The Hindu : New Delhi News : Celebrities hog the limelight at talent hunts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 24, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Celebrities hog the limelight at talent hunts

The competition surely is getting bigger. Only, it is not just talent on show at television's big talent hunts these days; it is also about which celebrity you have managed to rope in as your special guest.

So while Sony's Indian Idol may be slightly short on the talent quotient these days, it clearly isn't on the star power front.

With a number of talented youngsters getting voted out early on in the competition, the show has seen everything from choreographer Farah Khan break down when contestant Panna was shown the red signal to singer Sonu Nigam and music director Anu Malik wonder aloud what the audience was really voting for.

With drama clearly being the strong point of reality shows, the audience is clearly having its fill. Only, Sony seems to have clinched a big one in the star department, what with the coming week presenting a big one for followers of the programme.

The coming episode will have Karan Johar as the celebrity guest all right, but if recent promos are anything to go by then Hollywood star Will Smith is going to be the big surprise really.

In India to launch Sony's new channel, the "Hitch" star will make a special appearance in Indian Idol's upcoming episodes.

While Smith openly admitted to being smitten by Aishwarya Rai and being in love with Indian food, members of the Hindi film industry that he met during his stay couldn't stop praising the star for his down-to-earth attitude. Now, if only Bollywood stars could get inspired by things other than Hollywood scripts! -- Lakshmi B. Ghosh

-- Lakshmi B. Ghosh

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail