Vishal Dadlani schools contestant for imitating Atif Aslam on Indian Idol 15

In a new promo of the upcoming season of the singing reality TV show Indian Idol, singer and composer Vishal Dadlani can be seen scolding a contestant who tries to imitate singer Atif Aslam’s singing style. Dadlani sternly advised the contestant, warning that if he continued to imitate the Pakistani singer, he might end up ‘performing in hotels and restaurants’.
The 21-year-old singer, Lakshya Mehta, from Amritsar, failed to impress the judges. As soon as he began performing Atif Aslam’s Pehli Nazar Mein, judges halted his performance and reprimanded him for imitating the singer. Vishal stated, “Don’t sing like this. This is Indian Idol. Idols are born here. Forget about his nuances; he’s a major artist. The day you copy him, you’ll only end up singing in hotels and restaurants.”
Watch the promo here:
Lakshya also went on to imitate Arijit Singh when he sang Tum Kya Mile. A visibly irked Vishal Dadlani reacted, “First you copied Arijit’s inflections, then Atif’s. Don’t sing like that. You’re singing well, but it’s not your original. You perform in public, right? Often, in shows, when you imitate other artistes, you win praise from the audience because they want to listen to the songs as they know them. But if you don’t have an identity of your own, you will never become a star. You cannot become an Indian Idol singing in someone else’s style. This is my problem.”
Vishal concluded, “I really like your voice, but I don’t like the imitating situation. To be an artiste, you have to find your own space.”
Indian Idol 15 will begin to air on SonyTV from October 26. Rapper and singer Badshah joins Shreya Ghoshal and Vishal Dadlani as a judge on the show. The season will be hosted by Aditya Narayan.