28 July, 2007

101% at the Indian Idol

The WTF line of the day came a few hours ago from Anu Malik, Indian Idol judge, to Parleen Singh Gill, a contestant:

It was definitely 100, but not 101% performance.

I do not understand this. What is wrong with the world? Does Anu Malik not read my blog? Has he not read this post of mine? Pah!

Anyway, while Malik was expressing his disapproval of Parleen’s performance, the other judges liked it and so did I. I’d said before that if he starts singing competently, he can win the thing—he’s got everything else an Indian idol needs, from looks to stage presence to charisma to likability. Maybe he’s picking himself up at just the right time.

But the man to beat is Amit Paul. Amit was superb again today, and there’s no one else in the competition who looks remotely as good. The others ranged from competent to mediocre today. But with nine people left—one gets voted out in a few hours—there’s still a long way to go. If he’s coasting and his fans get complacent, he could be a surprise loser. I hope not.

In the elimination episode, I think Puja Chatterjee or Meiyang Chang could be in trouble. Prashant Tamang and Abhishek Kumar also seem unlikely to last long. Very uninspiring, they all have been, despite much early promise.

The real entertainment in the show comes from Anu Malik’s fights with Alisha Chinai. Anu certainly puts 101% into it, and Alisha fights back like a cornered kitty. Much fun.

You can read all my Indian Idol posts here.