Bhavya’s luck finally runs out

We were finally going to get our Indian Idol Top 5. And that would, of course, mean that one contestant would miss the coveted spot by a whisker. But before the Result show progressed towards the elimination, we got to see the Top 6 perform together one last time. They sang Kal rahe ya na rahe so beautifully that several in the audience were left sniffing into their handkerchiefs.

Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Khemu’s in the building

Just as Hussain and Chang were going to announce the results, a disembodied voice pipped them and announced that Sourabhee was safe. A laughing Soha Ali Khan stepped out then and gave them all a surprise. She said she was there because her film Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge has much in common with Indian Idol. The film is about a small town girl from West Bengal coming to Mumbai to become an actress. But they’ve given the tears and the sweat a miss and just highlighted the comedy.

The next surprise was for Remo. Kunal Khemu, who looks startlingly like a 10-year older version of the chota don, came on stage. He admitted that whenever he watched Remo sing, he felt he was looking at a younger version of himself and that he would get nervous whenever the judges gave negative comments.

Then he told Remo that he wanted him to act a little. The situation was this: imagine that Hussain had just announced he was safe. He had to look shocked, then look at Kunal, the judges and then exclaim, ‘Bhaiyya, mein safe hoon’ and run towards him in slow motion. And, the smart cookie that he is, Remo did it perfectly.

Girl power in danger

Kapil and Rajdeep were declared safe in quick succession, leaving Torsha and Bhavya in the bottom two. Bhavya said she was used to being there and she would not mind any decision, but Torsha looked visibly tensed. However, the Bengali songstress needn’t have wrung her hands too much—she was declared safe to sing another day.

Annu Malek erupted at the news that Bhavya was eliminated. He wanted to know which besura audience had not voted for his favourite. But Javed Akhtar reassured him and Bhavya. He said: “You came here to be a singer and you have become that. You are a winner.”

After some tears, Bhavya composed herself and sang her farewell song with panache. In fact, she was so good that the six judges gave her a standing ovation—a first in Indian Idol history. Way to go, girl!