


	The voting of Indian Idol4 is very annoying. They have voted out the best female contestent of this show. This had happened the third time. I have a request that please bring Shini back!

Don't mind me, I'm just a guest.

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