Former Indian Idol judge Salim Merchant says he has been asked to praise contestants: "I never listened to them"

Music director Salim Merchant chimed in on the ongoing Indian Idol controversy. Lately Indian Idol 12 has been criticized for forcing its guests to praise the contestants of the show no matter how their performance. The matter blew after Kishore Kumar’s son Amit Kumar who visited the show said that he was asked to compliment the contestants.

Salim who has been a judge on popular shows like The Voice and also Indian Idol said that he has experienced something similar but he never adhered to these guidelines.

He tells RJ Sidharth Kanan, “Yes, mere saath bhi hua hai. But honestly, maine kabhi nahi suna unki baat. Shayad aaj main koi judge ki seat pe nahi baitha hoon because of that (Yes, it has happened to me too. But honestly, I never listened to them. Maybe that is why I am not judging a show right now),” he told RJ Siddharth Kannan.

Salim was a judge on Indian Idol seasons 5 and 6 along with Sunidhi Chauhan and Anu Malik.

Talking further on the subject the music director added, “Main isliye nahi karta hoon because mujhe kaha gaya hai taareef karna. Main taareef isliye karta hoon ki kisi ki khaamiyaan nikaalne ke bajaay main khoobi dekhta hoon. Agar main uski khoobi ki taareef karoon toh shayad, main aisa maanta hoon ki, woh singer behtar kar sakta hai (I don’t praise them because I have been told to but because I believe in looking at the positives instead of the negatives. According to me, if I praise someone’s strengths, it might help them become a better singer).”

After Amit Kumar’s revelation as a guest judge on Indian Idol 12 many folks from the music fraternity have criticized the show including Sunidhi Chauhan and Sonu Nigam who have been judges on the show in the past.