New Delhi: The wait is finally over.
Prashant Tamang, a constable in the West Bengal Police, was on Sunday night declared the winner of talent hunt show Indian Idol after he pipped his rival Amit Paul in a grand finale of the over-two month long talent hunt.
Twenty-four-year-old Tamang, who hails from Darjeeling, has come a long way from being a member in the police band in Kolkata to becoming the heart throb of millions of TV viewers all over the country.
The glittering, star-studded grand finale saw Tamang perform with 24-year-old Paul, his rival from Shillong.
Tamang stole the show when he sang Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen from the Hindi film Baazigar.
In their final performances, while Paul sang Duma Dum Mast Kalandar, Prashant rocked the show with
his tremendous performance on Janabe Ali- Janabe Ali from Bardahsht.
As actor John Abraham announced Tamang the winner, the constable thanked his mother in a voice choked with emotion.
"I thank my mother, public and Bengal police for granting me the permission for participating in the show," he said.
It was an emotional moment for Tamang when his mother and father were escorted to the stage.
Tamang won cash reward of Rs 1 crore, a Maruti SX-4 and a contract with Sony to cut his own album.
Maruti Udyog's Managing Director Jagdish Khattar - who handed over the keys of the car to Tamang - surprised everyone when he announced that an SX-4 will be awarded to Paul as well.
The gala was held in New Delhi with the final witnessing over seven crore people sending in their votes via SMS.
Giving his wishes to both the finalists, lyricist Javed Akhtar - one of the judges - was quoted as saying by news agency PTI, "Our country is much more bigger than a few cities and I am very glad to see these two lads from Darjeeling and Shillong as it seems to me that the courtyard of my home has extended to even that part of the country."
Talent Hunts: How it began
Till about five years ago, talent hunts on Indian television were meant for prime time entertainment. And just that. Those were the days when TRP games hadn’t reached a maddening crescendo and mobile networks hadn’t discovered the potential of SMS voting and audience opinion.
Those were the days of shows like Meri Aawaz Suno (on Doordarshan) and Sa Re Ga Ma (on Zee TV) – two of the first talent hunts on Indian TV that gave the music industry some of its most popular voices – Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal. They were spotted by music directors and groomed to make it big.
Then things changed with Indian Idol. The Indian-version of the American popular reality show American Idol redefined talent hunts as an Indian viewer knew and empowered him to play the judge by simply keying in a code on his mobile phone.
Interactivity got a new meaning and consumer, audience in this case, became the king in TRP games and mobile revenue market.
Presently, interactive talent hunts are the biggest money spinners in the television entertainment industry and the pan-Indian popularity of shows like Indian Idol – running into its third season – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Fame Gurukul and Voice of India is an indication of just that.
Idol pin-ups unite Northeast
But with this trend, another interesting pattern emerged - regional voting.
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While speculation of a “regional bias” was rife when Kashmir boy Qazi Touqeer was declared the winner in Sony’s Fame Gurukul, it has acquired new meaning in this edition of Indian Idol with both finalists Amit Paul and Prashant Tamang hailing from sleepy hilltowns of the much-neglected Northeast.
While Paul hails from Meghalaya and has already been appointed as state’s ambassador of goodwill and peace, Tamang is a police officer from Darjeeling.
Both have become pin-ups in the insurgency-ridden Northeast, the hills of the region have come alive with the sound of music and the mass hysteria is unprecedented.
In fact, such is the frenzy that even militants have come out urging people in the far-flung areas of the region to vote for their favourite contestant.
Amit Paul: Uniting Meghalaya’s tribals
Take Amit Paul for instance. Unknowingly he is doing the impossible—bridging the divide between the Khashi, Jaintia and Garo tribes of Meghalaya with that of the non-tribals.
No wonder, the entire Meghalaya wants northeast's new pin up boy to be their brand ambassador.
“Surely he will win. All the Khasis and Bengalis are supporting him,” says one fan. "Amit Paul is the best. He is a boon, not only for Shillong but for the rest of the country and the music industry,” said another.
Paul’s journey began with a local band called Yuva in Shillong in 1992. And in 15 years, the boy from the hills has certainly moved mountains with his voice, making it to Indian Idol's final round.
As Paul's fame takes levels of folklore in a music crazy Northeast, some believe ‘Elvis’ after he left his home somewhere in Memphis is now back in Shillong.
Prashant Tamang: Cop with a voice to die for
Prashant Tamang, the first Indian of Nepalese origin to make it to this level of the competition, has also garnered considerable support from citizens in Nepal.
Tamang, a constable with the Kolkata Police, has already ignited fire in the hearts of millions of hill residents with his voice and they are now desperate to see him win the contest.
And not just in the hills, but the Tamang-frenzy has swept across the 27,000 Kolkata Police personnel in the plains as well.
The foothills of Darjeeling resounded with chants when Tamang supporters organised a maha yajna for their favourite contestant. Asking for divine intervention, the people are optimistic about his victory.
“I have arranged this yajna, no doubt for victory of Prashant Tamang with a very big margin,” says the organiser of the yajna, Ashok Mimani.
“There's no doubt that Prashant will win. He will adorn the Indian Idol crown and return to this place,” says his sister.
Even Chief Minister of Sikkim, Pawan Chamling has come out publicly in support of Prashant.
(With inputs from Press Trust of India)
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