Indian Idol recap: Episode 16

Piano rounds end with shocking eliminations

Hussain had some breaking news to give the audience and the contestants—10 would be eliminated at one shot from Indian Idol. And even before the shock had died down, he called Shini, Megha and Sourabhee onto the stage. Shini, whom the boys had nominated in their Top 2, found herself on the losing side. She and Megha were out of the competition.

Next Tulika, Ananya, Sreejita, Akanksha and Priyanka were asked to come face the guillotine. An ecstatic Tulika was declared safe and she knelt down on the stage in gratitude. Ananya and Priyanka were also shown the green signal.

However, the biggest shock was yet to come. Bhavya, Torsha and Nirali faced the firing squad next. And Nirali, who was expecting to be shot, was miraculously saved—making Bhavya the target of the janta’s dismissal. An angry Annu Malek ranted and raved about the injustice of Bhavya’s ouster, but his hands were effectively tied by the masses. He had to watch helplessly as teary-eyed Bhavya, Shini, Megha, Akanksha and Sreejita left the stage and walked away.

Every night has a dawn

The dismal pall of eviction was swept away with the first performance of the night. Torsha sang Bhaage re man kahi, and though energy was lacking because she was still reeling under Bhavya’s eviction, her singing got some positive comments. “I have to commend her jasmaniyat,” said Javed Akhtar, while Sonali Bendre exclaimed, “You were fantastic.”

‘Dilli ki bijli’ Priyanka was up next. Her Main kudi anjaani did not go down well with Annu. “Why did you choose this song?” he asked her. “You lost your sur and leh.” However, Kailash Kher did not want to demoralise her and said, “I will give you 100/100.”

Fighting against her bottom 2 tag

Nirali was very upset when she heard the boys thought she deserved to be in the bottom 2. She promised that she would perform her best if she were given another chance. And another chance she was given. However, her song Aaj mein upar did not have the brightness it needed. According to Sonali, Nirali was concentrating so much on the sur that she has forgotten her spontaneity.

Ananya sang Main albeli. Though her sur was off a few times, she gave a decent performance.

Miss Hawa Hawaii steals the show

Sourabhee, the girl who wants to win India’s hearts, proved that she is a voice to look out for. “Bahut khatarnak ladki hai yeh,” said Annu. “Your voice had the expression that others try to achieve through their body and face expressions.” Javed said, “You felt the song.”

Tulika took the bull (Annu) by the horns by choosing to sing Main talli ho gayi—a song composed by Annu and sung by his daughter, Anmol. And her gamble paid off. Annu said: “Your mukhda wasn’t strong, but I loved the way you sang the antara.”

Time for more goodbyes

After the girls performed, the clock rang in the moment of the boys’ elimination. And as with the girls’, it proved that you can never predict how the audience will vote. Mohit, Prasenjit, Roshan and Kuldeep were called on stage first. Though Kuldeep had given a mediocre performance last time and Roshan had wowed the judges, the boy from Kerala had to face the axe. The hard-working Prasenjit, too, had to bow out of the competition—something that shocked and surprised his friend Mohit so much that he was inconsolable.

Charit, Remo and Bhanu were called next. Remo, who had not managed to impress the judges with his two earlier performances, was saved, as was Bhanu. Charit, however, had to catch the next train home.

And, as with the girls’, the greatest shock was reserved for the last. The dulcet-voiced Sandeep found he did not have enough fans to save him, and he and Keshav were out of the show. Which meant Rajdeep and Kapil would sing another day.

Bhanu doesn’t win Annu’s heart

The winner of the Indian Idol Deepak title, Bhanu took the stage with In dino. However, Annu was not thrilled. “Your throw wasn’t strong and you were besura sometimes,” he said—a comment that was echoed by Javed.

But Kapil managed to regain lost ground with Pukarta chala hoon main. His earlier song had got a negative comment from Javed, who said he was imitating Kumar Sanu. This time, however, Javed said: “You sang well. Your voice was not nasal and you sang in your own voice.”

Performance of a lifetime

Rajdeep stole the show with Main hoon na. Annu was so impressed that he gave him a standing ovation. Sonali was appreciative of his presence of mind—Rajdeep’s mike malfunctioned, yet he bounced back perfectly.

The lucky Kuldeep was not lucky with his performance. Once more he won criticism instead of praise. His Ae zindagi gale laga le made Kailash and Javed say: “You were a little besura.” But Annu begged to differ. “You are the mastermind of masti and sur ki pujari,” he said.

Mohit issues a warning

He brushed aside his tears and took the stage with renewed energy. His Bachna ae haseeno wowed the judges and had Annu exclaim: “It was fantastic.”

Remo did not let anyone down either—neither his Roshan bhaiyya nor the judges. The ‘chhote don’ did an Aamir Khan with Bam bam bole. Javed said, “Well done. I liked your song.” And Sonali declared, “Compared to your previous songs this was definitely the better one.”

Next up are the Galas. And two more singers will be voted out. But it’s not all sadness—the Wild Card round will see the re-entry of some deserving singers. Picture abhi bhi baaki hai mere dost.