Mumbai, Feb. 23: At the headquarters of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation stands a small notice. It is an appeal for vote.
The appeal is not for any politician, but for Abhijeet Sawant ? who could win a contract worth Rs 1 crore, a permanent place in the entertainment industry and in people?s hearts in a week?s time by being crowned Indian Idol.
The notice asks everyone to vote for Sawant because he is a Mumbaikar and his father works for the corporation.
But it is also valid proof of how the countless television viewers, divided between two camps ? of Sawant, and of Amit Sana, the boy from Bhilai ? are transfixed by the contest that is being labelled the biggest thing to hit Indian television since Kaun Banega Crorepati. (If the saas-bahus can be overlooked for a while.)
Every Thursday and Friday over the past weeks, Anjana Deshpande, a harried television executive, has rushed home early and has crouched before her telly at 9.30 am.
On Thursdays, to root for Rahul Vaidya (the 17-year-old went out after the last episode, drowning thousands in depression), or to cheer Prajakta ? judge Anu Malik?s favourite who, too, was eliminated ? or to pray for Sana?s sore throat.
On Fridays, to hear the result. One person was eliminated every day once the 10 finalists were chosen.
SMS-ing ceases ? only to pick up with a bang when the show ends, as the audience decides whom to vote for. Sony Entertainment Television, on which the show is aired, has already garnered a record 2.34 crore SMS votes.
?Not counting the coming week,? adds a Sony spokesperson, when the voting period will be open for nine days instead of one, as it is the final decision. Otherwise, the result of the voting is announced the next day.
The show has worked wonders for Sony. It began with a thumping 5.8 rating on October 28 with its first episode. But it has gone up steadily, making it Sony?s biggest show other than cricket or movies. According to TAM figures, it hovered between 6 and 7 in January and shot up to 7.66 on Friday when Vaidya went out to the collective sigh.
?Rahul mera beta hai,? says Anjana.
It is the magic of marketing, content and real popular participation working together, says the television channel. ?There have been many talent searches. But this show was really based on the involvement of the people. Apart from the votes, there are countless online and SMS messages that we receive everyday,? she adds.
?I connect with them. Unlike Tulsi or Jassi, they are real people in a real world,? says Sonya Banerjee, who runs her own outfit on corporate social responsibility.
?It was unique marketing and strategising,? says an analyst from a media research agency. ?The participants really sang well. The timing was right. The panel of celebrity judges was right. As was the sprinkling of celebrities who appeared as guests, from Priyanka Chopra and Karan Johar.?
The programme has changed the lives of the participants. One contestant has been signed on for a Balaji show ? to act. Rahul ? even if he is out ? has sealed a Rs 20-lakh contract with Sony.
Ravinder Ravi, the rustic singer from Ludhiana who won everyone?s hearts, is back in Ludhiana now, but he is said to be flooded with offers for stage shows.
