Indian Idol 12: Controversial statements to accusations of unfair evictions and more; here's why the show faced the wrath of netizens

Indian Idol 12 is about to witness its 12-hour long grand finale on August 15. The longest-running season is about to come to an end with a longest-running finale. But that’s not all, this season has been one that has stayed in the headlines for all the wrong reasons more than the right ones. No matter how much it must have been watched, it also irked fans because of a few controversial moments. As it finally looks forward to its #GreatestFinaleEver, here’s looking at some of the controversial moments of the show:

Well, this was one of the biggest and most controversial moments of not only the season but the whole show. Amit Kumar’s revelation about 'fake praising' the contestants because he was told to do so by the makers, created a stir in the industry. The singer, who appeared for his father Kishore Kumar’s tribute episode had stated in an interview with ETimes TV that he didn’t enjoy the episode and praised the contestants only for the sake of the show.

Amit Kumar’s big statement took everyone by shock and following it came a few other statements by some other popular faces of singing reality shows and the music industry. Abhijeet Sawant, Sonu Nigam, Salim Merchant, Sunidhi Chauhan and many others spoke up on the fake praise in reality shows.

Host Aditya Narayan’s inappropriate remark targeting the residents of Alibaug in one of the episodes had put him in a tough spot. The singer was accused of passing on a demeaning comment for the people of the suburb and was also made to issue a public apology for the same. It grabbed the attention of not only the Indian Idol fans but also of the Raj Thackeray led MNS party, which demanded an apology not only from Aditya but the channel too. Following the rage, Aditya had to issue a video apology on social media too.

Ever Since the beginning of the show, contestants Pawandeep Rajan and Arunita Kanjilal’s love angel has been at the forefront of the controversial debates about the show. Both the contestants have been portrayed tied in a romantic bond which is not at all true. Moreover, Aditya Narayan had himself once confirmed that their chemistry is ‘designed’ solely for the audience. This has often made fans of both Pawandeep and Arunita raise a question against the show for faking a love story to get TRPs.

The elimination of contestants including Ashish Kulkarni, Anjali Gaikwad and Sawai Bhatt has often irked fans. These contestants who always proved themselves to be ace performers on the show had a shocking exit, which resulted in viewers accusing the judges of being biased.

Anu Malik, who had earlier been fired from the position of a judge on the show because of the #MeToo accusations against him recently returned as a guest judge. His return on Indian Idol this season after almost 3 seasons didn’t spare him and the show from grabbing the attention of netizens. Fans of the show took to their social media and called out both the singer, and the reality show for his comeback.

Majority of the contestants this season have been seen in other singing contests earlier. Indian Idol 12 also faced a backlash from fans when they learnt about the background of the contestants. The show was accused of roping in the contestants who have been winners of other reality shows previously.

Contestant Shanmukha Priya was brutally trolled on social media after her performance in the Kishore Kumar episode. The singer was slammed by internet users who demanded her eviction and called her out for ruining classic songs.

The show has been accused of promoting sob stories instead of focussing on the talent of contestants in this season. Not once, but netizens have many times slammed the judges for ‘shedding crocodile tears’, ‘overacting’ and losing the original plot of the show to gain TRPs.