Ganesh Hegde charms the gang

Roobaroo is becoming the talk of the town. What started off as a candid chat
between Mini and the contestants is fast turning into a fun episode with
celebrity guests. Today, Ganesh Hegde—singer, dancer &
choreographer—will help them cope with the pressures of singing and
performing. He not only has useful tips, but also demonstrates how they can
perform better. Even an ace performer like Ankita has issues with performing
and singing at the same time.

Fans said they watched the show because of me! - Charu Semwal

It was a shock for Charu Semwal`s fans when she was voted out of Indian Idol. The girl herself couldn't believe it and begged the judges to give her another chance. Here is an exclusive interview with the singer:

Was the elimination totally unexpected?

I never thought that I would be out. There was no time for us to even think about what was happening. Before I could grasp the situation, they declared I was out. I was shocked. I still am.

Do you hold any grudge against the janta?

It is their love and blessings that has helped me reach this far. I was among the Top 10 in Indian Idol. People know me today. I don't think it was because of lack of votes that I got eliminated; I think my luck was not favourable.

When I returned to Dehradun, people received me with garlands and there was a huge crowd before my house. With the kind of love they've showered on me, how can I blame them for not voting for me?

What do you think went wrong? Do you feel you focused more on your appearance than your singing?

Not at all. I worked very hard on my singing. But as they say, 80 per cent is hard work and the rest is destiny. I think my luck was not in my favour. I never believed in this earlier. But now I do because I know I lost because of bad luck.

You mean you are satisfied with your performance?

No, I am not satisfied. If a singer is ever satisfied, he or she can never improve. I participated in Indian Idol so I could improve myself. I am satisfied that I did all that I could.

Moreover, I was ill most of the time. I never showed that on camera. I lost 6 kg while I was on the show. I visited the doctor many times and did my best to perform well. So I don?t have any regrets. I did my best till the end.

The judges criticised you in the last round. They were not satisfied with your performance.

The judges didn't compare me with other contestants. My performance in the Piano Round was excellent. They were telling me that in the Galas I was not performing as well.

So what are your future plans?

I want to make singing my career. I have confidence thanks to my fans. When I was voted out, I met so many fans who told me they were watching the show because of me. They said they didn't like Deepali, Puja or Ankita and that after my elimination they didn't think any girl could become the next Indian Idol.

Many girls told me they voted for me regularly and it was because they loved my voice. I am determined to make a career in Mumbai now.

Emon ne kiya kamal!

He sang with all his heart. The song was Teri deewani. Alisha crooned by saying that it was out of this world. Ila looked at him minutely and said that he looked like Sonu Nigam & he should have sung with even more feelings. Emon took the criticism on his stride. But Anu Maliik was in a different mood, he defended Emon. He declared that all the criticism is baseless. He aggressively contradicted Ila and Javed with his comments. Cool it Anu!

Watch Emon's performance on the last gala.

Ila Arun - The ghaagra queen is here

She looked stunning in a maroon colored ghaagra-choli. A designer bindi on her forehead that shone like a star. In the end, when she arrived on the stage to perform her ghaagra number, she floored everyone with her dazzling moves. Ila Arun’s damdaar voice set the mood for the evening. Javed matched steps with her, so did the contestants. But her energy was more than all of them put together. She was a shining example of what a star should be like for the contestants!

Adieu Abhishek

Ahishek's journey towards the Indian Idol came to an end. Based on yesterdays performance Abhishek was one of the weakest performer. Abhishek was a little dull with Daler praji's Rang de basanti yesterday. Abhishek was at in the danger zone along with Emon, Puja and Ankita. Judges also felt Abhishek should be voted out based on the last gala's performance and Bhartiya Janta agreed with the judges. Abhishek was out of the competition receiving the least amount of votes. When Mini declared he was out! All the contestants, especially Puja and Emon, couldn’t stop crying. But as a part of the game it was obvious that one of the contestants has to leave.

Girls Are Back With A Bang

Today's gala was absolutely fantastic. Todays theme was folk and the show started with Emon. Emon gave a rocking start to the gala. He is improving day by day and as Anuji said Emon is his playback singer. Prashant was next to Emon. Even Prashant who was not performing well for the last two to three galas fight back and perform superbly. The girls is now reduced to 3 from 7 . The girls were quitting one by one except for the last gala. But this time all the three was outstanding. But Abishek fail to impress the judges and Amit once again forgot the lyrics. Although Javed Akhtar and Anuji praised him, Amit knew that it was not a flawless singing.
Chang, today was looking as cute as his song. He was fantastic in this gala. Now itz the time to vote. VOTE....VOTE 'N VOTE to save your favorite contestants.

As an Army officer's son, I am a fighter` says Parleen

Parleen has been a favourite among the girls and his performances were almost always superb. So, naturally, his elimination came as a shock to his fans. We spoke to Parleen soon after the show. Quite surprisingly, he came across as balanced and in full control of his emotions.

We are very sorry. Did you expect this?

I didn't expect this at all. My performance was good, the judges had liked it, my manager and even the people on the sets had said it was good. This was totally unexpectedly, a total shock to me.

What went wrong?

At this moment, I am completely blank. I cannot think much. See, public voting has always been unpredictable, but the people around me said that in the last episode a lot of stress was laid on the public to vote for the girls. Maybe because of that a lot of votes went to the girls this time. As a result, one of the guys had to go and so I am the victim.

If not you, who could have been out today?

It is difficult to say anything. We thought it would surely be a girl even today. There were two girls in the bottom 3, but see what happened!

Did you expect to be among the Top 9?

Well, that is not something you can predict. I am a big fan of Abhijeet Sawant. I made up my mind to participate in Indian Idol 2 after I saw him win. In Indian Idol 2, I was among the top 50. After I was eliminated, I was even more determined to make it. I went for music training for a year in Ambala and this year, I made it to the Top 9. It is unbelievable; I think it is a great achievement for me.

Do you have any grudges against the janta?

From Top 28, the janta voted for me and got me into the Top 9. So how can I hold any grudges against them? Even if I was in the danger zone four times, it was because some people didn?t vote for me. But when I think of the loyal fans who voted and saved me until now, all I want to do is thank them from the bottom of my heart.

What are your future plans?

I would like to make a career in singing. But I would also like to keep my options open and take up whatever opportunity I get, whether it is in acting or modelling. Basically, I will struggle to make it big. My life starts now. It's not the end; it's just the beginning. I am from Ambala. I'll go home now and meet my parents. But I will definitely come back to Mumbai with a bang!

People say your looks helped you come this far. Do you agree?

I know what people are saying, but I have sung tough songs like Ramta jogi. These are not easy to sing because they need a classical base to sing them. Also, when the Galas started, I had got hurt while shooting for Roobaroo. A camera fell on my head and I had to get stitches. For 10 days I couldn't wash my hair and I looked awful with hair flowing like Jaadu! But I still sang and people voted for me.

Do you hold any grudges against the judges?

No, I want to thank each of the judges personally. Their comments were very encouraging. They've always inspired us to perform better`Anu Maliik and Javedji with their straightforward comments, Alisha with her smiling face, and Uditji with his sweet comments. I'll miss everything related to Indian Idol.