Abhijeet-Prajakta return to Indian Idol

Indian Idol 5 is set to hit your TV screens soon. As always, the custodians of the show promise a bigger and better extravaganza. Well, big or better is a subjective matter.

The choice of Abhijeet Sawant and Prajakta Shukre as hosts does raise few brows. Alright, the former is the first Indian Idol while the latter was among the finalists, but that"s no criterion to be an Indian Idol host. Let"s not forget that the likes of Aman Verma, Hussain Kuwajerwala and Mini Mathur have taken Indian Idol to another level with their inimitable style of hosting. None of these names will figure this season.

Last year, season three contestants Meiyang Chang and Deepali Kishore were picked to host the audition round. When the countdown to the final 16 began, it was only Chang who co-hosted the show with Hussain. It was then buzzed that Deepali wasn"t up to the mark as host and thus she wasn"t picked for the real deal. This year, it"s poor Abhijeet who could suffer the same plight.

According to sources, Sawant has thus far been found wanting as host during the audition round and chances are that he might be replaced

A channel insider says, “Prajakta has impressed as host during the audition rounds. Thus she"s likely to host the whole season. The same cannot be said of Abhijeet Sawant. This time, the channel wants the best names from the singing world as judges and hosts. There"s a thought to have an established play back singer as the host. Thus you never know that Sawant might miss out."

When contacted, Sawant wasn"t too perturbed at this dreaded prospect. He says, “Though, I have a contract to host the full season, there"s no guarantee that I"ll be the permanent host. Contracts in this industry don"t really count for too much. If they want me as host throughout the season, I"m ready to oblige. If not, then I"m pretty cool with it. The channel is free to take any call. We"ve finished the audition rounds. Thus far, I haven"t received any call about the next schedule"

One may not be so confident of the reticent Abhijeet"s anchoring skills, but as the original Indian Idol he deserves his place in Indian Idol 5.