Anuj Sharma, the contestant from Himachal Pradesh has been voted out of the Idol race on Tuesday.

Anuj, who had got a lucky break earlier when Jolly Das was forced to quit the show due to chicken pox, has come a long way after being eliminated in the piano round itself!

Anuj with Mini just after the final announcement

What was surprising about Anuj's final adieu was the fact that the judges didn't hide their dissappointment in the man. They kept harping on how Anuj was the 'weakest link' in the top three. So finally when the verdict came, all the drama created around it fell flat!

Anuj, whose run to the top three was marred by controversies was humble in defeat and it seemed that he had already guessed the final outcome. None of the lensmen thus got their crying howling contestant.

Another thing that was quite noticeable during the shoot was the reaction of the top two when the results were announced. While Sandeep seemed disturbed, Karunya didn't seem to mind the ouster, maybe because he was the other one in line. This is one contestant who seems to have changed quite a bit since the audition days. He's no longer the dow eyed youngsters with dreams in his eyes. Karunya today has taken stardom in his stride, he not only sings well, but also mastered the art of handling the media. (He reminds me of Arpita of Fame Gurukul).

The bottom two!

The drama on the sets was also at its best with judges objecting to host Aman Verma referring to the previous weeks spat as 'hungama' and asking him to rephrase the question that he had put to Anuj. Quite a scene it was with Aman looking really bamboozled! Poor chap...he just mouthed what the telly prompter prompted, I guess!

All in all as far as Indian Idol 2 is concerned, if only talent is considered then Karunya is a clear winner, but the fact remains that he's still getting the least number of votes. Perhaps it's Sandeep's boyish charm that's doing the trick for him!

Anyways, Anuj's ouster is not bad news for the show, but the man himself has a long way to go and his journey has already begun on a great note! Here's wishing him well!

Click here for an interview with Anuj Sharma