The 12th season of Indian Idol is set to have a quite ‘grand’ grand finale with the makers announcing a 12-hour format. This will be the first time in the history of Indian television that a show will run for 12 hours. The finale of Indian Idol 12, titled The Greatest Grand Finale Ever, will air between noon and midnight on the country’s Independence Day on August 15.
The announcement for the mega grand finale was made on Sony TV’s social media page with a video of the six finalists. However, there was no hint in the video about who the eventual winner might be. Pawandeep Rajan, Nihal Tauro, Arunita Kanjilal, Shanmukhapriya, Sayli Kamble, and Mohd Danish have been selected as the finalists for this year’s show.
Neeraj Sharma, the show’s director, told IE Online that his team was looking forward to being a part of history with the show. He said the ‘big plans’ were always there for the finale, adding that they would have hosted the show in a big stadium if the Covid-19 pandemic did not play spoilsport. He also expressed confidence that had the stadium show gone ahead, it would have been sold out. Sharma said the season had received much love and acclaim and since it was the last episode, they wanted to do something big, leading to the idea of a 12-hour episode.
The winner will be announced live at midnight, but the team will pre-record sections of the episode. Sharma said it was a mammoth task, and so some performances would be shot beforehand. He also hinted at several surprises and guest appearances that promise to make the finale a spectacle.
Sources told IE Online that since the show will air on Independence Day, personnel from the Indian Armed Forces have been invited to take part. Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani, who are starring in the upcoming Kargil War film Shershaah, are also expected to take part.
Sharma said the season was special, and he feels that it could run a few months more despite being the show’s longest-ever season. He added that the ratings proved the show’s popularity and since it would be the last time that the audience will see their favourite singers performing, the production team hoped they would like the finale.