Indian Idol 2 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Finalists
Agla Kaun ?
(with dates of elimination)
Sandeep Acharya Sandeep Acharya Sandeep Acharya is an Indian singer.Sandeep Acharya - Indian Idol Season 2 hails from Bikaner, Rajasthan and was crowned the winner of Indian Idol on 22 April 2006. Acharya is the winner of the second season of Indian Idol while the first was won by Abhijeet Sawant. Acharya beat judges favorite,...	Winner
N.C. Karunya	Runner up
Anuj Sharma Anuj Sharma Anuj Sharma is an Indian singer born in the small town of Rehan, Himachal Pradesh, India.Sharma had begun his career while recording a Himachali Folk album in late 1996. Since then he has recorded more than 40 albums of Himachali Folk songs for a number of recording companies. He was among the...	April 4
Amey Date	March 14
Antara Mitra Antara Mitra Antara Mitra is a vocalist and Bollywood Playback singer who was a contestant in Sony Entertainment Television's reality show Indian Idol 2 in 2006.- Biography :...	March 7
Meenal Jain Meenal Jain Meenal Jain Meenal Jain Meenal Jain (born June 14, 1985 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India was a top 6 finalist in the on-going reality show Indian Idol 2 on Indian Television. She was voted out on February 28, 2006....	February 28
Ravi Tripathi	February 21
Panna Gill	February 14
Monali Thakur Monali Thakur Monali Thakur is an Indian playback singer who sings mainly in Bollywood movies.-Biography:Thakur comes from a musical family, as her father is Bengali singer and actor Shakti Thakur and her sister Mehuli Thakur Goswami is also a professional playback singer...	February 7
Neha Kakkar	February 31
Jolly Das	Dropped out
Yashashree Bhave	January 24
Sagar Sawarkar	January 17

The second season of Indian Idol
Indian Idol
Indian Idol is an adaptation of the Pop Idol format. It started airing in India with the first season in 2004-2005 and followed that with second , third and fourth seasons...

began on November 21, 2005 and concluded on April 22, 2006. It was hosted by Mini Mathur

Mini Mathur

Mini Mathur is an Indian actress and television personality. She was a video jockey on SUN TV India and hosted a couple of shows for the channel. She is also a co-host of the Indian reality singing contest Indian Idol....

and Aman Verma

Aman Verma

Aman Yatan Verma is a TV show anchor and an actor. He co-hosted with Mini Mathur in the first season of Indian Idol on Sony Entertainment Television and hosted Zee TV's Zee Cinestars.-Career:...

. Anu Malik

Anu Malik

Anu Malik , born Anwar Sardaar Malik, is a famous music director in the Hindi film industry. Son of veteran music director Sardar Malek, Anu Malik made his debut as a music composer in the year 1977. After a considerable period of struggle, the 90's welcomed Anu with hits like 'Phir Teri Kahani...

, Farah Khan

Farah Khan

Farah Khan is an Indian film director and choreographer. She is best known for her choreographical work in numerous Bollywood films. Khan has choreographed dance routines for more than a hundred songs in over 80 Hindi films. Khan has since become a noted Hindi film director as well...

and Sonu Nigam

Sonu Nigam

Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...

returned to judge. Sandeep Acharya

Sandeep Acharya

Sandeep Acharya is an Indian singer.Sandeep Acharya - Indian Idol Season 2 hails from Bikaner, Rajasthan and was crowned the winner of Indian Idol on 22 April 2006. Acharya is the winner of the second season of Indian Idol while the first was won by Abhijeet Sawant. Acharya beat judges favorite,...

won the competition. It is the first and only season with a male fourth place finalist (Amey Date). The last standing female contestant Antara Mitra

Antara Mitra

Antara Mitra is a vocalist and Bollywood Playback singer who was a contestant in Sony Entertainment Television's reality show Indian Idol 2 in 2006.- Biography :...

came in fifth place.

Early auditions

Thousands were rejected. Some of them were:

Kishore Kumar Kamila sang, “tune muhje bulaya sherawaliye”.
Paramanand, a teacher, sang "Meeenaaa!"
Chandrapaul was a kisan
Kisan
Kisan may refer to:* Kisan Tribe, an ethnic group in India* kisan, an Indian word that can be translated as peasant or farmer* Kisan , a Malayalam film from 2006* KISAN, Kus Indian Sut Asla Nicaragua ra...

. He sang "Dard E Dil." and was rejected.
Arun Roy performed in a clown fashion "Ha Pehli Bar". He was rejected.
Mrinal had come against his parents' wishes. He sang "Tadap Tadap Ke" but was told that a musical career is not for him.
Abhinav touched the feet of Anu Malik
Anu Malik
Anu Malik , born Anwar Sardaar Malik, is a famous music director in the Hindi film industry. Son of veteran music director Sardar Malek, Anu Malik made his debut as a music composer in the year 1977. After a considerable period of struggle, the 90's welcomed Anu with hits like 'Phir Teri Kahani...

before singing "Aslam Bhai" and was rejected.
Mohit had girly clothes, makeup and a candle in hand as he sang "Silsila Ye Chahat Ka."
Shahrikh Khan sang "Aye Chand Teri", impressed Farah but not Anu and Sonu. He was rejected.
Aloke wore a long orange wig which he talked about before singing "Sun Barsaane Wali" and "Tu Hi Re". He was rejected by three amused judges.
Harshita Pathak was a young girl who entered the contest for her mother, and admitted to having no knowledge of music. She was rejected.
Lopa was beautiful and stylish. Sang "Nahin Nayi Nahin Ye Baatein" and was rejected.
Mohua Mukherjee quit her job for her childhood dream of fame. She sang "Nahin Nayi Nahin" and was rejected.
A hippy wearing glitzy clothes and a wig turned up at the auditions and barged her way through to the audition room. She sang and then revealed that she was Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup is a popular Indian pop, jazz and playback singer. She is well known for popular hits in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.She started her Bollywood playback career, when she sang an English verse in hit song, "Dum maro dum"" in Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and went on work with music...

.
Manoj Kumar sang "Tanhai" and was out of melody completely. He was rejected.
Swapan, a purohit
Purohit
Purohit in Indian religious context means a family priest, from Sanskrit , translated as: one placed foremost, from Puras meaning front, and hita, placed. Rajpurohit is a term used to denote a priest for a royal family or a king who was the authorized person that carried out rituals for the...

, was rejected after singing "Tum Mile".
Shravan sang "Aashiq Banaya Aapne" in a speaking voice. He was rejected.

Theater round

The theater round is held in Mumbai. Many contestants were cut, including:

Shekh Shakeel Aneez, a man who had lost a hand in a blast, was eliminated.
Mohammad Rehan Khan, a man with only one leg, who sold T-shirts and was a student, was eliminated in the theater round.
Mohammad Shoaib was eliminated in the theater round.
Deepak Hela was a man with no electricity at home, who had become bald by choice. After singing two songs to try and impress all the judges he was in the theater round. But he was then eliminated.

Semi-Finals

In the Semi-Finals, or Piano Rounds (the contestants sang only to a piano accompaniment), the Top 28 were split into 4 groups of 7; two male and two female groups. One group performed each week. Then out of the 7, the top 4 were announced, and the remaining 3 were instantly eliminated. From the Top 4, only the three who received the most votes went on to the finals. However, in the first piano round, there was a tie between two contestants so they announced a Top 5 and the Top 3 from those five. The piano rounds began December 12 and ended January 3. During the Piano Rounds, 16 contestants were eliminated, 8 girls and 8 boys. However, Jolly Das had to be eliminated after making it to the finals due to chickenpox. Semi-finalist Anuj Sharma was brought back in her place, so the 16 contestants eliminated were 9 girls and 7 boys. A detailed profile of the semi-finalists follows after those of the Top 12 (in separate female/male parts.)

Top vote-getters: 1.N. C. Karunya, 2.Monali Thakur, 3.Sandeep Acharya, 4.Antara Mitra
Second highest votes: 1.Sagar Sawarkar, 2.Neha Kakkar, 3.Panna Gill, 4.Meenal Jain
Third highest votes: 1.Ravi Tripathi, 2.Yashashree Bhave, 3.Amey Date, 4.Jolly Das (who was eliminated, and Anuj Sharma brought back)

Semi-final women eliminated

Jolly Das (born November 8, 1980) was born in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

and lives in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

. She graduated in Music from Rabindra Bharati University. Jolly's family consists of her parents and younger brother. Jolly received the third highest votes in the piano rounds and was in the finals - but she contracted chickenpox
Chickenpox
Chickenpox or chicken pox is a highly contagious illness caused by primary infection with varicella zoster virus . It usually starts with vesicular skin rash mainly on the body and head rather than at the periphery and becomes itchy, raw pockmarks, which mostly heal without scarring...

and was eliminated, but will be brought back next season.

"Kabhi Neem Neem"

Dilpreet (born September 13, 1985) was born in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

and lives there. She is in her Final Year BA Honours in Music from Delhi University. Her family consists of her father, mother and younger sister. Dilpreet managed to reach the Top 4 in the piano round, but lost the spot in the galas to Yashashree Bhave by only 500 votes and fainted. The judges were all in shock.

"Bekarar Kar Hi Dala" - Eliminated 20/12/2005

Jyotsna Navandar (born June 3, 1978) was born in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

and lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

currently. She has a BSc in Geology from Fergusson College, Pune. Her family consists of her parents, three sisters and a brother. Jyotsna reached the Top 4. The judges thought she had the best performance of the night, but Jyotsna lost the spot in the galas to Jolly Das (who in turn lost it to Anuj Sharma
Anuj Sharma
Anuj Sharma is an Indian singer born in the small town of Rehan, Himachal Pradesh, India.Sharma had begun his career while recording a Himachali Folk album in late 1996. Since then he has recorded more than 40 albums of Himachali Folk songs for a number of recording companies. He was among the...

due to chickenpox).

"Ek Bagiya Main" - Eliminated 03/01/2006

Lekha Desai was born in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

and lives there currently. She has a graduate from Mithibai College, Mumbai. Her family consists of her parents. Lekha did not make the Top 4 and was eliminated.

"Dil Ko Hazaar Baar" - Eliminated 03/01/2006

Sandipa Dutta was born in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

and lives there currently. She is pursuing her MCA. Her family consists of her parents. Sandipa, despite receiving rave reviews from the judges, did not make the Top 4 and was eliminated.

"Mahi Ve" - Eliminated 03/01/2006

Saberri Bhattacharya' was born in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

and lives there currently. She has an MA in English from Kolkata University. Her family consists of her parents and younger sister. Saberri did not make the Top 4 and was eliminated.

"Jadu Hai Nasha" - Eliminated 03/01/2006

Aabha Hanjura (born November 8, 1987) was born in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...

and lives in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

currently. She is in her first year of B.Com. Her family consists of her parents and a brother. Aabha was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"Margaye Ishq Main" - Eliminated 20/12/2005

Ritu Pathak (born September 4, 1987) was born in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

and lives there currently. She is pursuing her bachelor's degree. Her family consists of her parents, sister and a brother. Ritu had a huge crush on Sonu Nigam. Ritu was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"I Wanna Love" - Eliminated 20/12/2005

Renuka Deshpande (born June 3, 1989) was born in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

and lives there currently. She is still in school; in Class XI. Her family consists of her parents and a brother. Renuka was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results despite rave reviews and was eliminated.

"Man Sat Samandar Dol Gaya" - Eliminated 20/12/2005

Semi-final men eliminated

Kshitij Wagh
Kshitij Wagh
Kshitij Wagh is an Indian playback singer. He debuts with his first Hindi film duet 'Mehki Mehki' with Shreya Ghoshal, for the film Game, Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Kangna Ranaut and Sarah-Jane Dias, Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy....

(born October 21, 1977) in Gwalior. He resides in Mumbai and has a B.Sc in Electronics from Delhi University & Advanced Diploma in Software Engineering from CDAC, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

. His family consists of his parents, sister and wife Neeti. He made the Top Five in the first piano round but was eliminated despite rave reviews.

"Dilbar mere" - Eliminated 13/12/2006

Mukesh Tomar (born May 15, 1984) was born in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

and lives there currently. He has an MA in Music. His family consists of his parents, sister and a brother. Mukesh was in the Top 5 in the piano round results but was eliminated.

"Tera Milna Pal Do Pal Ka" - Eliminated 13/12/2006

Nakash Aziz (born February 24, 1985) was born in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

and lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

currently. He has a TYBA from Patkar College, Mumbai. His family consists of his parents. Nakash was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results (on his father's birthday) and was eliminated.

"Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein" - Eliminated 27/12/2006

Javed Khan (born April 26, 1986) was born in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

and lives there currently. He has a BA from Hindu College, Delhi. His family consists of his parents and three brothers. Javed was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"Saathiya Tere Bina" - Eliminated 27/12/2006

Desh Gaurav Singh (born December 5, 1985) was born in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

and lives in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

currently. He has an MA in Vocal Music from Delhi University. His family consists of his parents, brother and sister. Desh Gaurav was not in the Top 4 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya" - Eliminated 27/12/2006

Rohit Raj Sinha (born September 18, 1982) was born in Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...

and lives there currently. He has a Business Graduate from AIDU. His family consists of his parents and a brother. Rohit was not in the Top 5 in the piano round results and was eliminated.

"Tu Mile Dil Khile" - Eliminated 13/12/2006

Shreekumar (born May 28, 1982) in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. He resides in Mumbai and has a B.Com from Delhi University. His family consists of his parents and younger brother. He did not make the Top Five in the first piano round but was eliminated despite rave reviews.

"Ae Ajnabi" - Eliminated 13/12/2006

Finals

It is written next to the contestant's performance if they were in the Bottom 3 or 2, or won, or were the runnerup, or received the highest votes then. If there is nothing written, then they were safe. Also, the majority of the Top 3 performances were in live concerts, and only 2 each were performed in the studio.

Sandeep Acharya
Sandeep Acharya
Sandeep Acharya is an Indian singer.Sandeep Acharya - Indian Idol Season 2 hails from Bikaner, Rajasthan and was crowned the winner of Indian Idol on 22 April 2006. Acharya is the winner of the second season of Indian Idol while the first was won by Abhijeet Sawant. Acharya beat judges favorite,...

was born on February 4, 1985 in Bikaner and currently lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. He has a Bachelor of Science. His family consists of his parents, two sisters and a brother. Sandeep Acharya has the classic Indian playback singer's voice and has often been compared to the great Udit Narayan of Indian playback. 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.

Nasha Pyaar Ka - Highest Votes
Janam Dekh Lo
Papa Kehte Hain
Kaun Hai Jo Sapnon Mein Aaya
Tere Naam - Bottom 3 14/02/2006
Mitwa
Main Nikla Gaddi Leke
Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna - Bottom 2 07/03/2006
Holi Khele Raghuveera
Rut Aa Gayi Re
Kaho Na Pyaar Hai - 27/03/2006
Jhalak Dikhlaja - Highest votes 04/04/2006
Is Pyaar Ko Mai - Highest votes 04/04/2006
Zindagi - Highest votes 04/04/2006
Dekha Na Haye Re - Winner 22/04/06
Mere Jaisa Koi Kahaan
Hawao Ne Yeh Kaha -
Eena Meena Deeka - Sandeep special
Aye Dilruba kitna hasi mela - Sandeep special
Aye Watan - Sandeep special
Sitaron ki mehfil - Winner 22/04/06
Raja miya chdtho yaari - Winner 22/04/06
Gulaabi ankhen yeh tera dekhe - Winner 22/04/06
Rukh jaa woh dil deewani - Winner 22/04/06
Tumse milke dil ka - Winner 22/04/06

N. C. Karunya was born on March 1, 1986 in Hyderabad and currently lives in Hyderabad. He is in B-Tech (Third Year) in Electronics & Communications. His family consists of his parents and younger sister. Audiences across the country have fallen in love with his voice and the change in his personality and appearance they've seen through the show.

Layi Vi Na Gayi - Highest votes
Chak De - Bottom 3 17/01/2006
Kaava Kaava
Aye Meri Zohra Jabeen - Bottom 3 7/02/2006
Hum Tum - Bottom 2 14/02/2006
Piya Re
Lagan Lagi - Bottom 3 01/03/2006
Koi Jane Koi Na Jane
Arre Ja Re Natkhat
Ramta Jogi
Bunty aur Babli - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
Mamu - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
Chote Chote Shehro Se - 27/03/2006
Tumse Milke - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
Shava Shava - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
Ek Suraj Nikla Tha - Bottom 2 04/04/2006
Jahan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai - Runner-up 22/04/2006
Mere Jaisa Koi Kahaan - Runner-up 22/04/2006
Janak Janak - Runner-up 22/04/2006
Ab Mujhe Raat Din - Runner-up 22/04/2006
Afreen Afreen - 'Karunya special'
Abh meje raath din - 'Karunya special'
Ab Tumhaare Hawale Watan - 'Karunya special'
Prem Jaal - Runner-up 22/04/2006
Rind posh maal - "Final 22/04/2006"
Badan pe sitaare - "Final 22/04/2006"
Sayyoni - "Final 22/04/2006"
One love - "Final 22/04/2006"
Right now right here - "Final 22/04/2006"

Anuj Sharma
Anuj Sharma
Anuj Sharma is an Indian singer born in the small town of Rehan, Himachal Pradesh, India.Sharma had begun his career while recording a Himachali Folk album in late 1996. Since then he has recorded more than 40 albums of Himachali Folk songs for a number of recording companies. He was among the...

was born on March 6, 1975 in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

and currently lives in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

. He has an MA in vocal music from Amritsar University. His family consists of his parents, brother and sister. He was eliminated in the piano rounds but after Jolly's elimination due to chicken pox he was brought back in the fourth gala round. "Tumhari aawaz Himachali seb ki tarah meethi hai," said Anu Malik when he heard Anuj Sharma sing in the audition round. That's when this contestant from Himachal Pradesh was reassured that his Indian Idol dream could turn reality.

Tujhe Dil Mein Basa Toh Lu - Eliminated 27/12/2005
Bachna Ae Haseeno
Dil Kya Kare
Ek Munda Punjabi
Solah Baras Ki
Sajan Ji Ghar Aaye
Rang Barse - Bottom 2 14/03/2006
Chaiya Chaiya - Bottom 2 14/03/2006
Tu Hawa Hai - Eliminated 04/04/2006
Chala Jaata Hoon - Eliminated 04/04/2006
Hum Logon Ko - 27/03/2006
Kab Tak Jawani - 27/03/2006
Ye Dil Diwana - 27/03/2006
Gori Naal Ishq - Eliminated 04/04/2006
Pretty Woman - Eliminated 04/04/2006

Amey Date was born on March 31, 1979 in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

and currently lives there. His parents are divorced, Amey lives with his mother. He has an older sister as well. He is an undergraduate from Ruperal College, Mumbai. Amey Date has a musical lineage of his own as his grandfather was part of R.D. Burman's orchestra, his sister a trained classical singer. He himself was trained under the tutelage of Suresh Wadkar. He teaches students in his academy and sings on stage with his guru.

Tu Hi Re
Juda Hoke Bhi
Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho - Bottom 2 31/01/2006
Laaga Chunri Mein Daag
Dil Ne Tumko
Rang De Basanti - Bottom 2 21/02/2006
Tarap Tarap Ke
Mahi Ve
Chalo Re - Eliminated 14/03/2006
Satrangi Re - Eliminated 14/03/2006

Antara Mitra
Antara Mitra
Antara Mitra is a vocalist and Bollywood Playback singer who was a contestant in Sony Entertainment Television's reality show Indian Idol 2 in 2006.- Biography :...

was born on July 10, 1987 in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

and currently lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. She is in her first year of English Honours. Her family consists of her parents. Antara epitomises all that Indian Idol stands for. Belonging to a small village on the Indo-Bangladesh border, Antara represents talent that has been unearthed from the interiors of India and that has bloomed in the glitz and glamour of Mumbai.

Rangeela Re - Highest votes
Ruki Ruki
Tu Rutha To
Tere Bina
Zara Zara
Morni Baga Ma
Bairi Piya - Bottom 2 28/02/2006
Mere Haathon - Eliminated 07/03/2006

Meenal Jain
Meenal Jain
Meenal Jain Meenal Jain Meenal Jain (born June 14, 1985 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India was a top 6 finalist in the on-going reality show Indian Idol 2 on Indian Television. She was voted out on February 28, 2006....

was born on June 14, 1985 in Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...

and currently lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. She is a graduate from Mithibai College, Mumbai. Her family consists of her parents and elder sister. Meenal Jain came to Mumbai from the small town of Indore to build a career as a professional singer. From then on, her passion for music has kept her in high spirits and she went on to learn music from various people, including a short stint with Suresh Wadkar.

Aao Na
Ishq Samundar - Bottom 2 24/01/2006
Lambi Judaai - Bottom 3 31/01/2006
Nigahein Milane - Bottom 2 07/02/2006
Kuch Na Kaho
Mera Piya Ghar Aaya - Bottom 3 21/02/2006
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam - Eliminated 28/02/2006

Ravi Tripathi was born on February 4, 1976 in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

and currently lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. He has a graduate in social work from Lucknow University. His family consists of his parents, two sisters, brother and dog. A disciple of the great Suresh Wadkar, Ravi believes in sharing knowledge and is thus teaching young children Indian classical music. He is involved with children for social causes too, teaching them about our country's rich heritage and showing them the right path to make a better nation.

Tumse Milke
Jeeya Dhadak Dhadak - Bottom 2 17/01/2006
Har Kisiko Nahin Milta
Nain Lar Gayi
Pretty Woman
Teri Did Ko - Eliminated 21/02/2006

Panna Gill was born on June 26, 1981 in Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

and currently lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. He has completed schooling. His family consists of his parents, sister and brother. "I can't choose any one type of music. I get influenced by western sounds as much as traditional Indian music. Whenever I sing, I give the song my 100 per cent and fall in love with it,' said Panna, when asked about his favourite type of music. Panna was never in the bottom three until his elimination.

Dil Ne Yeh Kaha
Jhalak Dikhlaja
Jaanu Meri Jaan
Aaja Aaja
Agar Tum Na Hote - Eliminated 14/02/2006

Monali Thakur
Monali Thakur
Monali Thakur is an Indian playback singer who sings mainly in Bollywood movies.-Biography:Thakur comes from a musical family, as her father is Bengali singer and actor Shakti Thakur and her sister Mehuli Thakur Goswami is also a professional playback singer...

was born on November 3, 1985 in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

and currently lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. She is pursuing her BA in English Honours from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. Her family consists of her parents and sister. Bengali beauty Monali has music flowing in her bloodstream. Her father Shakti Thakur is a professional singer and actor in Bengali film industry, her sister Mehuli Thakur-Goswami is a playback singer in Bengal and Monali herself has received classical training from Pandit Jagdish Prasad in Kolkata. Was never in Bottom 3 until her elimination.

Oh Mere Sona Re - Highest Votes
Sandeshe Aate Hai
Yaar Bina Chain Kaha Re
Piya Tohse Naina Lage Re - Eliminated 07/02/2006

Neha Kakkar was born on June 6, 1988 in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...

and currently lives in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

. She is studying in Class XI in New Holy Public School, Delhi. Her family consists of her parents, two brothers and sister.

Seekh Le
Mehboob Mere - Bottom 3 24/01/2006
Zubi Zubi - Eliminated 31/01/2006

Yashashree Bhave was born on August 5, 1981 in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

and currently lives in Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

. She has an MA in Sanskrit from Nagpur University. Her family has her husband and in-laws, parents and elder sister. Someone who does not believe in taking shortcuts in life, Yashashree spends a lot of time listening to classical and semi-classical music and is eagerly awaiting the day when she can listen to her own recordings.

Ayiye Aajayiye
Jiya Jale - Eliminated 24/01/2006

Sagar Sawarkar was born on October 30, 1985 in Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

and currently lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. He is pursuing mass media from Bhavan's College, Mumbai. His family consists of his parents, brother and sister. For Sagar, music is the beginning and end of life. This 20-year old student from Mumbai has been singing since the age of eight and has been undergoing formal musical training for the last ten years.

Kisi Roz Tumse
Chote Chote Shehro Se - Eliminated 17/01/2006

Themes

Top 12: Boys' Night.
Top 11: Girls' Night.
Top 10: Woh Pehli Baar
Indian Idol 2 - Woh Pehli Baar
Woh pehli Baar is the maiden album by Indian Idol 2 contestants.#Woh Pehli Baar - All Contestants.#Kawa Kawa - N. C. Karunya.#Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho - Amey Date.#Yaar Bina Chain Kaha Re - Monali Thakur#Aye Dil-E-Nadan - Yashashree Bhave...

album songs
Top 9: Retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...

songs.
Top 8: Valentine's.
Top 7: Folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
Top 6: Songs from Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

blockbusters
Top 5: Wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
Top 4: Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
Top 3:

Cafe Round (Live concerts by Top 3 in various cities)
Judges' Choice
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
- Top 2: Finale
Gala of Sandeep & Karunya:
- Judges' Choice
- Original song - Mere Saath Saara Jahaan
- Contestants' Choice
Homecoming - separate concerts
Karunya's own gala
Sandeep's own gala

Celebrity judges

Every week a celebrity

Celebrity

A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...

judge is called on the show to comment on the performances and to inspire the singers. Here is a list of special judges who appeared in Indian Idol

Indian Idol

Indian Idol is an adaptation of the Pop Idol format. It started airing in India with the first season in 2004-2005 and followed that with second , third and fourth seasons...

Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra is an Indian actress and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 2000. She is often referred to by the nickname "Piggy Chops", which was given to her by co-stars on the set of the film...
Karan Johar
Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
Kajol
Kajol
Kajol Devgn , better known as Kajol, is an Indian film actress appearing in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of India's most successful and talented female actors....

for the finals.
Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu, Punjabi and English language films. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year...
Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...
Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
Abhijeet Sawant
Abhijeet Sawant
Abhijeet Sawant is an Indian singer. He is the winner of Indian Idol , a show that follows the extremely popular Idol series format, which began with Pop Idol in the UK...
Sohail Khan
Sohail Khan
Sohail Khan is an Indian director, writer, producer and actor working in the Hindi cinema. He is the younger brother of actors Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan...
Dino Morea
Dino Morea
Dino Morea is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films and a former model.-Early life:Dino Morea was born in Bangalore to an Italian father and an Anglo Indian mother. He is the second of three brothers. Nicolo Morea is his older brother, and Santino Morea is his younger brother. His family...
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
Amisha Patel
Amisha Patel
Ameesha Patel is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood movies. Making her acting debut in the blockbuster Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai , Patel won critical praise for her performance in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha , which became one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema, earning her a ...
Diya Mirza
Mallika Sherawat
Mallika Sherawat
Mallika Sherawat is a former Indian model, now working as an actress in mainly Bollywood films. Known for her bold onscreen attitude, Sherawat has been frequently featured in the media as a sex symbol...
Isha Koppikar
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...

The Finale

In the grand finale, Abhijeet Sawant

Abhijeet Sawant

Abhijeet Sawant is an Indian singer. He is the winner of Indian Idol , a show that follows the extremely popular Idol series format, which began with Pop Idol in the UK...

performed Rang De Basanti

Rang De Basanti

Rang De Basanti is a 2006 Indian drama film written and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. It features an ensemble cast comprising Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Madhavan, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth Narayan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and British actress Alice Patten in the lead roles...

. The entire top 12 came back and sang Woh Pehli Baar. The girls sang Saaki Saaki and then their individual songs. Antara Mitra

Antara Mitra

Antara Mitra is a vocalist and Bollywood Playback singer who was a contestant in Sony Entertainment Television's reality show Indian Idol 2 in 2006.- Biography :...

- Jawaani Jaaneman. Meenal Jain

Meenal Jain

Meenal Jain Meenal Jain Meenal Jain (born June 14, 1985 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India was a top 6 finalist in the on-going reality show Indian Idol 2 on Indian Television. She was voted out on February 28, 2006....

- Baras Ja E Badal. Neha Kakkar - Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo. Monali Thakur - Deedar De. Yashashree Bhave - Piya Tu. Sandeep Acharya

Sandeep Acharya

sang Ruk Ja O Dil Deewana, then sang Tumse Milke with Monali Thakur, Neha Kakkar and Yashashree Bhave. N. C. Karunya sang One Love, and then Right Here Right Now with Antara Mitra

Antara Mitra

Antara Mitra is a vocalist and Bollywood Playback singer who was a contestant in Sony Entertainment Television's reality show Indian Idol 2 in 2006.- Biography :...

and Meenal Jain

Meenal Jain

. Sandeep sang Sitaron Ki Mehfil and Gulabi Aankhen, and Karunya sang Rind Posh Maar, Badan Pe Sitare and Sayonee. Sandeep and Karunya sang Kajra Re with Alisha Chinoy. Then Sandeep sang Chori with Isha Koppikar and Karunya sang Khallas with her. Following the performances, the results were announced, Sandeep won the competition.

Age record holders

This is to show the oldest (above 26) and the youngest (below 20) contestants, while the season was on.

Birthyear	Birthday	Finalist
Oldest, over the age of 26
1975	March 6	Anuj Sharma
1976	February 4	Ravi Tripathi
1979	March 31	Amey Date

Birthyear	Birthday	Finalist
Youngest (Under the age of 20)
1988	June 6	Neha Kakkar
1987	July 10	Antara Mitra
1986	March 1	N. C. Karunya

Danger Zone Statistics

Date	Bottom Three
January 17	Sagar Sawarkar	Ravi Tripathi	Anuj Sharma
January 24	Yashashree Bhave	Meenal Jain	Neha Kakkar
January 31	Neha Kakkar (2)	Amey Date	Meenal Jain (2)
February 7	Monali Thakur	Meenal Jain (3)	N. C. Karunya
February 14	Panna Gill	N. C. Karunya (2)	Sandeep Acharya
February 21	Ravi Tripathi	Amey Date (2)	Meenal Jain (4)
February 28	Meenal Jain (5)	Antara Mitra	Anuj Sharma
	Bottom Two
March 7	Antara Mitra (2)	Sandeep Acharya (2)
March 14	Amey Date (3)	Anuj Sharma (2)
	Final Three
April 4	Anuj Sharma (3)
April 22	N. C. Karunya (3)	*Sandeep Acharya* (3)

Elimination chart

**Legend**
Did Not Perform	Top 28	Top 12	Winner

Safe

Safe First

Safe Second

Eliminated

Place	Contestant	Result
Stage:		Semi-Finals				Finals
Week:		12/13	12/20	12/27	1/3	1/17	1/24	1/31	2/7	2/14	2/21	2/28	3/7	3/14	4/4	4/22
1																Winner
2	N. C. Karunya															Elim
3	Anuj Sharma *			Elim					Adv						Elim
4	Amey Date													Elim
5	Antara Mitra												Elim
6	Meenal Jain											Elim
7	Ravi Tripathi										Elim
8	Panna Gill									Elim
9	Monali Thakur								Elim
10	Neha Kakkar							Elim
11	Yashashree Bhave						Elim
12	Sagar Sawarkar					Elim
13	Jolly Das *					Dropped-Out
Semi- Final 4	Jyotsna Navandar				Elim

	Lekha Desai
	Sandipa Dutta
Semi- Final 3	Desh Gaurav			Elim
	Javed Khan
	Nakash Aziz
Semi- Final 2	Dilpreet		Elim
	Aabha Hanjura
	Ritu Pathak
	Renuka Deshpande
Semi- Final 1	Kshitij Wagh	Elim
	Mukesh Tomar
	Shreekumar
	Rohit Raj

* Anuj was eliminated on the 27th of December, but when Jolly Das dropped out from the finals due to chickenpox, Anuj was brought back by the judges and participated from 7 February till his elimination. Jolly Das returned on season 3

Indian Idol (season 3)

The third season of Indian Idol began on 4 May 2007 and concluded on 23 September 2007. It was hosted by Mini Mathur and Hussain Kuwajerwala. Anu Malik, Alisha Chinai, Javed Akhtar and Udit Narayan were the judges...

External links

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