The popular reality shows Indian Idol has become one of the most well-known singing reality programs in India since its debut in 2004. The show gives aspiring singers from all over the country a platform to showcase their talent and skill and competes with one another to win the title of ‘Indian Idol’.
Over the years, the program has gained massive popularity and contributed a number of extremely talented vocalists to the music business. However, Indian Idol has been involved in a number of scandals, much like many other reality programs.
From the alleged rigging of votes to the serious allegations of sexual harassment against one of the judges, Anu Malik, the show has gone through a lot.
Numerous viewers and critics believe that the show’s emphasis has switched from finding the finest singers to earning TRPs by causing controversy and drama.
This has caused many people to lose trust in the show’s authenticity, diluting the program’s original goal. Apart from viewers and fans many celebrities also raised their voices against the Indian Idol. So, let’s have a look at what they said:
Mini Mathur
Mini Mathur, a renowned Indian TV personality who hosted Indian Idol for six seasons, revealed the reason behind her decision to quit the show. On Cyrus Broacha’s podcast, she revealed that the show’s makers had started to manipulate the reality of the show, leading her to feel offended and disillusioned with the program.
She went on to say that she was deeply invested in every contestant and maintained a friendly relationship with them beyond the show’s set. Later on, she realized that the show had deviated from its original purpose of finding genuine singing talent and had become more about generating revenue.
Though her husband was earning well, Mini chose to leave the show as she felt that the show’s reality had become fabricated, and she could no longer be a part of it.
Amit Kumar
The contestants of a popular singing reality show paid tribute to legendary singer Kishore Kumar, with the late artist’s son, Amit Kumar, as the special guest. Through Amit Kumar lauded the participants for their singing, later, in an interview, Amit Kumar expressed his disappointment for the show and stated that he was forced by the show’s producers to praise the contestants.
He further revealed that he was asked to uplift each participant’s performance regardless of their singing skills, as it was supposed to be a tribute to his father. Amit Kumar had asked for the script in advance, but his request was not met. Amit Kumar confessed that he did not enjoy the episode at all.
Abhijeet Sawant
Abhijeet Sawant, the winner of the first season of Indian Idol, once criticized the popular singing reality show for focusing more on contestants’ emotional backstories than their singing skills and talent.
He expressed his disappointment in an interview with a prominent daily, stating that the show highlights sad stories rather than singing talent. He also accused the Hindi reality shows of intentionally overdramatizing and exaggerating moments to attract viewers.
Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan, who had been a judge on Seasons 5 and 6 of Indian Idol, has made a shocking revelation about why she had to quit the show. According to her, she could not continue doing “what they (the makers) wanted,” as she was instructed to praise the contestants on the show, irrespective of her opinion.
Speaking to ETimes, Sunidhi shared,
Not exactly this ki sabko karna hai but yes, we all were told (to praise). That was the basic thing. And so, I couldn’t go on. I couldn’t do what they wanted and I had to part ways. Hence, today, I am not judging any reality show.
Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam, a popular Bollywood singer and music director took a jibe at the producers of singing reality programs for forcing judges to give contestants false praise.
Sonu, who has served as a judge of Indian Idol, said he is unable to keep praising candidates who he believes are not giving their best efforts.
According to him, a judge’s job is to point out candidates’ errors and direct them in the proper direction so they may become better singers. He also noted that although making errors is okay, failing to learn from them and giving a candidate too much praise might impede their development as a performer.
