Indian Idol season 10 episode 1 kicks off in Kolkata, showcases a mix of thumris, Sufi songs and yodels

The first episode of one of the longest running singing reality shows,   Indian Idol  season 10, was inaugurated in the City of Joy, Kolkata. The show premiered on Sony Entertainment Television on this Saturday. [caption id=“attachment_4699991” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Anu Malik, Vishal Dadlani, Neha Kakkar are the judges of Indian Idol 10. Facebook/ @sonytelevision[/caption]

Aaj se shuru hogi next #IndianIdol ki khoj. Dekhiye #IndianIdol season 10 #MausamMusicKa aaj raat 8 baje sirf Sony par. pic.twitter.com/prQ85gitZi

— sonytv (@SonyTV) July 7, 2018

The show, which has for years fostered good, diverse music, yet again became the platform for incredible talent with singers presenting everything from Thumri to Sufi to yodels. Anu Malik, who has been judging the show since its inception, will be seen undertaking the role yet again, with Vishal Dadlani for company. The third judge, Neha Kakkar, known for her popular tracks such as ‘Manali Trance’ and ‘London Thumakda’ had also been a contestant on the show, in the second season.

This season will be anchored by host and comedian Maniesh Paul , who has previously left audience in splits with his impeccable comic timing on India’s Got Talent and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa.

Biswajit Mohapatra, a singer from Odisha, impressed the judges with his rendition for ‘ _I Love You_' from Salman Khan-starrer Bodyguard. The performance bore little resemblance to the original number, sung by Ash King, and was lauded for his  unique approach to the song.

Another contestant from Kolkata, Soumya Chakraborty, crooned the evergreen thumri ‘Yaad Piya Ki Aaye’ , which moved judge Neha Kakkar, with Dadlani and Malik deciding to present him with the ‘golden mic’ and the ticket to directly come to the ’theatre’ round.

Other singers who managed to enthrall the judges were Salman Ali, who by his own admission, was a lover of Sufi music. ‘Sajda’ was his song of choice and his murkis drew thundering applause from the panelists.  Lakshmi Jain belted out the 2011 hit song ‘Ooh La La’ from The Dirty Picture, alternating between the parts sung by the male and female vocalist with equal ease, leaving the judges utterly bereft of speech. Despite not being proficient in Hindi, Lakshmi sang without any hesitation.

According to a Mumbai Mirror report, Dadlani said Indian Idol belonged to a different league when compared to other reality shows due to its pool of talent. “There is a superlative variety of talent and diversity. I want to encourage every aspiring singer to come forward and own the stage,” he told Mumbai Mirror. A glimpse of what Dadlani said was reflected in the pilot episode, where participants outdid themselves and got appreciated by the triumvirate.