He is being talked about as this weirdo who's charming a nation which should probably be giving him the thumbs down. He can't sing, looks like what the cat brought in, and sports hairdos like the birds have been inhabiting them. And like it's the season to expect the unexpected what with India getting booted out of the cricket World Cup and Shilpa Shetty going on to win Big Brother in the UK, he has beaten all odds to make it to the finals of the sixth season of American Idol. Meet the new ABCD sensation on the block, Sanjay Malakar, who's become part of a mass hysteria that is afflicting teens in the US of A.

It's easy to hate him as he is absolutely annoying on stage with zilch talent, avant-garde hairdos and an orangutan smile. (In fact Kentucky Fried Chicken promised him a lifetime supply of chicken if he sported a bowl haircut). It is not difficult to love him either; he is an average 17 year old who stands up to the insults and hatred showered on him by various bloggers and the judges.

His broad knee-weakening smile, his funky Madonna-Mohawk like coiffures, his plain John honesty, have all gone him to make him an intriguing package. Though he has as many flaws and follies as zits on a teen's face, he has, and continues to manage to strike a chord with the average American teen, who is struggling to carve a niche in multicultural America. A quintessential Virgo, he is the first Indian descent talent (or untalented?) to make it to the finals of American Idol!

A few facts about the lad: Sanjaya Malakar was born to Jillian Blyth in the small city of Federal Way in Washington on 10 September 1989. He went on to audition for American Idol in Seattle, with sister Shyamali Malakar, earlier this year (Many bloggers have written his sister should have scraped through not he).

In fact, when he beat Sundance Head to make it to the finals, Simon Cowell wondered if the viewers had turned the sound to mute before they voted and Malakar looked like he was going to cry. Cowell has also been quoted as saying that he will never return to Idol if Malakar wins. Some bloggers have prayed that he does go on to win, as it will mean that they won't get to see Cowell's face again.

Nobody expected him to survive for this long, as he wasn't the conventional package that possibly signifies an Idol. For starters, he looked Indian, not American. However, if we go by the history of American idol, Sanjaya's upward progress does not seem surprising.

Season one had its surprises in rockers Ryan Starr and Nikki McKibbin who made it to the finals. Season 2 had Julia DeMato. Season 3 and 4 had John Steven and Mikalah Gordon. Kevin "Chicken Little" Covais was the shocker in Season 5.

Every year, one singer with little talent manages to qualify for the finals. And what gets them ahead is not just singing or warbling talent: they all display oodles of personality, stage presence, packaging and the X factor. Sanjaya seems to be dripping all of the above in buckets: he is no great shakes a singer. But he is undoubtedly a great entertainer and displays chutzpah. Last week, he got into a clinch with judge Paula Abdul and even did a raunchy jig with her, drawing a lot of oohs and aahs from the teen viewers.

The point is yes he does manage to grab and hold attention by either his moves or his hairdos! But above all, Sanjaya puts on a show while most contestants primarily stand, sit or just stroll around the podium.

It is said that Sanjaya's father is an unidentified mysterious Indian musician of sorts. Another American with Indian parentage which links back to a great musician emerged on the global music scene to break many a record a couple of years ago. Yes, we are talking about Norah Jones, whose dad is Pandit Ravi Shankar. We don't expect Sanjaya to probably do the same, but a huge swathe in America is rooting for him to at least become American Idol. Do you think he will make it? .
Write in to us. Let us know if he will...Click here. Editor- Tellychakkar.com.

(Basic facts and information courtesy: http://www.celebritydirtylaundry.blogspot.com/2007/03/simon-will-quit-if-sanjay-malakar-wins.html
http://www.tvguide.com/detail/celebrity.aspx?tvobjectid=286854&more=ucCelebInfo# )