On Indian Idol 15, Lalit Pandit reveals, “I would love to find a new female voice today” and also shares anecdotes about working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his split with Jatin Ji.

MUMBAI: This weekend, the much-loved singing reality show Indian Idol Season 15 on Sony Entertainment Television will ring in the New Year with a special celebration, featuring legendary figures from the music industry—Lalit Pandit, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Sadhna Sargam, along with Sumati Bhattacharya, wife of Abhijeet Bhattacharya, and the evergreen actress Preeti Jhangiani, famously known for her role in 'Mohabbatein'. The episode will honor some of the greatest love songs of all time as the contestants will create a romantic atmosphere and pay tribute to iconic love songs, along with Judges Shreya Ghoshal and Vishal Dadlani.

A highlight of this episode will be Lalit ji’s announcement that he wishes to find a new female voice for an upcoming song from the contestants of Indian Idol. He added, “It’s a very beautiful song; I would love to find a new voice today,” which intensified the competition for the female contestants.

Another special moment occurred when Ranjini aka Idol ke Multiverse ki Rani was praised for her performance of “Aankhein Khuli.” Lalit ji called her “Chota Packet, Bada Dhamaka.” Ranjini revealed that she loves all the songs from Mohabbatein and on the occasion of the film’s 25th anniversary, Ranjini asks actor Preeti Jhangiani if it is true that she taught Shah Rukh Khan the dance steps for the songs. Preeti replied, “Actually, this is true because we were so well-rehearsed. Shah Rukh sir didn’t really need much rehearsal, but he was shown the steps on set, so he would ask us what was next. We would then tell him what the next steps were.”

The night will also be extra special for Anirudh, fondly known as Idol ka ‘Sur-swaram’, who revealed he is a fan of Sadhana Sargam, saying, “Ma'am, this is a fanboy moment! Since I’m from the South, I’ve heard many of your songs with Harry Sir, and ‘Udaya Udaya’ is my favorite.” Anirudh then sang two lines from the song, expressing his love for it.

After listening to ⁠Idol ki Ziddi Girl  - Myscmee’s performance of Mere Haath Mein, Lalit ji complimented her, saying, “bohot accha gaaya aapne”. He also commented on Fanaa, which was the last album before his split with Jatin ji, saying, “This is Jatin-Lalit’s last album. It was during this film that our split happened. Jatin and I were very upset. I had one thought in my heart since this brand was breaking—that we should create music that people would remember us by. I made the songs ‘Chand Sifarish’ and ‘Dekho Naa,’ and Jatin had become a bit withdrawn. But I spent months mixing them. The pain we were going through is reflected in this song.”

Idol ki Classical Queen – Mayuri’s incredible rendition of Deewani Mastani  also led to Lalit ji sharing his experience of working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, saying, “I also got the opportunity to work with Sanjay ji. It was a lot of fun. But at that time, he wasn’t composing; he was directing, so our interaction was a bit different. He was new; it was his first film and when Sanjay ji came, we felt he was a new director, but there was something special about him. He would trigger ideas in us.”

Don’t miss this episode of Indian Idol 15, airing this weekend at 8:30 PM only on Sony Entertainment Television.