If it clicks, Indian Idol, the desi version of the wildly successful Pop Idol format, could well turn television on its head in India. And Sony, the channel that will air it, is sparing no expense to ensure that the initiative pays off. The clock's ticking. Two weeks from now, the biggest music reality show to hit Indian television will kick off proceedings, promising to engulf couch potatoes and starry eyed youth in a wave calculated to beat the phenomenon that was Kaun Banega Crorepati. It's got all the ingredients of a hit series, plus some record viewership in the 25 countries it has aired in so far to back its hopes. Set to a format created by Fremantle Media, Idol envisages whittling thousands of aspiring pop singers, in phases, to a final 10. The finalists will be evaluated by viewers over the last few weeks of the show, until one candidate, voted the Pop Idol emerges in the climactic episode. The winner walks away with a Rs 10 million recording contract with a leading Indian music label. What started with Channel [V]'s Popstars craze two years ago, is now coming to a climax. Indians' craze for Bollywood, Hindi pop music and the desire to attempt a shot at fame in the film industry is undeniable. Channels have been quick to cash in on the craze. Zee has launched its own Cinestars Ki Khoj, Sahara has followed with a Mr and Miss Bollywood, both reality shows targeted at getting youngsters with stars in their eyes to audition their talent, and creating programmes out of the footage that hooks the couch potatoes. Judges roped in from Bollywood, filmi celebrities and TV star anchors complete the attraction quotient. Indian Idol, however, surpasses all these efforts by a large margin. Even Star India, which earlier this year announced plans to hunt for an Indian Superstar has quietly put its plans on hold. Says Sony's ad sales head Rohit Gupta, "It has the possibility of becoming a phenomenon." In the countries where localised versions of Idol were done, channel fortunes turned around dramatically. Rupert Murdoch's Fox network in the US has been the biggest gainer in this respect. "There is no reason why India should be different," says Gupta. "It will appeal to people across India and not only to certain regions. This is because people from different music backgrounds will pit their talents against each other. It could be a Bollywood singer, a Bhangra performer, some Tamilian guy, all competing." If the idea clicks, Indian Idol could become an annual event for the channel, that already has a recent programming success in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. Engaging the audience The crucial aspect of this show is the level of viewer involvement. Once the field of over 40,000 hopefuls has been cleared by the judges - composer Anu Malik, filmmaker Farah Khan and singer Sonu Nigam, and narrowed down to 10, viewers at home will get to vote off two contestants every week, through phone and SMS. According to Fremantle Media Asia operations director Patrick Shult, 14 million viewers tuned in for the final episode to see Will Young become the first Pop Idol. The phenomenon has tasted increasing success in South Africa, the US. "Now besides India we are developing localised versions for Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia," he says. In the first phase of the show, aspirants between 16 and 35 would be invited to phone-in -- either through a landline phone or a mobile -- and register. This is also the show's target audience in ten cities. Auditions will be held in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. "Through Indian Idol , we are capitalising on the trend of music becoming the lifestyle of the youth. It is not about finding another pop band to put on air," emphasises Sony's executive vice president - programming and response Tarun Katial. The Aman - Mini team Actor Aman Yatan Verma has earlier hosted game shows, but will need to drum up some more charisma to work up interest and intrigue about the show as the excitement builds towards the finale. His co-host Mini Mathur will provide the necessary glam quotient, but will need to be a competent hostess herself as she helps Aman guide gawky, first timers into confident stage winners. The last format show phenomenon to shake the telly, KBC, succeeded in large part, due to Amitabh Bachchan's charisma. Will Aman and Mini be the winner pair Sony needs? Judgin' 'em It's a commendable team that Sony has put together as judges for the show."For me, the winner could be someone with a face like Julia Roberts and a voice like Lata Mangeshkar or someone with a face like Elvis and the voice of Mohammed Rafi. I want to see the kind of voice that will make the nation sing along. I will be very frank in my views." That is Anu Malik describing his attitude on the show. Internationally, the Idol format has succeeded due to the acerbic, uncouth nature of the judges. The Indian experience has not been conducive to such reality shows. The acidic sarcasm of Neena Gupta on Kamzon Kadii Kaun resulted in the show seeing a short life on Star Plus. Sonu Nigam is cautious when he says that he would take the straightforward route, not wanting to hurt a participant's feelings. Farah Khan, however, says she would be both rude and funny. Image isn't going to be everything, the judges maintain. With personalities as diverse as these three judges, it is of course, going to be interesting to watch their interactions among themselves as well! Idol talk Sony is ready with a huge marketing and promotions plan that will drill the Indian Idol message into viewer mindset in the next two weeks. As part of the initiative, vans will go to the 10 cities where entries have been invited from. Aman and Mini will travel to popular youth hangouts getting the message across that they should vote. From October, the channel will start reminding viewers to watch the final countdown. Set senior vice president marketing Albert Almedia says the third phase, which is as crucial, comes during the 'down to 30' stage. It is here that viewer interaction on the show comes into play. "It is very important that we get out the message that even if they cannot appear on the show they can still determine who stays and who goes." Even the Holland Tourney and Champions Trophy on sister channel Max will be used as vehicles to create awareness. Sony's last big ticket reality shows, Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke and the Madhuri Dixit starrer Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai, failed to strike a chord with viewers. Will Indian Idol nix the jinx?