KATHMANDU: In another few weeks, the next Indian Idol will be crowned. Three out of thousands who auditioned to be the new singing sensation of India are left. Amey Date’s exit last week caused quite a furor at the Idol 2 programme with the three judges walking out in protest while the audience also lent their support to the judges. When the judges proposed a rematch, Amey declined the offer saying that he has been voted out, and that whether we liked it or not, we had to accept it.

Here are the final three left in the race for that coveted crown.

Southern lad

Twenty-year-old NC Karunya from Hyderabad is the only South Indian to have come so far in the contest. He has made his mark on the show with his ‘Abhishek Bachchan’ looks and melodious voice.

He has been singing since he was three and has come so far because of the support he has received from his parents. “My parents live in my dream world. They have seen me wanting to be a singer and have done all they could to help me attain my goal,” he says.

Karunya idolises musical legends like Kishore Kumar, Mohd Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, P Sushila and Ghantasaala and hopes to make his mark in the world like them some day.

Audiences across the country have fallen in love with his voice and he managed to rake in viewer votes in the first gala, despite a bad throat, proving that he has a strong and loyal fan following!

Black horse

“Tumhari aawaz Himachali seb ki tarah meethi hai,” said Anu Malik when he heard Anuj Sharma, 31, sing in the audition round.

That’s when this contestant from Himachal Pradesh (possibly the eldest contestant of Indian Idol Series 2 to reach this stage) was reassured that his Indian Idol dream could turn reality.

Anuj holds a post-graduate degree in music and is also learning sound recording in Delhi, as he believes in today’s time, music arrangement is as important as good music. He also continues to learn music under Pandit Baldev Raj Verma in Delhi.

A die-hard fan of Sonu Nigam, Anuj has a huge collection of Sonu’s songs but also loves the ghazals of Ustad Ahmed Hussain and Ustad Mohd Hussain. He prefers folk music to film music and likes the sweet, romantic compositions of old Hindi films.

An introvert by nature, Anuj’s best friend is his soon-to-be-wife Vanu. He dreams of gifting the Indian Idol title to her as a wedding gift!

Desert king

Sandeep Acharya from Bikaner has the classic Indian playback singer’s voice and has often been compared to the great Udit Narayan. He found a keen interest and love in Indian music from a tender age and has been training for a career in the same since then.

While his friends played and enjoyed themselves, Sandeep focused on his career and was regular with his riyaaz.

When asked what would he do on winning the Indian Idol 2 title, he said he would give back in return the same love and confidence the audience showered on him and also take his family on a world tour. — Compiled by Anjita Pradhan