Winners take all (Rups-Qazi interview)

I was meant to be a rockstar
Says Qazi as he wins the Fame Jodi title along with Ruprekha at Fame Gurukul


Subhash K Jha


The final verdict on the Fame Gurukul contestants is out. At a live jamboree on Thursday afternoon, Rooprekha and Qazi emerged as the Fame Jodi, leaving the third finalist Rex D'Souza out of the reckoning.

Both the winners seemed exceptionally elated at the end of the exhausting do. Judge Javed Akhtar says, "I always had great faith in Rooprekha while Qazi has grown as a performer by leaps and bounds. So I'm not really surprised."

Shankar Mahadevan adds, "Qazi went from zero to hero in the course of the weeks when Fame Gurukul was on. What a journey!"

Indian Idol winner Abhijeet Sawant, who was at the venue of the finals said that he was reminded of his own struggle to the top of the Idol ladder. He described Rooprekha as the "dark horse" of the contest.

Rooprekha is overjoyed with the result and says, "I had the confidence that I could win. I've changed my looks to go with my confidence. With my new hairstyle, I think I look like Preity Zinta."

Qazi in his characteristic cocky self adds, "I was meant to be a rock star. And now the judgement proves it. I'm sorry to watch my friend Rex go. But one of us had to leave."

It was a foregone conclusion that one of the male contestants would be voted out considering that the Fame Jodi would have to sing romantic duets also.

At the start of the Fame Gurukul series, Qazi and Rooprekha had sung R D. Burman's evergreen Kishore Kumar-Asha Bhosle number 'Ek main aur ek tu' from the film Khel Khel Mein.

At the end of the make-or-break khel, the two winners sang the same song.