Here's why it was a lowkey opening for Indian Idol 11

Anu Malik on the sets of Indian Idol season 11

Season 11 of Indian Idol rolled over the weekend. The channel did not organise a launch event nor did they issue media releases about the date of telecast. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to decipher why.

The judges of the new season include Anu Malik, Neha Kakkar and Vishal Dadlani. Last year, Malik was called out in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Later, the veteran composer left the show mid-way. The channel preferred to keep it low-key to avoid answering any unwanted questions.

Speaking about Malik's Indian Idol rehabilitation, a source revealed to mid-day, "The makers and channel decided to reinstate Anu Malik as one of the judges as he, with his shair-o-shayari, is synonymous with Indian Idol. He has judged every season since the reality show began airing in 2004."

Anu Malik was accused by singers Sona Mohapatra and Shweta Pandit of sexual harassment. Shweta Pandit remembered the time when she was 15 and had met Malik at a studio in Andheri, where he had demanded a kiss in return for a song. When mid-day reached out to Malik, he called the allegations "false and per se defamatory". He said, "I want to give a detailed reply after ascertaining the correctness [of the account]."

Speaking about the makers' decision of rehiring Anu Malik, singer Aditya Narayan shared in a chat with IANS, "Anuji is one of the most loved and respected musicians. In fact, I owe a lot to him because I sang my first ever Bollywood song for him for Akele Hum Akele Tum movie. I have immense respect for him but honestly, you really don't know anyone completely. There is no point for me on commenting on Anuji and his life. As far as I know, he is a wonderful human being. He has always been nice to me. These allegations come from the opposite gender."

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