As Indian Idol returns for its 13th season, judges Neha Kakkar and Himesh Reshammiya talk about how the platform is a boon for upcoming artistes

Sheetal

Indian Idol is back with its 13th season and Vishal Dadlani, Neha Kakkar as well as Himesh Reshammiya are excited to sit on the judge’s chair once more. The show’s popularity is unmatched, as it became the longest-running season of Indian Idol (75 episodes) with a 12-hour-long grand finale episode, which aired on Independence Day. This time, the judges have travelled to cities across India to pick the best of singing talent.

Host of the show Aditya Narayan, in an online press conference, talked about the truth behind Himesh’s boring khaana, which everyone find excuses not to eat while Himesh disclosed that Neha keeps her husband Rohanpreet’s picture on the table! And Neha confirmed, “Staying away from him is actually hard, especially when we were travelling for auditions. So, his picture helps me remember he is always near me. But speaking of auditions, I love crowds and performing amongst them.” Himesh also talked about Vishal Dadlani, who was missing from the conference, and said he had created this aura of being tough but was more of a soft person on the inside. On the other hand, Neha claimed she is difficult to please and then jokes, “Ek plate panipuri khila do mein aage le jaaungi.”

True guidance

When asked whether he ever felt conscious about the audience, Himesh said, “It’s not important because views could be different. Some points can be common too. Having said that, we have the experience to guide the contestant better.”

Besides singing, Himesh added that artistes today need an overall personality to which the audience can connect. “Otherwise it would have been a radio show! With the changing times, things have also changed in the industry. The listeners don’t judge you from just your voice, but also from your actions,” he said.

Neha Kakkar, who often shows her emotional side and connects to the contestants on a personal level, shared it was because she has been on the other side of the table as well. She added, “I have gone through the emotions that one feels as a contestant and thus make sure that they are extremely comfortable, at home and can talk about any difficulty they might face during the tough competition ahead. I am a living example of how ‘sky is the limit’ once you walk into the show as a contestant. In additon to being the judge, I am music lover too. It’s a common thread that binds us all together.”

About whether she would lend her voice to a Punjabi folk song, she said, “It’s an idea I wish to work on now. I will immediately start writing after this conference and come up with something interesting for our listeners.” 

Did you know?

• The first season of Indian Idol aired in 2004
• The seventh (2013) and eighth (2015) seasons were dedicated to kids — Indian Idol Junior.
• Singers Abhijeet Sawant, Rahul Vaidya, NC Karunya, Monali Thakur, Neha Kakkar, Antara Mitra, Bhoomi Trivedi, Sreerama Chandra Mynampati, Salman Ali and Nakash Aziz are the products of Indian Idol. They are successful playback singers in Bollywood.
• Contestants like Amit Tandon, Meiyang Chang and Monali Thakur also went on to explore their acting talent. Season 3 winner Prashant Tamang too started acting in Nepali films, as did the winner of Season 5, Sreerama, in Telugu cinema.