Indian Idol 5 looking for playback voice not star

For last four seasons, Indian Idol has been looking for a "complete package", a perfect mix of voice, looks and the "X factor" but not this time.

The music reality show
, in its fifth year, is back to basics this time as it searches for the perfect playback singing voice.

Indian Idol 5 judges Anu Malik, Sunidhi Chauhan and Salim Merchant, all well known names in the music industry, are scouting for "a voice that touches million hearts" which might not necessarily have a star quality.

Sunidhi, who will also debut on the small screen with the show said that she is looking for excellence in voice, one that can sing anything from 'Ghazhal' to 'Rock' on the show which will be telecast from April 26.

"Our focus this time is to find perfect playback voice. People have been complaining that in the process of finding a complete package, we sometimes have neglected that unique voice. So this time we are looking for a competent singer," said Sunidhi.

The winners of the last seasons like, Abhijeet Sawant, Sandeep Acharya, Prashant Tamang, Sourabhee Debbarma went through a total makeover from tip to toe, with designer clothes and funky hairstyles but this time not much attention will be given to the grooming.

"This time grooming will not be a major part of the show. First the contestant should be an extraordinary singer then we'll see how he/she can be groomed," Sunidhi, 26, said.

"We have a blind singer this time, who sings so well that we did not even notice her personality. And I am sure she will go further. She'll be requiring a lot of hard work but this time we will support her till the end," she added.

The shift in the focus can be traced in the popularity level of past winners. They may have had their private albums coming but then the looming question is what next? And there can't be a bigger platform then Bollywood playback singing which is a more secure career.

Sunidhi's co-judge at the show, Salim of the famous Salim-Suleiman music composer duo, could not agree less.

Salim feels that Bollywood singers today have a global appeal, which makes it a perfect option for the budding artistes.

"If you see, we really don't have a music industry here. We majorly have Bollywood music and it is becoming huge day-by-day. Look at A R Rahman after Slumdog Millionaire.

Musicians from different countries want to collaborate with
us. So why not find a extraordinary playback singer who can have the best of both worlds," said Salim, who is judging a reality show for the first time.

"Moreover, the good part is that we are having a lot of experimentation in film music these days giving singers more opportunities to be versatile," he added.

The show bosses are claiming that they have received about one lakh applications this time from big metros to small towns and the judges have already shortlisted 17 out of them who will be presented to the viewers.

However, this time, apart from people's vote, judges verdict will also play major part.

"This time our opinion will be collaborated with the people's vote and then only we'll come to final conclusion about a contestant. Many a times it has happened that a deserving candidate could not garner enough vote and was finally chucked. That would not happen this time," Salim said.

Source: PTI

Anu Malik continues his stay on Indian Idol 5

After days of speculations, music composer Anu Malik has finally decided to continue as a judge on the fifth season of ‘Indian Idol’ with Salim Merchant and Sunidhi Chuahan.

It was reported that Malik was miffed with the channel after he learnt that he was getting less money than co-judge Sunidhi Chauhan. The singer had some other creative issues as well.

Malik denied that his remuneration was an issue and said that he has decided to stay with the show after judges were given veto power to recall a contestant even after being evicted by the public voting.

Anu Malik said, “The channel officials came to my home and the matter was finally resolved at 1.30 am last night after they agreed to my demands,” .

“Often the public votes out a good singer only due to regionalism”.

Source: IndiaTone

Indian Idol 5 will be wrapped up in 16 weeks this time

The fifth season of the musical talent hunt show, Indian Idol, will start post IPL on Sony on April 26. it was telecasted during weekends for last four seasons, the new edition will see Indian Idol will appear on weekdays.. The show will be aired from Monday to Thursday at 9 pm. Thus, the show will be wrapped up in 16 weeks. This season there are many new attractions in the show. Though the format of the show will not see any major changes. But for the first time, the singing talent hunt will see the entry of mentors other than the judges.


More then 1lac people participated in 11 city auditions, Indian Idol 5 is going to be the biggest search ever to give India its Best Singer. Anchored by Abhijeet Sawant, winner of Indian Idol 1 and Prajakta Shukre, one of the top 5 of Indian Idol 1 – this fresh pairing is going to add charm to the Indian Idol 5 journey. The jury too is has new faces this season. Apart from Anu Malik, composer Salim Merchant and Sunidhi Chauhan will be the juror. If sources are to be believed Sony will influx Rs 10 crores for the marketing of the show.

This year, the show is being produced by format co-owners Freemantle Media India and Wizcraft. Earlier, the show was being mounted by production house Miditech. However, with Freemantle Media setting up its India operations last year, the fifth edition of the show is being produced directly by the production house.

Source: Indiainfo

Abhijeet Sawant out of Indian Idol 5?

Just recently Prajakta Shukre was out of Indian Idol 5 and Hussain Kuwajerwala stepped in to host the rounds along with Abhijeet Sawant.

There were rumours that Abhijeet too would be on his way out. And now it’s confirmed... Abhijeet will exit from the reality show and Hussain will be hosting all the studio episodes alone. Guess with stiff competition all around, the channel felt it was best to go with the tried-and-tested Hussain rather than continuing with somebody new like Abhijeet, who is still trying to get the hang of hosting. But we must say the young man is very confident and can get better if given a fair chance.

Source: The Times of India

Why Sunidhi Chauhan (Indian Idol 5 judge) ditched mimicry

Sunidhi Chauhan has been known as a singer all along, but did you know her talent for mimicking other artists? It's one she says she left a "long time ago" because some people took offence.

"I have left doing mimicry. I realised that a lot of people didn't take it in the right spirit and used to feel offended, so I gave it up. Not that I ever did it professionally, but I left it long ago," Sunidhi told reporters.

Nevertheless, Sunidhi gave in to the request of mediapersons at the launch of talent hunt show "Indian Idol" and copied music composer Anu Malik's style of singing and interacting.

"I can copy Anu ji...I am sure he won't mind," said Sunidhi, who will be seen co-judging the fifth season of Indian Idol along with Anu Malik and music director Salim Merchant.

The 26-year-old, who performed songs like Shut up and bounce and Deedar de at the launch, has been a brand in Bollywood singing for over 12 years.

In 1996, she won the "Meri Awaaz Suno" music competition on Doordarshan
and later went on to give Bollywood hit numbers like "Dhadak dhadak" ("Bunty Aur Babli"), "Bhaage re mann" ("Chameli"), "Mehboob mere" ("Fiza"), "Dhoom machale" ("Dhoom"), "Beedi jaliale" ("Omkara") and "Chor bazaari" ("Love Aaj Kal"), among many others.

Sunidhi says she just couldn't say no to Indian Idol and felt it was the right time to do such a show.

"I got a lot of shows before this. Almost every singing show was offered to me on TV. But I wasn't ready then. I didn't feel like doing them then. But then when this season was offered, I thought - 'If not this, then what?' So I went ahead and I am very happy with my decision," she said.

Sunidhi also admitted that one of her motives to join the show was her desire to meet small town aspirants - and motivate them. She is also on the lookout for a versatile singer.

"Our main focus this time is going to be on getting an excellent singer - a singer who sings everything, including classical and then maybe some western. That will be a complete package," she said.

Indian Idol 5 will go on air starting next week Monday and will be telecast from Monday to Thursday every week at 9 pm (local time).

Source: IANS

At the end, its talent that matters - Sunidhi Chauhan

Popular playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan does not feel that music talent hunt reality shows can guarantee the winner success in Bollywood, though she herself appeared on the Hindi film scene thanks to a talent hunt on TV.

“I don’t think it’s got anything to do with singing. Success comes to you if you are talented and at the same time are seen and heard enough. I think reality shows give you this opportunity and platform. It can give you that initial visibility towards success in the industry, but at the end of the day what sustains you is sheer talent,” Sunidhi told IANS in an interview.

Sunidhi had in 1996 won the “Meri Awaaz Suno” music competition on Doordarshan and later went on to give Bollywood hit numbers like “Dhadak dhadak” (”Bunty Aur Babli”), “Bhaage re mann” (”Chameli”), “Mehboob mere” (”Fiza”), “Dhoom machale” (”Dhoom”), “Beedi jaliale” (”Omkara”) and “Chor bazaari” (”Love Aaj Kal”) among many others.

The 26-year-old is now set to make her debut as a reality show judge on popular series “Indian Idol 5″ on Sony Television. And she says she won’t be judging the contestants but only encourage them.

“The judges, by which I mean, me, Annu-ji (Annu Malek) and Salim (Merchant) are merely voicing our opinions. We’re not judging, we’re merely encouraging the talent that we consider praiseworthy. So it is very comfortable yet thrilling,” said Sunidhi.

So what will she be looking for in the contestants?

“I’m going to try my level best for that one singer with the best playback singing voice. I would rather not concentrate on the package but if I come across someone with a great playback voice and the chemistry, zest and looks for that perfect package, then why not? But singing would be my prime focus,” she said.

The singer said she had a great equation with fellow judges Annu Malek and Salim Merchant.

“Annu-ji is absolutely great…without him this show cannot go on. Salim is also a lot of fun…he voices his opinions well and talks sense. I’m gelling well with both of them and as usual when you put together three strong personalities, there’s bound to be a love-hate scenario brewing,” she said.

She has sung around 2,000 songs in different languages and has no qualms in saying that she has no competition in the industry.

“I don’t consider anyone my competition in the industry. My voice and singing are unique to me and me alone,” Sunidhi said.

Any plans to explore other options in Bollywood like acting?

“I don’t think I can ever turn to acting. Singing is everything and the only thing for me,” she said.

Source: IANS

Hussain replaces Prajakta as host on Indian Idol 5

Popular face Hussain Kuwajerwala will take over from Prajakta Shukre as host of Indian Idol 5 from the Studio Round stage...

We know that ex-Idol contestants Prajakta Shukre and Abhijeet Sawant will be the hosts of the audition phase for the fifth season of Sony's Indian Idol that starts from April 26th.

However, the buzz was that the two were to be put on a scanner, and the decision on whether they would continue to host the show beyond the audition phase would be taken based on their performance.

As of now, it is confirmed that Prajakta Shukre will not be seen hosting Idol beyond the audition phase.

Prajakta tells us, "I had been contracted only till the audition phase of Indian Idol. If they want me to host certain episodes of Idol in future, I will be happy to do it".

A little birdie tells us, "Hussain Kuwajerwala who is very popular as host, will now be brought in to host Indian Idol from the studio rounds, along with Abhijeet Sawant. He will be starting shoot from tomorrow".

For the uninitiated, even in the previous season, Meiyang Chang and Deepali Kishore hosted the audition phase, but it was Hussain who took over from Deepali from the Studio round onwards.

We tried calling Hussain Kuwajerwala, but he remained unavailable.

Namit Sharma, Business Head, Wizcraft said, "Nothing has been decided as of now. You have to call me tomorrow for a confirmation".

It's time to be happy for the loyal Hussain fans, we guess!!

Reporter and Author: Srividya Rajesh, India-Forums

'Indian Idol' continues to be as exciting as it was in its first avatar

This show took reality television to new heights and has produced one of the finest and most popular singers in the recent past, although not necessarily from the winners. And, even though it is in its fifth season, ‘Indian Idol’ continues to be as exciting as it was in its first avatar.

This time, the show is seeking active help and participation from a number of its previous participants — those who have made it big in the music industry. Be it Abhijeet Sawant (winner of the first season), Chang (singer-turned-host-turned-actor) or Emon — they will all be seen promoting the show, on the sets and at various locations for the auditions.

The groundwork of auditions and identifying talent from across the country has already kicked off with this year’s judges — Sunidhi Chauhan, Salim Merchant, Anu Malek, who have the onus of hunting for a powerhouse of talent in music. Apparently, the response to this year’s auditions has been phenomenal. If rumours are to be believed, there were some 50,000 aspirants in the Delhi auditions alone!

So what is different in this season? Technically, quite a lot. Till now, ‘Indian Idol’ was the sole baby of Fremantle Media, and will now be jointly produced by Wizcraft. Informs S K (Raj) Barua, Managing Director of Fremantle, “India continues to be a popular destination for many of Fremantle Media’s internationally acclaimed formats and we are delighted to be launching our on-ground production operations in the country with ‘Indian Idol 5’, which is one of our biggest brands.”

So, will the new tie-up lead to any format change? Not really feels Namit Sharma, Business Head, Wizcraft Television. He says, “This year’s idol too will be expected to perform in front of a live audience, have the talent and confidence to become a good playback singer.” A change is the introduction of new faces hosting the show. Abhijeet Sawant and Prajakta Shukre — both famous celebrities from the first season have been roped in to do the job. Needless to say, both of them are very happy to return to the stage that gave them the toehold in the entertainment industry. Says Sawant, “For me it is nothing less than homecoming. I got all my fame and recognition from ‘Indian Idol’, so when I was offered the role of anchor, I was delighted.”

Prajakta, who became the heartthrob of many an Indian because of her cute looks and wonderful voice shares similar emotions, “I was elated to know that I will be sharing stage with Daddu (that is what she fondly calls Sawant). Having us as hosts will be a big change for the show, since this is the first time ‘Indian Idol’ will have hosts who are singers too. Till date, be it Hussain, Mini Mathur or Aman Verma – none of them were singers,” she says. Well, Chang was a singer and he did host last year’s contest, but Hussain (his counterpart) was not.

Sharma gives reasons for choosing these two singers as hosts. “Abhijeet Sawant is a natural choice. You think Indian Idol and his name comes to mind. Also, he has evolved and matured as a performer and singer in the last five years. To add to it, his stage presence is powerful. What makes him click is his confidence and humbleness,” he says. And Prajakta? “She is beautiful, charming,” Sharma explains. Both the new hosts feel that an added advantage is that they have been participants earlier. Therefore, the audience and contestants will be able to relate to them better.

On the promotions front, ‘Indian Idol 5’ is different this time as ex-Indian Idol contestants travelled to various cities across the country to promote the show. Deepali flagged off the show in Allahabad, Parleen in Chandigarh, Ankita in Udaipur, Amit Sana and Meenal Jain in Jabalpur, Chang in Nagpur and Emon in Hoogly. Apart from the symbolic flag off, they also gave away a few ‘jump-the-queue’ passes to select people, inviting them to the auditions. ‘Indian Idol’ is all set to start from April 26 on Sony Television.

Source: Deccan Herald

Indian Idol 5 starts from April 26 on Sony TV

Mumbai: The fifth season of popular singing reality show Indian Idol will start by the end of this month. The initial episodes will showcase audition rounds conducted in various cities.

Danish Khan, vice president of Sony says, “We are launching the show on April 26, though we have not fixed any time slot as of now, but you will get a clearer picture by next week.”

Meanwhile, our source from the show says, “Thankfully there was no more trouble after the Delhi incident. In Mumbai we had auditions for five days due to the large number of entries and it was a very enthusiastic crowd. We have got the launch date as April 26 and like in every season; it is going to be a bi-weekly. The channel is planning to show some glimpses of auditions everyday just to create publicity. Fridays will be the gala rounds and Saturday would be elimination day. The time slot may remain at 9 on Friday-Saturday, though we have yet to get confirmation on this from the channel.”

The shooting of studio episodes will start within two weeks’ time at Filmistan Studios with the three judges Anu Malek, composer Salim and Sunidhi Chauhan.

Previous winners of Indian Idol have received a huge popularity. Abhijit Sawant was the first Indian Idol.

Source: MyNews

Sony TV to launch 'Maan Rahe Tera Pitah'

Earlier this week, BizAsia.co.uk confirmed that Sony Entertainment Television Asia's 'Jeet Jayenge Hum' is being axed; we can now tell you about its replacement.

The channel has told BizAsia.co.uk that new show, 'Maan Rahe Tera Pitah' will replace the troubled drama in the weekday 21:30 band.

'Maan Rahe Tera Pitah' is produced by Siddharth Tewari of Swastik Pictures who produces the ratings winner, 'Agle Janam Mohe Bitya Hi Kijo' on ZEE TV. The Sony TV drama will have the same type of rural background set in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh. It will depict the lives of coal workers, loosely based on the Bollywood movie, 'Kala Patthar'.

Archana Taide, Varun Badola and Pramod Moutho will play pivotal roles in 'Maan Rahe Tera Pitah'.

According to TellyChakkar, Archana plays the daughter of Moutho, who is mentally unstable. She does everything possible to ensure her father’s pride and honour, lest anyone pokes fun at his mental state. The show will have a rustic look.

'Maan Rahe Tera Pitah' launches on Monday 26th April at 21:30, the same day 'Indian Idol 5' takes to the airwaves.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: MSM Asia