Kathmandu:

Indian Idol is a much watched reality show here and with the show well into its piano round, the fans have already picked up their favourites. And this year people from Nepal can also directly send SMS and vote for their choice. The excitement seems to be building up, gradually sure definitely.

An avid Indian Idol fan Milisha Shrestha admits, “Watching Indian Idol is a family affair at my house. We get together and hope that our favourites don’t get eliminated and trust me we have not missed any of the episodes.” Though Shini (Kalvint) is her personal favourite, she is also keen about Kapil Thapa and his performance. Last year they donated money to vote for Prashant, and this year she plans to vote for her favourite contestants.

“I will vote for Shini, Bhavya (Pandit) and of course Kapil. He might win, just like Prashant.”

Her husband, however, begged to differ. “I don’t think he will win. Luck can strike once (Prashant’s case), not twice. There are better singers than him, so I don’t think he will win.”

Milisha feels that this time one of the girls will win.

Another fan Anima Shrestha is all excited about voting from Nepal. “My favourite contestant is Kapil for sure. First of all he is of Nepali origin, and he also sings very well. I think he has a hidden talent. I am going to vote him and also for Bhavya. He has been improving a lot but lacks confidence. I hope he works on that and wins.”

While many are keeping their fingers crossed regarding Kapil, there are some Idol fans who want the best person to win. “He has lots of potential but has to work harder,” says Chandrakant Agrawal of Kapil. He donated to vote for Prashant, and thinks it’s important to vote for Kapil as well. “He is of Nepali origin, so we will vote for him, but for that he also have to prove himself by giving good performances.”

The load shedding in some areas from 9:30 pm on Fridays has been a blow for many fans, but then as they say ‘khane mukhlai jungale chhekdaina’.

“We have got an inverter, so no problem about missing any episode,” says Ashmita Shakya.

It’s her mum who just loves the show, but she too watches when she is around. “I use to like Ananya (Mishra) but she got eliminated. So, Tulika (Ganguly) is my new favourite. Kapil is good, but he is not my favourite. And I don’t like Remo (Gosh) at all,” she confesses.

Karina Dhakhwa, on the other hand, has adopted a wait-and-watch approach not having chosen any favourite yet. But she too is paying special attention to Kapil and voting for him. “Even if I miss the Saturday elimination episode, I keep voting for Kapil to keep him secure, and keep myself updated about the show by calling up friends. And I catch up the re-telecast on Sundays,” she says.

Indian Idol is aired every Friday and Saturday on Sony at 9:15 pm.