Abhijeet Sawant: India's Idol

Abhijeet Sawant romps home with Amit Sana being the No 2, reports Vickey Lalwani.

The look of tension was noticeable on his face, even through his most pleasing thirty-twos, as anchors Aman Verma and Mini Mathur were poised to make the announcement. And they kept the tension going, taking their time before announcing the winner. A million thoughts prayers must have sprinted through his mind. But the exultation that followed when the duo announced his name as the winner was also worth a looksee. Sonu Nigam hugged him, as did Farah Khan, and Anu Malik.

Abhijeet Sawant, the Mumbai lad from a traditional Maharashtrian family had made it as the Indian Idol, following in the footsteps of several other Idols in many countries the world over. Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Staddard, Fantasia in America. Michelle McManus, William Young in the UK. Jamai from the Netherlands. Guy Sebastian and Casey Donovan from Australia. Norway's Kurt Nilsen who won the world Idol title.

While Sawant was cock-a-hoop with joy, his rival, the 21-year old Amit Sana burst into tears. Nevertheless he along with the other contestants lifted Sawant aloft on their shoulders. Only to find himself being lifted by the Indian Idol finalists team . Sana's mother could not hide her disappointment; the lady too started weeping.

Sawant, who lives in a building allotted to employees of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (his father Shridhar Pandurang Sawant works in the municpal corporation), rushed in to touch the feet of the judges and take their blessings Who would have thought that the guy who faced flak from the judges in the intial rounds would take home the crown? That's Sony's Indian Idol for you!

Unpredictability and high-drama at its best. Another classic case in point was when Rahul Vaidya who everyone believed
would be the ultimate winner had to take a bow last week.There was a negative buzz about Vaidya just when it actually
mattered. The guy had become over-confident and proud. Surprisingly, a bit of this attitude problem reflected in the final too.

After the final results were announced, the crowd started screaming for Rahul. Without bating an eyelid, Vaidya ran up to the stage and was ready to sing a few lines, waiting in anticipation for the public to demand what they wanted to hear. Instantly, the crowd informed him that they wanted Rahul Saxena and not Rahul Vaidya! The sheepish smile and the embarrassment on Vaidya's face was to be seen to be believed!

The high drama is expected to return in its second leg in August.The buzz is that Karan Johar may be one of the judges, replacing Farah Khan, who might be busy with her film then. The diplomatic Sonu Nigam and the frank-and-fearless Anu Malik are likely to retain their places.

Whatever one may say of Anu's caustic comments, the fact is that he helped yank the TRP ratings for the show - northwards. Initially people were neither talking about the format nor about the singing talents on display. The entire buzz that got the show going was the remarks that Anu Malik made during the show --- 'Anu Malik said this, Anu Malik said that, Boy how could he be so rude'. Agree Sony?

At least six contestants have become household names- Sawant, Sana, Rahul Vaidya, Prajakta Shukre, Amit Tandon and Rahul Saxena.

And aren't they smiling, err, laughing their way to the bank!

While the third finalist Rahul Vaidya has bagged a Rs 20 lakh contract with Sony Entertainment Television, Amit Tandon, another finalist, is being cast in Ekta Kaoor's in Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai, which is soon to be aired. Rahul Saxena will make his debut as a playback singer in Farah Khan's forthcoming film. And wait till you hear this! Prajakta Shukre may sing in Karan Johar's next film. It won't be long before Sana too jumps on to the bandwagon.

The questions that arise are: Did Sana lose against Sawant because he was not a good package? Did a section of the people not vote for him because he was simple, gawky and klutzy? Was the media highly biased against him? In fact, inside sources reveal that he had been written off by everyone including some of his fellow contestants, one of whom even said, "Iss ladke mein dum nahin hai."

Sources say that Farah Khan had cribbed to the other two judges, Sonu Nigam and Anu Malik that the lad had no charisma, no face and no power to pull the audience. In short, was Sana swimming against the tide? Will we ever know?

Perhaps not.