Indian favourite to bag ‘Amercican Idol’ title

After Shilpa Shetty hogged the limelight with her ‘Big Brother’ win in the UK, its now the turn of another Indian, this time in the US to dominate the headlines.

American Indian, Sanjaya Malakar, 17, has made it to the top 12 of American Idol’s latest edition. However, his selection within the 12 has caused quite a stir.

Though criticised by the judges for his performance, the shy yet popular Sanjaya managed to bag enough votes to trounce a favourite – Jason Sundance. One of the judges, the acerbic Simon Cowell, has even threatened to quit the show if Sanjaya wins.

Talent hunters closely watch the show which brings together young singers from diverse fields and backgrounds. Sanjaya has said his father is a classical Indian musician and that “they were raised around music”. “I never imagined that I would get into the top 12! I’m really excited,” said Malakar, who is half East Indian and Italian.

In the UK, the sixth and current series of ‘American Idol’ is being shown Sundays at 18:00 on ITV2.