Exclusive: Indian Idol 12 ex-contestant Anjali Gaikwad reacts to fans’ overwhelming response post-elimination

As Indian Idol 12 is inching closer to the season finale, the competition among the participants is scaling up week after week. The latest episode witnessed the elimination of the sixteen-year-old singer, Anjali Gaikwad, from the singing reality show. Her fan following is such that a section of the audience has been flooding social media with messages, demanding to bring her back on the show. In an exclusive interaction with Yo! Vizag, Anjali Gaikwad recounted her memorable journey at Indian Idol 12 and reacted to the overwhelming response of her fans, post her exit.

Sharing her experience Ms Gaikwad said that she has learned a lot during the past six months in the show. “Recently, season 12 completed 50 episodes, which I was a part of, and that was such an extraordinary experience for me. I had the opportunity to learn so much from the judges, my fellow contestants,” she added.

On being asked about her favourite moments from the sets of Indian Idol 12, she told Yo!, “There are many moments that I wouldn’t forget in my lifetime. But my most-favourite moment was when Himesh Reshammiya Sir gave me the nickname – ‘Lady Tansen’. The name was soon picked up by everyone who liked me, my performances, and my fans.” Anjali Gaikwad continued to say, “Another of the memorable moments was when Rapper Badshah came on Indian Idol 12. Not only did I get the chance to perform with him on stage, but also present a rap for him, which I’d never done before. So Badshah came on the show, I performed a rap for him, which was also penned by me. He was so impressed by my performance that he offered to work on a collaboration with me.”

Expressing her gratitude to the team of Indian Idol, the young singer mentioned that she’s extremely thankful for giving her an incredible platform to showcase her talent. Speaking of the response post her elimination, Anjali Gaikwad said that many fans and well-wishers are flooding her social media with messages. “It was quite overwhelming. Calls have started to pour in when they got to know about my elimination from the show. It was really wonderful to experience the love and support from my family and my well-wishers,” she further added.

Yo! Vizag asked about what she would be missing the most after leaving the show. She replied by saying, “I will miss the Indian Idol 12 stage a lot. I will miss all the other contestants too. All of us used to stay together. We used to have jamming sessions together. We played together, even made Instagram reels together. Living there and performing on the stage has been a blessing.”

Shedding light as to what her future plans are, the ex-Indian Idol contestant shared that the show has already kickstarted my career. “Even though I am leaving the show, I’m doing it after learning a lot. I will use everything that I have learned on the show in the future. I aspire to advance my future in classical music. Although I am leaving the show, my career has just begun, and I would love to focus on it,” she concluded.