Indian Idol Season 10 – Winner, Runner-Up, Host, Contestants & Prize Money (2018)

Season 10 carried two storylines simultaneously — and both were generated by the judging panel. The planned panel of Anu Malik, Vishal Dadlani, and Neha Kakkar was disrupted mid-season by MeToo allegations against Anu Malik, resulting in his replacement by Javed Ali. The resulting panel shift changed the season’s dynamic in its second half. The other storyline was entirely positive: Neha Kakkar, who had competed in Indian Idol Season 2 without winning, returned as a judge. The circle of franchise history that completed — contestant-to-judge — gave Season 10 a narrative thread that no previous season had had.

The winner was a 19-year-old from Mewat, Haryana with a voice that the judges described as raw, unpolished, and genuinely distinctive. He made his playback debut while the season was still running.

Indian Idol Season 10 – Quick Overview

Host of Indian Idol Season 10 – Manish Paul

Manish Paul — television actor, host, and comedian — took over as the sole host for Season 10. Known for his quick wit and natural ease with audiences of all sizes, his solo hosting was a departure from the previous seasons’ co-hosting format and gave Season 10 a more focused central MC presence.

Judges of Indian Idol Season 10

Anu Malik began the season as a judge before allegations made during the MeToo movement in October 2018 led to public pressure for his removal. Sony subsequently replaced him with Javed Ali mid-season.

Vishal Dadlani returned for his third season on the franchise across various editions, his technical understanding of music and energetic judging style well-established by this point.

Neha Kakkar — Indian Idol Season 2 contestant who had not won the competition, she returned as a judge in Season 10. The narrative of an Indian Idol alumna who built a bigger commercial career than the Season 2 winner, and then came back to evaluate the next generation of contestants, was not lost on the show’s producers or its audience. By 2018, Kakkar was one of India’s most commercially successful pop and playback singers.

Javed Ali — playback singer known for songs like Ekla Cholo Re, Kun Faya Kun, and Teri Meri from Bodyguard, who replaced Anu Malik for the season’s second half.

Winner of Indian Idol Season 10 – Salman Ali

Salman Ali was 19 years old, from Mewat, Haryana, and had previously been a runner-up on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs in 2011. His voice was characterised by the judges as raw and unpolished in the most positive sense — it had a texture and an individual quality that classical training can sometimes smooth away. The audience responded to that quality strongly through 50 episodes of public voting.

He won ₹25 lakh and a Datsun Go car. His playback debut, Sab Badhiya Hai from the 2018 film Sui Dhaga: Made in India starring Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma, was released during or immediately following the competition — a rapid industry uptake that reflected genuine musical confidence in his voice. He subsequently sang the theme song for the historical television series Chandragupta Maurya and has gone on to mentor contestants on Superstar Singer.

Runner-Up Profiles

Ankush Bhardwaj — first runner-up of Season 10, whose journey through the competition drew consistent attention for his vocal range and emotional delivery.

Neelanjana Ray (West Bengal) — second runner-up, a young singer with a classical training foundation whose mature singing style belied her age throughout the competition.

Indian Idol Season 10 – Top Contestants

Key Facts and Legacy of Season 10

The mid-season replacement of Anu Malik — a figure so embedded in the Indian Idol franchise that he had appeared in some capacity across every season from 1 through 10 — was the most significant structural disruption in the show’s history. His absence from the second half changed the panel’s dynamic measurably. Neha Kakkar’s presence as a judge, meanwhile, brought a very different energy: someone who knew what the contestants were experiencing because she had experienced it herself, nearly 13 years earlier, in the same competition.

5 FAQs About Indian Idol Season 10

Q1. Who won Indian Idol Season 10?

Salman Ali from Mewat, Haryana, won Season 10 on December 23, 2018. He received ₹25 lakh and a Datsun Go car. He made his playback debut with Sab Badhiya Hai from Sui Dhaga: Made in India (2018) and went on to sing for Chandragupta Maurya.

Q2. Why was Anu Malik replaced as judge in Indian Idol Season 10?

MeToo allegations were made against Anu Malik in October 2018. Following public pressure, Sony Entertainment Television replaced him with playback singer Javed Ali for the remainder of the season. It was the first time in the franchise’s history that a sitting judge was replaced mid-season for reasons unrelated to production scheduling.

Q3. Who were the judges of Indian Idol Season 10?

Anu Malik, Vishal Dadlani, and Neha Kakkar started the season. Anu Malik was replaced mid-season by Javed Ali. Neha Kakkar’s presence was notable — she had been a contestant in Season 2 (2005-06) and returned as a judge in Season 10.

Q4. Who hosted Indian Idol Season 10?

Manish Paul hosted solo — the first time since the franchise’s early seasons that a single host anchored the show without a co-host.

Q5. When did Indian Idol Season 10 air?

July 7 to December 23, 2018, on Sony Entertainment Television. The season ran for 50 episodes.