Six contestants gear up for the Season 12 finale of Indian Idol

Mona

As six talented singers —Arunita Kanjilal, Mohd. Danish, Nihal Tauro, Pawandeep Rajan, Sayli Kamble and Shanmukhapriya — compete in Season 12 finale of Indian Idol, it sure will be a grand affair. The show will be of 12 hours, with over 40 acts and close to 200 songs; a grand celebration of India’s 75th Independence Day!

Surprisingly calm and collected, these six have so far shown great camaraderie and intend to keep the same going even after the show ends. “We are going to work together in future and I would like to be friends with all the others for a long time,” says the much-loved singer Pawandeep Rajan. The Season 12 of this singing reality show has been different from others, for this time not just the auditions were digital but the pandemic made them move the shoot to Daman for two months . “This season was by no means easy, but what gives us joy is that we were able to keep our viewers engaged and entertained through some really trying times,” says Ashish Golwalkar, Head, Content, Sony Entertainment Television and Digital Business.

The finale is going to be a first-of-its-kind affair. “While the singers are certainly preparing for the big day, so are other units – instrumentalists, costume department; everyone is on the tenterhooks to make this a memorable musical extravaganza,” adds Ashish.

Big moment

Singer Mohd. Danish from Uttar Pradesh is as confident of his craft as his fellow contestants. “I feel blessed to have learnt so much through this journey.” As for Arunita, “I am so much more comfortable on stage now. Before this only my family and neighbours knew about me, now music-lovers across the world know me.” While Arunita is from West Bengal, Pawandeep made it to the final stage from Uttarakhand. “Amongst many Hindi numbers, that I could sing my Uttarakhandi song is something I will never forget. To bring my culture to the forefront has been a proud moment,” he says. Sayli, from Mumbai, says the show has given her an identity, “Today the world knows my parents too, which is beautiful.” Nihal values all that he learnt. “What we learnt here is going to be with us forever, making it so special,” says this singer from Mangalore.

Learning curve

Pawandeep says he missed the hills and streams of his town, where he would sit for hours and compose music. Shanmukhapriya missed her dosa and vada. “I had all this here but I did miss our delicacies,” admits this girl from Andhra Pradesh. It was his studio and pet cat that Nihal missed the most.

Towards the end of the journey, Sayli shares a tip for singers aiming at reality shows, “Generally, as one gives an audition one gets conscious. I realised that everyone here is there to support you. The judges want you to give your best and are there to bring out the best in you.”

Now who holds the trophy, one will only know on Sunday in a star-studded finale!