Sanjaya is already the American Idol!

Indian American Sanjaya Malakar was rated among the top six from the eight contestants left in the fray for "American Idol" Wednesday. But going by his swelling fan following and rising popularity, the 17-year-old Washington boy is already the American Idol.

Yahoo asked whether Malakar has saved the show on Fox channel. Fox, too, may like to crown him come May so that America keeps watching. ABC News aired a programme asking New Yorkers to identify presidential candidates and Idol contestants.

Of course, younger people predominantly identified the Idols. From the contestants, the first photo flashed by interviewers and most easily identified was of Sanjaya.

Originally conceived as the US version of Britain's "Pop Idol", the show has contestants belting out stirring renditions of classic pop songs each week while enduring the barbs of the judges, before America votes to decide who will be the next American Idol.

Coming from a family of singers, Sanjaya auditioned for the show in Seattle, Washington, with his 19-year-old sister Shyamali, who was cut from the show after the initial round.

Whether it is because of his colourful hairdos, the blogger who fasted to see him out of the show, the girl who cried on camera while he was singing or Howard Stern who encouraged listeners of his Sirius Satellite Radio to vote for him, Sanjaya has hit the gossip columns big time.

But judges have been critical of his performances throughout the show. Simon Cowell admitted though that Sanjaya, who performed for four years with the Hawaii Children's Theatre group, is "popular" with the voters.

The redoubtable New York Times too ran a story, a serious one though, calling Sanjaya a weak candidate to be promoted. It acknowledged that he was perhaps the most talked about Idol contestant ever and that the sixth season of the show is drawing 32 million viewers each week, nearly 50 percent more than the next highest-rated show and better than the show has drawn in any previous season.