Indian Idol 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Full Details/Photos/Videos/Winners/Eliminations

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Season 1

The winner of the first season of Indian Idol was Abhijeet Sawant, from Mumbai. This season was aired from October, 2004 to March 5, 2005 on Sony TV. Amit Sana from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh was declared the 1st runner-up, while Rahul Vaidya from Nagpur and Prajakta Shukre from Jabalpur, MP came 3rd and 4th respectively, in the competition.

The judges for the First season were extremely talented and popular personalities of the Bollywood; Anu Malik, Sonu Nigam and Farah Khan. They received very rave reviews and immense popularity for their performances as the judges in this show, regaining them the same spot for the Second Season. The first season was hosted by Aman Verma and Mini Mathur.

The winner, Abhijeet Sawant released his first album "Aap Ka Abhijeet", with his first song Mohabbatein Lutaunga becoming very famous among the Indian audiences. He participated in Asian Idol representing India and though being placed third in the competition, he received great appreciation from the judges for introducing them and all the international viewers with such great Indian Music. He also released his second album Junoon which was a success and he also did play back for the movie, Ashiq Banaya Apne. Abhijeet also did some commercials for Spraymint. He started acting with his debut film "Lottery", which was released in March 2009, but could not do well at the box office.

Rahul Saxena, who failed to make it to the top 6, has been offered a song by Indian Idol judge and director, Farah Khan, in her own film Om Shanti Om and Amit Tandon got work in a new serial from Ekta Kapoor and Balaji Telefilms. Amit Sana, Rahul Vaidya and Prajakta Shukre have released their solo albums.

Rahul Vaidya, the 2nd runner up, hosted the show Aaja Mahi Ve on the channel STAR Plus. He also hosted the popular dance show, Jhoom India. He did playback singing in the film, Shadi no. 1. He was also the part of the team, in the musical game show Music Ka Maha Muqqabla on STAR plus. He was a part of the winning team, Shankar's Rockstars in the musical game show Music Ka Maha Muqqabla on Start plus and also the winner of the reality singing show Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar on the same channel, whereas Abhijeet Sawant was the 1st Runner-up in the same show.

The first season of Indian Idol premiered in the month of October, 2004 on Sony Tv. It concluded on March 5, 2005. It was hosted by Mini Mathur and Aman Yatan Verma. Anu Malik, Sonu Nigam, and Farah Khan were the judges. Abhijeet Sawant won the competition.

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Season 2


The second season was aired on Sony TV from November 21, 2005 to April 22, 2006. The winner of the second season of Indian Idol was Sandeep Acharya. The 1st Runner-up was N. C. Karunya from Hyderabad, while the other talented singers from season 2, Anuj Sharma, Amey Date and Antara Mitra were placed at 3rd, 4th and 5th places respectively.

Many of the top 10 contestants have commenced their singing careers. Neha Kakkar has rendered a song for a pop album where she sings "Chandani Raatein". Yashashree Bhave has tied the knot and settled down, teaching students music at her home. Panna Gill is doing stage shows and has just released a solo album. Sixth place contestant Meenal Jain has done stage shows with Sonu Nigam and also received an offer from Anu Malik. In addition, Antara Mitra, a regular favorite of Anu Malik, has also been presented an offer from many music directors and also is recording her solo album. Antara also gets to fifth place instead of fourth place.

Monali Thakur sang the song Zara Zara Touch Me in the film Race (film) as well as the song ***y Lady (Khaab Dekhe Chote Mote). Impressed with her singing, music director Pritam offered her another chance in the film Golmaal Returns with a song titled, Meow, picturised on Kareena Kapoor. Antara Mitra sang the remix of the song, "Ye Ishq Hai" in the film Jab We Met, composed by Pritam.

Karunya released his solo album titled Aapka Karunya. Karunya also got an opportunity to sing in the film, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, with the song, "Aane Chaar Aane". Neha Kakkar released her solo album, "Tere Baap Ka", by Meet Brothers. Meenal Jain released her debut solo album, Mehraam.

Amey Date was a part of the team, Mohit's Fighters in the musical game show Music Ka Maha Muqqabla on Start plus and also participated in the reality singing show Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar on the same channel.

The second season of Indian Idol began on November 21, 2005 and concluded on April 22, 2006. It was hosted by Mini Mathur and Aman Verma. Anu Malik, Farah Khan and Sonu Nigam returned to judge. Sandeep Acharya won the competition. It is the first and only season with a male fourth place finalist (Amey Date). The last standing female contestant Antara Mitra came in fifth place.

Auditions: The auditions were held in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, and Kolkata.

Early auditions

Thousands were rejected. Some of them were:

• Kishore Kumar Kamila sang, “tune muhje bulaya sherawaliye”.
• Paramanand, a teacher, sang "Meeenaaa!"
• Chandrapaul was a kisan. He sang "Dard E Dil." and was rejected.
• Arun Roy performed in a clown fashion "Ha Pehli Bar". He was rejected.
• Mrinal had come against his parents' wishes. He sang "Tadap Tadap Ke" but was told that a musical career is not for him.
• Abhinav touched the feet of Anu Malik before singing "Aslam Bhai" and was rejected.
• Mohit had girly clothes, makeup and a candle in hand as he sang "Silsila Ye Chahat Ka."
• Shahrikh Khan sang "Aye Chand Teri", impressed Farah but not Anu and Sonu. He was rejected.
• Aloke wore a long orange wig which he talked about before singing "Sun Barsaane Wali" and "Tu Hi Re". He was rejected by three amused judges.
• Har****a Pathak was a young girl who entered the contest for her mother, and admitted to having no knowledge of music. She was rejected.
• Lopa was beautiful and stylish. Sang "Nahin Nayi Nahin Ye Baatein" and was rejected.
• Mohua Mukherjee quit her job for her childhood dream of fame. She sang "Nahin Nayi Nahin" and was rejected.
• A hippy wearing glitzy clothes and a wig turned up at the auditions and barged her way through to the audition room. She sang and then revealed that she was Usha Uthup.
• Manoj Kumar sang "Tanhai" and was out of melody completely. He was rejected.
• Swapan, a purohit, was rejected after singing "Tum Mile".
• Shravan sang "Aashiq Banaya Aapne" in a speaking voice. He was rejected.

Theater round

The theater round is held in Mumbai. Many contestants were cut, including:

• Shekh Shakeel Aneez, a man who had lost a hand in a blast, was eliminated.
• Mohammad Rehan Khan, a man with only one leg, who sold T-shirts and was a student, was eliminated in the theater round.
• Mohammad Shoaib was eliminated in the theater round.
• Deepak Hela was a man with no electricity at home, who had become bald by choice. After singing two songs to try and impress all the judges he was in the theater round. But he was then eliminated.

Semi-Finals

In the Semi-Finals, or Piano Rounds (the contestants sang only to a piano accompaniment), the Top 28 were split into 4 groups of 7; two male and two female groups. One group performed each week. Then out of the 7, the top 4 were announced, and the remaining 3 were instantly eliminated. From the Top 4, only the three who received the most votes went on to the finals. However, in the first piano round, there was a tie between two contestants so they announced a Top 5 and the Top 3 from those five. The piano rounds began December 12 and ended January 3. During the Piano Rounds, 16 contestants were eliminated, 8 girls and 8 boys.

However, Jolly Das had to be eliminated after making it to the finals due to chickenpox. Semi-finalist Anuj Sharma was brought back in her place, so the 16 contestants eliminated were 9 girls and 7 boys. A detailed profile of the semi-finalists follows after those of the Top 12 (in separate female/male parts.)

Top vote-getters: 1.N. C. Karunya, 2.Monali Thakur, 3.Sandeep Acharya, 4.Antara Mitra Second highest votes: 1.Sagar Sawarkar, 2.Neha Kakkar, 3.Panna Gill, 4.Meenal Jain Third highest votes: 1.Ravi Tripathi, 2.Yashashree Bhave, 3.Amey Date, 4.Jolly Das (who was eliminated, and Anuj Sharma brought back)

Semi-final women eliminated

• Jolly Das (born November 8, 1980) was born in West Bengal and lives in Kolkata. She graduated in Music from Rabindra Bharati University. Jolly's family consists of her parents and younger brother. Jolly received the third highest votes in the piano rounds and was in the finals - but she contracted chickenpox and was eliminated, but will be brought back next season.

"Kabhi Neem Neem"

• Dilpreet (born September 13, 1985) was born in New Delhi and lives there. She is in her Final Year BA Honours in Music from Delhi University. Her family consists of her father, mother and younger sister. Dilpreet managed to reach the Top 4 in the piano round, but lost the spot in the galas to Yashashree Bhave by only 500 votes and fainted. The judges were all in shock.

"Bekarar Kar Hi Dala" - Eliminated 20/12/2005

• Jyotsna Navandar (born June 3, 1978) was born in Pune and lives in Mumbai currently. She has a BSc in Geology from Fergusson College, Pune. Her family consists of her parents, three sisters and a brother. Jyotsna reached the Top 4. The judges thought she had the best performance of the night, but Jyotsna lost the spot in the galas to Jolly Das (who in turn lost it to Anuj Sharma due to chickenpox).

"Ek Bagiya Main" - Eliminated 03/01/2006

• Lekha Desai was born in Mumbai and lives there currently. She has a graduate from Mithibai College, Mumbai. Her family consists of her parents. Lekha did not make the Top 4 and was eliminated.

"Dil Ko Hazaar Baar" - Eliminated 03/01/2006

• Sandipa Dutta was born in Kolkata and lives there currently. She is pursuing her MCA. Her family consists of her parents. Sandipa, despite receiving rave reviews from the judges, did not make the Top 4 and was eliminated.

"Mahi Ve" - Eliminated 03/01/2006

• Saberri Bhattacharya' was born in Kolkata and lives there currently. She has an MA in English from Kolkata University. Her family consists of her parents and younger sister. Saberri did not make the Top 4 and was eliminated.

"Jadu Hai Nasha" - Eliminated 03/01/2006

• Aabha Hanjura (born November 8, 1987) was born in Kashmir and lives in Bangalore currently. She is in her first year of B.Com. Her family consists of her parents and a brother. Aabha was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"Margaye Ishq Main" - Eliminated 20/12/2005

• Ritu Pathak (born September 4, 1987) was born in Madhya Pradesh and lives there currently. She is pursuing her bachelor's degree. Her family consists of her parents, sister and a brother. Ritu had a huge crush on Sonu Nigam. Ritu was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"I Wanna Love" - Eliminated 20/12/2005

• Renuka Deshpande (born June 3, 1989) was born in Madhya Pradesh and lives there currently. She is still in school; in Class XI. Her family consists of her parents and a brother. Renuka was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results despite rave reviews and was eliminated.

"Man Sat Samandar Dol Gaya" - Eliminated 20/12/2005

Semi-final men eliminated

• K****ij Wagh (born October 21, 1977) in Gwalior. He resides in Mumbai and has a B.Sc in Electronics from Delhi University & Advanced Diploma in Software Engineering from CDAC, New Delhi. His family consists of his parents, sister and wife Neeti. He made the Top Five in the first piano round but was eliminated despite rave reviews.

"Dilbar mere" - Eliminated 13/12/2006

• Mukesh Tomar (born May 15, 1984) was born in Delhi and lives there currently. He has an MA in Music. His family consists of his parents, sister and a brother. Mukesh was in the Top 5 in the piano round results but was eliminated.

"Tera Milna Pal Do Pal Ka" - Eliminated 13/12/2006

• Nakash Aziz (born February 24, 1985) was born in Karnataka and lives in Mumbai currently. He has a TYBA from Patkar College, Mumbai. His family consists of his parents. Nakash was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results (on his father's birthday) and was eliminated.

"Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein" - Eliminated 27/12/2006

• Javed Khan (born April 26, 1986) was born in New Delhi and lives there currently. He has a BA from Hindu College, Delhi. His family consists of his parents and three brothers. Javed was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"Saathiya Tere Bina" - Eliminated 27/12/2006

• Desh Gaurav Singh (born December 5, 1985) was born in Uttar Pradesh and lives in New Delhi currently. He has an MA in Vocal Music from Delhi University. His family consists of his parents, brother and sister. Desh Gaurav was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya" - Eliminated 27/12/2006

• Rohit Raj Sinha (born September 18, 1982) was born in Allahabad and lives there currently. He has a Business Graduate from AIDU. His family consists of his parents and a brother. Rohit was not in the Top 5 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"Tu Mile Dil Khile" - Eliminated 13/12/2006

• Shreekumar (born May 28, 1982) in Kerala. He resides in Mumbai and has a B.Com from Delhi University. His family consists of his parents and younger brother. He did not make the Top Five in the first piano round but was eliminated despite rave reviews.

"Ae Ajnabi" - Eliminated 13/12/2006

Finals

It is written next to the contestant's performance if they were in the Bottom 3 or 2, or won, or were the runnerup, or received the highest votes then. If there is nothing written, then they were safe. Also, the majority of the Top 3 performances were in live concerts, and only 2 each were performed in the studio.

• Sandeep Acharya was born on February 4, 1985 in Bikaner and currently lives in Mumbai. He has a Bachelor of Science. His family consists of his parents, two sisters and a brother. Sandeep Acharya has the classic Indian playback singer's voice and has often been compared to the great Udit Narayan of Indian playback. He found a keen interest and love in Indian music from a tender age and has been training for a career in the same since then.

1. Nasha Pyaar Ka - Highest Votes
2. Janam Dekh Lo
3. Papa Kehte Hain
4. Kaun Hai Jo Sapnon Mein Aaya
5. Tere Naam - Bottom 3 14/02/2006
6. Mitwa
7. Main Nikla Gaddi Leke
8. Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna - Bottom 2 07/03/2006
9. Holi Khele Raghuveera
10. Rut Aa Gayi Re
11. Kaho Na Pyaar Hai - 27/03/2006
12. Jhalak Dikhlaja - Highest votes 04/04/2006
13. Is Pyaar Ko Mai - Highest votes 04/04/2006
14. Zindagi - Highest votes 04/04/2006
15. Dekha Na Haye Re - Winner 22/04/06
16. Mere Jaisa Koi Kahaan
17. Hawao Ne Yeh Kaha -
18. Eena Meena Deeka - Sandeep special
19. Aye Dilruba kitna hasi mela - Sandeep special
20. Aye Watan - Sandeep special
21. Sitaron ki mehfil - Winner 22/04/06
22. Raja miya chdtho yaari - Winner 22/04/06
23. Gulaabi ankhen yeh tera dekhe - Winner 22/04/06
24. Rukh jaa woh dil deewani - Winner 22/04/06
25. Tumse milke dil ka - Winner 22/04/06

• N. C. Karunya was born on March 1, 1986 in Hyderabad and currently lives in Hyderabad. He is in B-Tech (Third Year) in Electronics & Communications. His family consists of his parents and younger sister. Audiences across the country have fallen in love with his voice and the change in his personality and appearance they've seen through the show.

1. Layi Vi Na Gayi - Highest votes
2. Chak De - Bottom 3 17/01/2006
3. Kaava Kaava
4. Aye Meri Zohra Jabeen - Bottom 3 7/02/2006
5. Hum Tum - Bottom 2 14/02/2006
6. Piya Re
7. Lagan Lagi - Bottom 3 01/03/2006
8. Koi Jane Koi Na Jane
9. Arre Ja Re Natkhat
10. Ramta Jogi
11. Bunty aur Babli - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
12. Mamu - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
13. Chote Chote Shehro Se - 27/03/2006
14. Tumse Milke - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
15. Shava Shava - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
16. Ek Suraj Nikla Tha - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
17. Jahan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai - Runner-up 22/04/2006
18. Mere Jaisa Koi Kahaan - Runner-up 22/04/2006
19. Janak Janak - Runner-up 22/04/2006
20. Ab Mujhe Raat Din - Runner-up 22/04/2006
21. Afreen Afreen - 'Karunya special'
22. Abh meje raath din - 'Karunya special'
23. Ab Tumhaare Hawale Watan - 'Karunya special'
24. Prem Jaal - Runner-up 22/04/2006
25. Rind posh maal - "Final 22/04/2006"
26. Badan pe sitaare - "Final 22/04/2006"
27. Sayyoni - "Final 22/04/2006"
28. One love - "Final 22/04/2006"
29. Right now right here - "Final 22/04/2006"

• Anuj Sharma was born on March 6, 1975 in Himachal Pradesh and currently lives in Delhi. He has an MA in vocal music from Amritsar University. His family consists of his parents, brother and sister. He was eliminated in the piano rounds but after Jolly's elimination due to chicken pox he was brought back in the fourth gala round. "Tumhari aawaz Himachali seb ki tarah meethi hai," said Anu Malik when he heard Anuj Sharma sing in the audition round. That's when this contestant from Himachal Pradesh was reassured that his Indian Idol dream could turn reality.

1. Tujhe Dil Mein Basa Toh Lu - Eliminated 27/12/2005
2. Bachna Ae Haseeno
3. Dil Kya Kare
4. Ek Munda Punjabi
5. Solah Baras Ki
6. Sajan Ji Ghar Aaye
7. Rang Barse - Bottom 2 14/03/2006
8. Chaiya Chaiya - Bottom 2 14/03/2006
9. Tu Hawa Hai - Eliminated 04/04/2006
10. Chala Jaata Hoon - Eliminated 04/04/2006
11. Hum Logon Ko - 27/03/2006
12. Kab Tak Jawani - 27/03/2006
13. Ye Dil Diwana - 27/03/2006
14. Gori Naal Ishq - Eliminated 04/04/2006
15. Pretty Woman - Eliminated 04/04/2006

• Amey Date was born on March 31, 1979 in Mumbai and currently lives there. His parents are divorced, Amey lives with his mother. He has an older sister as well. He is an undergraduate from Ruperal College, Mumbai. Amey Date has a musical lineage of his own as his grandfather was part of R.D. Burman's orchestra, his sister a trained classical singer. He himself was trained under the tutelage of Suresh Wadkar. He teaches students in his academy and sings on stage with his guru.

1. Tu Hi Re
2. Juda Hoke Bhi
3. Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho - Bottom 2 31/01/2006
4. Laaga Chunri Mein Daag
5. Dil Ne Tumko
6. Rang De Basanti - Bottom 2 21/02/2006
7. Tarap Tarap Ke
8. Mahi Ve
9. Chalo Re - Eliminated 14/03/2006
10. Satrangi Re - Eliminated 14/03/2006

• Antara Mitra was born on July 10, 1987 in West Bengal and currently lives in Mumbai. She is in her first year of English Honours. Her family consists of her parents. Antara epitomises all that Indian Idol stands for. Belonging to a small village on the Indo-Bangladesh border, Antara represents talent that has been unearthed from the interiors of India and that has bloomed in the glitz and glamour of Mumbai.

1. Rangeela Re - Highest votes
2. Ruki Ruki
3. Tu Rutha To
4. Tere Bina
5. Zara Zara
6. Morni Baga Ma
7. Bairi Piya - Bottom 2 28/02/2006
8. Mere Haathon - Eliminated 07/03/2006

• Meenal Jain was born on June 14, 1985 in Indore and currently lives in Mumbai. She is a graduate from Mithibai College, Mumbai. Her family consists of her parents and elder sister. Meenal Jain came to Mumbai from the small town of Indore to build a career as a professional singer. From then on, her passion for music has kept her in high spirits and she went on to learn music from various people, including a short stint with Suresh Wadkar.

1. Aao Na
2. Ishq Samundar - Bottom 2 24/01/2006
3. Lambi Judaai - Bottom 3 31/01/2006
4. Nigahein Milane - Bottom 2 07/02/2006
5. Kuch Na Kaho
6. Mera Piya Ghar Aaya - Bottom 3 21/02/2006
7. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam - Eliminated 28/02/2006

• Ravi Tripathi was born on February 4, 1976 in Uttar Pradesh and currently lives in Mumbai. He has a graduate in social work from Lucknow University. His family consists of his parents, two sisters, brother and dog. A disciple of the great Suresh Wadkar, Ravi believes in sharing knowledge and is thus teaching young children Indian classical music. He is involved with children for social causes too, teaching them about our country's rich heritage and showing them the right path to make a better nation.

1. Tumse Milke
2. Jeeya Dhadak Dhadak - Bottom 2 17/01/2006
3. Har Kisiko Nahin Milta
4. Nain Lar Gayi
5. Pretty Woman
6. Teri Did Ko - Eliminated 21/02/2006

• Panna Gill was born on June 26, 1981 in Jharkhand and currently lives in Mumbai. He has completed schooling. His family consists of his parents, sister and brother. "I can't choose any one type of music. I get influenced by western sounds as much as traditional Indian music. Whenever I sing, I give the song my 100 per cent and fall in love with it,' said Panna, when asked about his favourite type of music. Panna was never in the bottom three until his elimination.

1. Dil Ne Yeh Kaha
2. Jhalak Dikhlaja
3. Jaanu Meri Jaan
4. Aaja Aaja
5. Agar Tum Na Hote - Eliminated 14/02/2006

• Monali Thakur was born on November 3, 1985 in Kolkata and currently lives in Mumbai. She is pursuing her BA in English Honours from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. Her family consists of her parents and sister. Bengali beauty Monali has music flowing in her bloodstream. Her father Shakti Thakur is a professional singer and actor in Bengali film industry, her sister Mehuli Thakur-Goswami is a playback singer in Bengal and Monali herself has received classical training from Pandit Jagdish Prasad in Kolkata. Was never in Bottom 3 until her elimination.

1. Oh Mere Sona Re - Highest Votes
2. Sandeshe Aate Hai
3. Yaar Bina Chain Kaha Re
4. Piya Tohse Naina Lage Re - Eliminated 07/02/2006

• Neha Kakkar was born on June 6, 1988 in Uttarakhand and currently lives in Delhi. She is studying in Class XI in New Holy Public School, Delhi. Her family consists of her parents, two brothers and sister.

1. Seekh Le
2. Meh**** Mere - Bottom 3 24/01/2006
3. Zubi Zubi - Eliminated 31/01/2006

• Yashashree Bhave was born on August 5, 1981 in Maharashtra and currently lives in Nagpur. She has an MA in Sanskrit from Nagpur University. Her family has her husband and in-laws, parents and elder sister. Someone who does not believe in taking shortcuts in life, Yashashree spends a lot of time listening to classical and semi-classical music and is eagerly awaiting the day when she can listen to her own recordings.

1. Ayiye Aajayiye
2. Jiya Jale - Eliminated 24/01/2006

• Sagar Sawarkar was born on October 30, 1985 in Nagpur and currently lives in Mumbai. He is pursuing mass media from Bhavan's College, Mumbai. His family consists of his parents, brother and sister. For Sagar, music is the beginning and end of life. This 20-year old student from Mumbai has been singing since the age of eight and has been undergoing formal musical training for the last ten years.

1. Kisi Roz Tumse
2. Chote Chote Shehro Se - Eliminated 17/01/2006

Themes

• Top 12: Boys' Night.
• Top 11: Girls' Night.
• Top 10: Woh Pehli Baar album songs
• Top 9: Retro songs.
• Top 8: Valentine's.
• Top 7: Folk
• Top 6: Songs from Bollywood blockbusters
• Top 5: Wedding
• Top 4: Holi
• Top 3:

1. Cafe Round (Live concerts by Top 3 in various cities)
2. Judges' Choice
3. Kishore Kumar

• Top 2: Finale

1. Gala of Sandeep & Karunya:

• Judges' Choice
• Original song - Mere Saath Saara Jahaan
• Contestants' Choice

1. Homecoming - separate concerts
2. Karunya's own gala
3. Sandeep's own gala

Celebrity judges

Every week a celebrity judge is called on the show to comment on the performances and to inspire the singers. Here is a list of special judges who appeared in Indian Idol:

• Priyanka Chopra
• Karan Johar
• Kajol for the finals.
• Preity Zinta
• Tabu
• Will Smith
• Abhijeet Sawant
• Sohail Khan
• Dino Morea
• Kareena Kapoor
• Amisha Patel
• Diya Mirza
• Mallika Sherawat
• Isha Koppikar
• Alisha Chinai

The Finale

In the grand finale, Abhijeet Sawant performed Rang De Basanti. The entire top 12 came back and sang Woh Pehli Baar. The girls sang Saaki Saaki and then their individual songs. Antara Mitra - Jawaani Jaaneman. Meenal Jain - Baras Ja E Badal. Neha Kakkar - Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo. Monali Thakur - Deedar De. Yashashree Bhave - Piya Tu. Sandeep Acharya sang Ruk Ja O Dil Deewana, then sang Tumse Milke with Monali Thakur, Neha Kakkar and Yashashree Bhave. N. C. Karunya sang One Love, and then Right Here Right Now with Antara Mitra and Meenal Jain. Sandeep sang Sitaron Ki Mehfil and Gulabi Aankhen, and Karunya sang Rind Posh Maar, Badan Pe Sitare and Sayonee. Sandeep and Karunya sang Kajra Re with Alisha Chinoy. Then Sandeep sang Chori with Isha Koppikar and Karunya sang Khallas with her. Following the performances, the results were announced, Sandeep won the competition.

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Season 3

Third season was aired on Sony TV from May 4, 2007 to September 23, 2007. The winner of the Third season was Prashant Tamang, who hails from Darjeeling in West Bengal. The runner-up, Amit Paul was from Shillong, Meghalaya.

Voting count of Indian Idol 3 Finale has broken many records, around 7 crore (70 million) votes were received. The judges for this season were Anu Malik, Javed Akhtar, Alisha Chinai, Udit Narayan. The third season was hosted by Hussain Kuwajerwala and Mini Mathur.

Auditions

• Jodhpur & Bhubaneshwar: February 16
• Hyderabad & Amritsar: February 18
• Srinagar & Nagpur: February 21
• Baroda: February 27 & February 28
• Bhopal: March 7 & March 8
• Kanpur: March 12 & March 13
• Delhi: March 17, March 18 & March 19
• Kolkata: March 24, March 25 & March 26
• Birmingham, UK: March 30, March 31 & April 1
• Mumbai: March 31, April 1 & April 3
• Dubai, UAE: April 6 & April 7

Prashant Tamang has cut a solo album as per contract with Sony. He also conducted a world tour of shows. Suhit Gosain (Top 14) appeared in a successful KitKat chocolate advertisement. Four finalists, Chang, Suhit Gosain, Parleen & Abhishek entered into a contract with Sony BMG and cut an album named Tu To Na Aayi as a band of Boys named F4. Videos of the title song and another number Udd Chale have been released. F4 was also declared 'The Next Big Thing' on channel V. Emon Chatterjee from Kolkatta and Deepali Kishore sung a song I Love You, composed by Anu Malik for the film Don gadha.

Meiyang Chаng, who was placed 5th in this season, also got an offer to act in a movie Badmaash Company with Shahid Kapoor. He hosted the 4th season of the Indian Idol with Husain Kuwajerwala, replacing Mini Mathur.
Amit Paul sang the song "Pyaar Ki Dastaan" in the film Luck by Chance (starring Farhan Akhtar and Konkona Sen Sharma). This song was offered to him by Javed Akhtar.


The third season of Indian Idol began on 4 May 2007 and concluded on 23 September 2007. It was hosted by Mini Mathur and Hussain Kuwajerwala. Anu Malik, Alisha Chinai, Javed Akhtar and Udit Narayan were the judges. Prashant Tamang won the competition.

Celebrity judges

Here is a list of special judges who appeared in Indian Idol 3:

• John Abraham, Mika Singh, Abhijeet Sawant, Sandeep Acharya, Sukhwinder Singh -- Grand Finals on Sunday, September 23, 2007
• Usha Uthup, Zubeen Garg and Mona Singh -- Friday, September 21, 2007
• John Abraham and Bipasha Basu -- Gala on Saturday, September 15, 2007
• Sanjay Dutt, Karishma Tanna, Ritesh Deshmukh and Chak De India girls -- Friday, September 14, 2007
• Sajid Khan and Wajid Kahn -- Robaroo on Thursday, September 13, 2007
• Adnan Sami -- Gala on Friday, September 07, 2007
• Tushar Kapoor, Sharman Joshi and Kunal Khemu -- Gala on Friday, August 31, 2007
• Leslie Lewis -- Robaroo on Thursday, August 30, 2007
• Sonu Nigam -- Gala on Friday, August 17, 2007
• Soniya Mehra -- Robaroo on Thursday, August 16, 2007
• Anil Kapoor and Ajay Jadeja (Guest Appearance on Friday) -- Gala on Friday, August 10, 2007
• Ganesh Hegde -- Robaroo on Thursday, August 09, 2007
• Ila Arun -- Gala on Friday, August 03, 2007
• Dr.Seema Hingorani -- Robaroo on Thursday, August 02, 2007
• Ritesh Deshmukh -- Robaroo on Thursday July 26, 2007.
• Govinda Ahuja -- Gala on Friday July 20, 2007
• Shabana Azmi -- Gala on Friday July 13, 2007
• Sunidhi Chauhan -- Saturday June 23, 2007
• Zayed Khan -- Friday June 22, 2007
• Kailash Kher -- Auditions

[welcomewiki]

Season 4

The Fourth season of Indian Idol was aired on Sony TV from September 19, 2008 to March 1, 2009. For the first time in Indian Idol history, there were two girls in the top 3 after Rajdeep Chaterjee was eliminated on February 14. Sourabhee Debbarma won the title of the Indian Idol and became the first female contestant to do so. By doing so, she also won a contract of Rs. 1 crore with Sony Entertainment Television and a TATA Winger. Kapil Thapa finished as a 1st runner-up while Torsha Sarkar finished third. Sourabhee did some stage shows around the world with Sony TV, including her recent tours to USA in Oct-Nov' 2009.

Registration for season 4 began on April 1, 2008. The fourth season saw Anu Malik and Javed Akhtar on the hot seats as they took judges' chair once again for the show. New to this season were singer Kailash Kher and Indian actress Sonali Bendre. Fourth season was hosted by Hussain Kuwajerwala and Meiyang Chаng.

Like the previous season, the first four finalists to be eliminated were female, and the judges believed that some of these girls were better singers than some of the remaining boys. All the previous years' top 3 finalists have also been male, leading to speculation of ***ism against women among the Indian voting public. But still, the public proved it wrong when Sourabhee was declared winner.

Entry procedure for Indian Idol

The Contestants registered to participate in the Regional Auditions of the Competition via a phone registration process and completing an application form available at the audition venues at the Regional Auditions. The Competition is open to individuals aged between 16 and 30 on April 1, 2008 and citizens of India.

Regional Auditions

• Mumbai: May 5 & 6th
• Ahmedabad: May 7 & 8th
• Amritsar: May 9 & 10th
• Bangalore: May 12 & 13th
• Guwahati: May 13 & 14th
• Kolkata: May 20th
• Banaras: May 16 & 17th
• Delhi: 23 May

The Theatre Audition Round

The Final 100 were be invited to participate in the next round of the Competition to be held in Mumbai in June/July 2008. As soon as reasonably practicable following completion of the Theatre Audition Round, the Contestants were notified who has been selected by the Judges to be one of the Final 30 going through to the Piano Shows of the Competition.

The Piano Shows

The Final 30 were be divided into 3 groups of 10 (ten) Contestants. Piano round of Indian Idol will ran between June 2008 to October 2008. From Piano round 11 contestant were be selected for Spectacular round by public voting. Those who are not selected in Piano round entered into ‘Wild Card Round’ and one contestant were by public voting to participate in spectacular round.

The Spectacular

Final 14 competed with each other in Spectacular round which ran over the course of 12 weeks from November 2008 to February 2009. At the end of every week, one contestant will got eliminated by public votes until only 3 Contestants – the Finalists – remain in the Competition.

The Finale of Indian Idol 4

The final will took place on March 1, 2009. The winner was Sourabhee, the first girl Indian Idol in the history, chosen by public voting.


Celebrity judges

The celebrity guests of Indian Idol 4 were:

• Deepika Padukone
• Priyanka Chopra
• Sonu Nigam
• Ranjan sharma(audition)
• Alka Yagnik (auditions)
• Raima Sen (audition)
• Alka singh(audition)
• Randeep Hooda(audition)
• Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
• Sonam Kapoor
• Shaan Mukherjee
• Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar
• Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bipasha basu
• Abhishek Bachchan
• Kunal Khemu (audition)
• Abhijeet Sawant
• Amit Paul
• Mohit Chauhan, Javed Ali

[welcomewiki]

The Fifth Season of Indian Idol started broadcasting from April 26, 2010, on Sony TV. Anu Malik returned as the judge while Salim Merchant and Sunidhi Chauhan were the two new judges this season. The top-17 finals format is used in this season, one among whom will emerge as ‘Desh Ki Awaaz’. The contenders will each stand the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a playback singer in a forthcoming movie of Yash Raj Films, said a Press release issued by Sony Entertainment Television. The fifth season saw numerous changes to the format of the show. There are 16 semi-finalists instead of 24.

Changes from Season 4

Several changes were planned for season 5. Indian Idol 5 featured fewer "funny auditions," and quickly move its focus to the potential singers during the earlier stages of the competition, thus moving the season at a faster pace. Contestants were more emotional and thus viewers could learn more about them and their pasts than they did in the past seasons. Meanwhile, Anupama Mandloi became the new executive producer instead of Nikhil J Alva and Niret Alva, as Indian Idol 5 production changed hands; where Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. stepped in replacing Miditech Pvt. Ltd., which has been producing the show for the past four seasons.

Rounds and Phases

• First Round: (Auditions Round)

The auditions were held in Delhi, Kolkata, Ahemadabad, Indore and Mumbai, where 112 participants were selected to perform in Mumbai.

• Second Round: (In Mumbai)

The semifinals saw the biggest change in this season, as out of 112 contestants selected through the regional auditions, throughout the country in the first round, only forty candidates were selected to go in the second round, using group auditions and eleminations method. Remaining 72 candidates had to return to their homes. In this method, all the contestants were divided in the groups of 5 to 6 in each group, performing together as a group in front of the judges and then judges would decide on the overall performance of the group as well as an individual in the group whether or not the candidate is in the next 40's or not, eliminating the remaining ones.

• Third Round:

In the third round, these 40 candidates were to form pairs amongst themselves, suggested by the judges, to sing duets. Here 25 candidates out of 40 would go to the next round.

• Fourth Round:

In the fourth round, every individual would perform in front of the judges on some live music, on the song or tune or lyrics suggested by the judges. This being the toughest round as the participants are not given any chance to prepare before going to perform and they do no know what they would be asked to perform. This round saw the elimination of nine more candidates, leaving behind the final sixteen participants.

• Fifth Round: (First round in front of the audiences and the public voting comes in the picture for the first time in season 5)

In this round, all 16 candidates would have to perform individually in front of the audiences and of course the judges and show there potential, to be in the next round where the final twelve would perform for the title. This is also the round where the public votes would come in picture for the very first time in the season 5; four candidates out of sixteen would be eliminated facing the public votes.

• Sixth Round: (Gala Rounds Started)

This is the real round of Indian Idol 5, where all the Final Thirteen would compete for the title. This is a change from last year. There were only twelve last year.

Early process

Rules and Regulations

Contestants are required to be between the ages 15 and 30 on February 1, 2010 and eligible to work in the India. Contestants are ineligible; if they were part of the top 24 from previous seasons , if they hold any recording or management contracts, or if they are not Indian citizens, or are landed immigrants (i.e. temporary residents).

Regional auditions phase

Locations: Auditions were held in the following cities:

Episode Air Date	Audition City	First Audition Date	Call-back Audition Date	Audition Venue
April 26, 2010	New Delhi	March 9 and 10, 2010	March 11 & 12, 2010	Expo Drive, A - 11, Sector - 62, N.H.24, Noida
April 27, 2010	Ahmedabad, Gujarat	March 19, 2010	March 20, 2010	Karnavati Club, Sg Road
April 28, 2010	Kolkata, West Bengal	March 3 and 4, 2010	March 5 and 6, 2010	The Heritage Plaza, 89C, Molana Abdul Kalam Azad Sarani
April 29, 2010	Indore, Madhya Pradesh	March 15, 2010	March 16, 2010	Basketball Complex, Race-Course Road
May 3 and 4, 2010	Mumbai, Maharashtra	March 23 and 24, 2010	March 26 and 27, 2010	Andheri Sports Complex, Veera Desai Road, Andheri West
		March 25, 2010 , ( DOCOMO Subscribers' Audition )

Theatre Round phase

Held at the National Centre of Performing Arts, Mumbai for the second straight year, the first day of Theatre Round phase featured the 113 contestants. In the first round, the 113 contestants were split into several groups. Contestants from each group sang a short solo a cappella performance of any song. Forty contestants advanced. The next round required the contestants to split up into groups of three or four and perform. They were split up into groups of three where the judges take groups one by one and tell them if they made it to the final round. The Twenty-five contestants who passed group day went to the "judges' mansion" and performed one more solo song according to the judges' choice, this time accompanied by a band, before being narrowed down to the final seventeen.


About the judges

• Anu Malik

Anu Malik has been the jury member on Indian Idol since its inception. Known for his cheeky and straightforward comments, he is the viewers’ favorite judge on the show and a nightmare to many a young participants. He was also a judge in the first Asian Idol held in Indonesia, representing Indian Idol.

The son of veteran composer Sardar Malik, brother of Abu Malik and Daboo Malik, Anu learnt music from Pandit Ram Prasad Sharma. He composed music for various films but his music finally gained recognition in 1993 for his melodious compositions for the movies like Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee, Jaanam, Sir and Baazigar. Some of the prominent films that Anu gave music are Aks, Fiza, Filhaal... and Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai to name a few. His recent work includes Love Story 2050, Kambakkht Ishq, Jaan-E-Mann and the Aishwarya Rai starrer Umrao Jaan.

Anu won the National Award for his work in Refugee and Filmfare Award for Best Music Director twice - for Baazigar and Main Hoon Na. He also got a Special Jury Award (Filmfare) for his outstanding contribution in music. He has worked with some of most prominent playback singers including Sonu Nigam, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Anuradha Paudwal, Shaan, Abhijeet, K.K., Sunidhi Chauhan and many more.
With his work in crossover films like Bride and Prejudice, he is among the few Indian film composers with international projects to his credit.

• Sunidhi Chauhan

Sunidhi Chauhan debuts on television as a jury member on Indian Idol 5. A versatile playback singer, best known for her Bollywood film songs, she has over 2000 songs to her credit. She began to sing at the age of four and was spotted in the singing contest, Meri Awaz Suno, which she went on to win.

Her breakthrough in Hindi films was Ram Gopal Varma's film – Mast and after that there was no looking back for her. The year 2008 was a highly successful year for the young singer; as she went on to give a huge number of super hit songs like Chhaliya Chhaliya (Tashan), Rock Mahi, Lucky Boy (Bachna Ae Haseeno, Desi Girl (Dostana), Dance Pe Chance (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi), and Race Saanson Ki (Race).

Chauhan is one of the few female singers who have sung for some of the leading actresses of this generation like Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra and more… She has also sung for legendary actress Rekha. She also sang for the comeback films of two leading Bollywood actresses, Kajol, in Fanaa and Madhuri Dixit, in Aaja Nachle.

She has won several awards-- three Filmfare Awards, two Star Screen Awards, two IIFA Awards, Zee Cine Award and Kelvinator GR8! FLO Women Award 2009.

• Salim Merchant

Salim Merchant is all set to venture into the reality showbiz as the one of the judges of Indian Idol 5. Salim is a music director and singer who has been composing music along with his brother Sulaiman Merchant for over a decade and together they are popularly known as ‘Salim-Sulaiman’. They have scored music for movies such as Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, Pyaar Impossible, Kurbaan, Neal 'n' Nikki, Chak De India, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Fashion to name a few.

Salim-Sulaiman started by composing background scores for the movies. Their tryst with Bollywood music direction began when Karan Johar’s movie ‘Kaal’, which was an instant hit. Since then there was no looking back for the Merchant brothers who went on to work with Bollywood’s biggest producers and directors such as Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Ram Gopal Verma, and Madhur Bhandarkar among others.
Salim, who has learned music from the Trinity College of Music in London, has brought a global edge to Bollywood’s music world, to go with the changing face of the film industry. While his music has a deep resonance of classical music, it strikes a chord with the contemporary too. Infusing different themes like Western, Indian Folk, and Hindustani and Sufi into his music, he has a wide range of audiences across the globe.

About Semi-finalists

• Asit Kumar Tripathi, Bangalore

23-year old Asit Kumar Tripathi is a mechanical engineer from Bangalore. He lives with his family comprising of parents and elder brother. His father is a doctor in Central Excise Police Force, his mother, a housewife while his elder brother is an engineer.

Asit started singing at a young age of 16 years. He hasn’t taken any formal training in singing or music and believes that his talent is inborn. He has been improvising on his singing with every passing day and feels there has been a lot of improvement in his performance lately.

Music is an integral part of Asit’s life and therefore he decided to participate all over again in Indian Idol 5. In fact Asit was rejected earlier in two seasons – Indian Idol 3 & 4. This season Asit has worked hard on his performance and determined to make it into the finals of Indian Idol 5.

• Kanika Joshi, Mumbai

19-year old Kanika Joshi teaches singing at Ajivasan in Mumbai. She actually belongs to Uttaranchal but shifted her base to Mumbai to join India’s well-known classical playback singer, Suresh Wadkar and establish her career in singing.
She belongs to an extremely poor family. Her parents had struggled a lot to help her in establishing her singing career.

• Lakshay Nijhawan, New Delhi

20-year old Lakshay Nijhawan is a commercial pilot based out of Delhi. His family comprises of his parents and an elder sister. His father works for a switchgear manufacturing company while his mother works for a bank.
He has been singing since he was 8 years old. Lakshay is both a singer and a guitarist. He auditioned for Indian Idol to showcase his passion for music and singing. His favourite playback singer is Kailash Kher.


About Finalists

• Arpita Khan, Kolkata

19-year old Arpita Khan is first year BA Sanskrit Honors Student. She has been learning music since the tender age of 5 years from her guru, Jayanto Sarkar and Anu Shila Bose. Her father is a headmaster of a RK Shiksha Peth Secondary School while her mother is a housewife now, earlier she uses to be a singer herself.

Arpita’s hobbies include singing, painting, gaming, listening to music and shopping. She has a huge collection of soft toys and can even open her shop with that kind of collection. She has participated in many reality shows and has also done playback singing for couple of Bengali movies.

• Bhumi Trivedi, Baroda

21-year old Bhumi Trivedi is not new to Indian Idol. In fact she had auditioned for the show twice – Indian Idol 3 & 4 and even got selected. She had to quit the 3rd season as she was suffering from jaundice and 4th as she had a personal crisis wherein her aunt, who she was very close to passed away because of breast cancer. She now returns to the fifth edition of Indian Idol with much more confidence and determination.
Bhumi belongs to a family that has music inherent in their blood; her father loves to sing while her mother has her own music group. Her elder sister is a trained bharat-natayam dancer. Bhumi along with her sister and mother are regular performers at Navratri events. Bhumi started to learn music while she was in 8th grade. She participated regularly in school and college’s competitions that boosted her confidence and made her take up singing seriously.

At the audition, she performs on the song, 'babul ki aur suno liye...'.After she finishes with the song, Salim and Annu Malek asks her to sing the same song in western style. Bhumi then suggests performing another song which is in Gujarati, but she will sing it in Spice Girls 'Wannabe' song style. Bhumi presents a unique mix of rap and hip hop in Gujarti which leaves the judges spellbound and she gets her ticket for the next round.

• Manisha Karmakar, Kolkata

19-year old Manisha Karmakar belongs to an upper middle class family in Kolkata. Her father is a head teacher and her mother is a housewife. She hasn’t taken any formal training in singing but has been singing since childhood. She feels that her exceptional voice will strike an emotional cord with both the jury and the viewers.

Manisha’s favourite singers include Asha Bhonsle and Kishore Kumar. Manisha’s claim to fame is her win in one of the reality shows. Since then her life completely changed and today she makes a good living through various stage shows.

• Meghna Kumar, Jhansi

17-year old Meghna Kumar from Jhansi shined brightly amongst all the contenders at the Indian Idol 5 auditions held at Indore where she proved that physical disabilities were no barrier in producing stirring performances.
Meghna is a first year Bachelor of Arts student from Jhansi University. She suffers from the Tunnel Vision syndrome wherein the vision diminishes as the person grows older due to reduced retina over a period of time. According to her doctors, she will completely lose her eyesight by end of 2010. Meghna has completed her Sangeet Prabhakar from Prayag University.

This extremely versatile and melodic singer is visually impaired, but she hasn’t let that affect her passion for singing. Meghna has been a part of various stage shows and has even won a gold medal from Agra and Allahbad in Sangeet Spradha. Some of the shows she has participated in include UP Idol, Agra Ninaad Competition and Prayag Sangeet Samiti.
At the auditions, Meghna performs on the song ‘Lambi Judaai…’ which leaves the jury members spellbound. The jury gives a standing ovation to Meghna as well as salutes to her talent and spirit.
Today, Meghna has proved and set an example to the world that nothing can prevent you from doing what your heart desires … not even your disabilities. Kudos your underlying passion and spirit Meghna!!!

• Naushad Ali Kawa, Jaipur

18-year old Naushad Ali Kawa is a classical and sufi singer from the Pink City, Jaipur. Naushad started his training in singing from his uncle Amanat Ali Kawa at a tender age of 3 years.
He lives with his parents and five siblings – 3 brothers and 2 sisters. Naushad belongs to a family of musicians – his father is a sitar player and his brothers – eldest is a singer, the second plays Santoor while his youngest brother is training to play tabla. Naushad too plays tabla in his spare time.


Naushad has studied till 10th standard from Children Development Secondary School in Jaipur. He has represented his school in several competitions and functions, the recent one being the Ravindra Manch – Ek Shayam Shaheedo Ke Naam where he represented his school and won the first prize amongst the 35 schools from all across Jaipur.


Naushad is a big cricket fan and his favourite cricketer is Yusuf Pathan. Naushad came to know about Indian Idol through his academy and decided to audition for the show.

• Rakesh Maini, Agra

27-year old Rakesh Maini belongs to a big family comprising of eleven siblings and his parents based out in Agra. Rakesh’s parents are really old and have dwindling eyesight. Their only wish in life is to see their son, Rakesh performing on television. Rakesh auditioned for Indian Idol to fulfil this wish of his parents.


Rakesh has no formal training in music and has largely learnt singing through his own commitment and effort. His favourite playback singers include Sonu Nigam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shaan. Rakesh feels his strength lies in being a complete performer with great stage presence and good entertainment value.

• Sashi Suman, Mumbai

21-year old Sashi Suman has been very passionate about singing since he was in his teens. Since he never got adequate encouragement and support from his parents, therefore he left home seven years ago to chase his dreams. He travelled in Banaras, Lucknow and Madhya Pradesh with just Rs. 1000/- to hunt for good music universities.


He even auditioned to get admission in a reputed music institute in Lucknow, which eventually he cleared and secured his training in music under Ustad Gulshan Bharti for six years. During his stay in Lucknow, one of his college friends offered him accommodation at his home and thereafter he opened a small music class there to teach music to kids. This not only helped him to share his knowledge on music but also earned him a living so that he could take care of his day to day expenses.


He shifted his base to Mumbai about two years ago and initially had no place to live, so he started living at one of the platforms in Andheri Station. Today he earns a living through doing a lot of stage shows. He auditioned for Indian Idol 5 to not only to showcase his talent but also to make his parents understand that singing isn’t a bad profession after all. His favourite singer is Sunidhi Chauhan. Apart from singing, Sashi also likes to play guitar and table in his spare time.

• Shivam Pathak, Mumbai

20-year old Shivam is a student of hardware networking in Mumbai. His father is a senior accountant in a government bank while his mother is a housewife. Currently Shivam is learning music from Ajjivasan Institute.
His dream is to become a successful playback singer and a music director. His idol is Sonu Nigam as he thinks Sonu is the most gifted and versatile singer of today. Shivam’s hobbies include playing guitar and board games at home.

He is a happy go lucky person and believes in spreading happiness wherever he goes. He wants to be a part of Indian Idol to realize his dream of becoming a successful playback singer as well as showcase his talent to the billions of viewers across the country and the world.

• Sreeramchandra, Secunderabad, Hyderabad

24-year old Sreeramchandra is a professional singer who lives with his family in Secunderabad. His father is a High Court advocate while his mother is a housewife.


Sreeramchandra started singing during his school days, but began his professional training in singing in the first year of his college. He is a complete music enthusiast and has performed in various music shows including playback singing for few Telegu movies.
His hobbies include sports such as football & basketball, music such as singing and playing guitar. He auditioned for Indian Idol 5 as he feels he has all the qualities to be India’s next big singing sensation. He feels through Indian Idol, he will able to reach as well as showcase his immense talent to the millions of households in the country.

• Swaroop Khan, Jodhpur

19-year old Swaroop belongs to the Langa family in Jodhpur. The only profession of the people of this and neighbouring village is singing. Likewise, Swaroop’s parents too are deeply associated with singing.
Swaroop learnt singing from his parents and even plays Khadtal and Morchang. He has performed at many stage shows in both India and abroad. He also won the best actor award for Milk and Opium. He has also featured in the Bournvita ad where the kids are seen dancing on his singing.
Swaroop is confident to win Indian Idol as he feels he has an exceptional voice which represents and blends perfectly his style and tradition.

• Tia Kar, Mumbai

19-year old Tia Kar lives in Mumbai all by her self. Her father is a playback singer, while his mother is a professor in Kolkata University. Tia is a first year fashion designing and law student in Amity, Pune.
She developed interest in singing through her father. Though Tia hasn’t learnt music formally, she feels that she has the potential to learn more. Tia has grown up with her aunt in Kanpur since her father was mostly travelling while her mother was busy with her teaching.
Tia has participated in Indian Idol 5 to fulfil her father and uncle’s dream to see her as a successful singer. Her favourite singers are Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan. In fact, Tia takes Sunidhi as her idol and gets nervous while performing in front of her.

• Vishwas Rai, Allahabad

Vishwas Rai is a 29 years old music teacher from Allahabad. He lives there with his family – parents and his siblings – elder & younger sister and a younger brother. His father is an engineer by profession.
Vishwas teaches as well as studies music at Ganesh Sangeer Vidhya Mandir in Allahabad. He is very passionate about singing and has spent 20 years in learning it as it intends to make his career in playback singing. Vishwas is a big fan of the following playback singers – Mohammad Rafi, Sukhwinder Singh, Shreya Ghoshal and Asha Bhonsle. Vishwas’ hobbies include cricket and playing music instruments such as table, keyboard, harmonium and drums.

He has been a part of a reality show and even hosted one of the episodes in Dubai. He now participates to makes his presence felt on Indian Idol 5 and gain recognition for his voice and music.

• Yashraj Kapil, New Delhi

18-year old Yashraj Kapil was a winner of a reality show on television. Even though he emerged victorious and gained recognition, his career came to a standstill and he continued to struggle to get due credit for his talent in the music industry.

Being the only child of his parents, he has received a lot of love and attention from them. They have also been his constant support.
Yashraj’s favourite playback singers include Sonu Nigam, KK, Shankar Mahadevan, Nusrat & Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. He makes a comeback into showbiz through Indian Idol 5 as he feels he fulfills each and every criteria to be India’s singing sensation be it talent, faith, confidence, style and a good voice.

Eliminations

Every week, as the show progresses, there would be eliminations where the participants would be eliminated after facing the public votes and judges decisions, Second wee, third week fourth week, fifth week, sixth week, seventh week, eight week, ninth week, tenth week.


Eliminations Table

Sr. No.	Contestant Name	Elimination Date	Details
1.	Arvind Gujral	May 9th, 2010	Arvind Gujral was eliminated after a face-off competition with another contestant and his close friend during the journey of Indian Idol together, Asit Kumar Tripathi. The result was announced by Deepika Padukone, who came as a gust at the show for the promotion of her film Housefull.
2.	Asit Kumar Tripathi	May 13th, 2010	Instead of 4, the three participants were eliminated by the judges on 13th May after their solo performances, to select the top 13 candidates (instead of top 12, as it was declared earlier), who would go for the next level in Indian Idol. Yashraj was given a special Judges choice favor to be in the competition for the next round and he would be the 13th participant. The results were announced in presence of the guests of the day, the team of Hindi film, Badmaash Company.
3.	Kanika Joshi
4.	Lakshay Nijhawan
5.

Guests and Celebrity Judges

1. Usha Uthup - April 28, 2010
2. Housefull Team - Deepika Padukone and Jiah Khan - May 10, 2010
3. Housefull Team - Riteish Deshmukh, Sajid Khan and Lara Dutta - May 11, 2010
4. Badmaash Company team - Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Meiyang Chаng and Vir Das - May 13, 2010


Danger Zone Statistics