| Indian Idol contestants - Winners all the way! |
| They€™ve had their 15 seconds of fame and much more. Hailing from small towns, all the aspirants came with dreams of becoming a star. These dreams started taking shape when they got an opportunity to be part of the country€™s biggest singing platform€"Indian Idol. From boys-next-door, they became the country€™s heartthrob. Here€™s tracing their €˜dream€™ journey. Catch the action on Indian Idol | Missed an episode? Watch the video | Check out exclusive videos | Behind-the-scenes pictures | Read recaps | Have a question for a contestant? Post them here The first step The nation€™s first Indian Idol, Abhijeet Sawant, shot to fame when the entire country became enchanted with his voice. There were thousands of messages for this singing sensation as he went on to achieve his first title€"that of an Indian Idol. "Apart from all the love and affection, I had a responsibility towards my fans. I had to prove myself to them," says the young singer. "The break that I got with Indian Idol was phenomenal and the future definitely looks bright for me." Indian Idol 2 Sandeep Acharya agrees with Abhijeet. He says, "I would be nothing if it wasn€™t for Indian Idol. All my achievements and fame is because I was lucky enough to participate in it. It changed my personality, gave me new friends and international achievements. After winning the title, I am getting the opportunity to sing good songs and work with popular music directors. The love and support of my fans are a big boost for a singer like me." The hardships The winners admit that the road to Indian Idol was a difficult one. There were hardships and heartbreaks, but they emerged winners and went on to prove their worth as singers. Amit Sana, who faced tough competition with Abhijeet Sawant in Indian Idol 1, says, "The participants of Indian Idol have to slog it out and work very hard. I had never done so much work in such a tight schedule, but the show prepared us for our future and totally changed our approach to work. That was a great lesson all the participants learnt." Prajakta Shukre admits that reaching the finals of Indian Idol is like a dream come true. "I come from Jabalpur, a small town in MP, and reaching the finals of Indian Idol 2 was absolutely unbelievable. If we had not get a platform like that, we would not have reached such heights of popularity. But we have to continue working hard to maintain the standard raised by Indian Idol." It€™s a war out there Apart from the will to succeed and emerge as a winner, the participants tend to get involved in petty fights, back stabbing and bad mouthing. But past Indian Idol contestants say that it€™s all part of healthy competition. €œEven we had our share of misunderstandings and back biting during Indian Idol 1. We used to crib about why others got to choose a better song and other such petty issues. But thankfully we were a closely-knit group and had great bonding,€ says Abhijeet. The big break All the winners of Indian Idol over the last two seasons have moved on in life with a common goal€"they have to prove themselves as singers and live up to the responsibility bestowed on them. Rahul Vaidya, Indian Idol 2 finalist, who is abroad at the moment preparing for an international show, says, €œI am working on my second album and am also participating in national and international shows.€ And this isn€™t all. There are some winners who have already got their break in television. Meenal Jain, finalist of Indian Idol says, "I have signed a deal with the music company Crescendo and am working on my new album after the success of my first album Mehram. I also perform in stage shows in India and abroad. I am also hosting a popular musical show, Antakshari, on television." Antara Mitra from Kolkata, who has become a popular face in India, Africa and Europe, says that she has also done some playback singing in Bollywood films with music composers like Pritam and Anand Raj Anand. "Surprisingly, Indian Idols are very popular abroad, especially in Pakistan." Apart from international shows and albums, Indian Idol 2 participant, N C Karunya reveals that his number Aane chaar aane in Lage Raho Munnabhai, which was a background score in the film, was approved in the first take. He says, "I completed the song in 15 minutes. I am glad that I was complimented for my performance. I am also getting other playback offers, which should materialise soon." Says Abhijeet, "I have done several stage shows in almost every country where there are Indians and am also working on my next album Junoon. For almost a year after winning the title, I was busy travelling around the world, performing in international events and shows in over 18 cities in the US, Dubai, Africa, Maldives and the UK. I have been doing some playback singing in Bollywood films like Ashiq Banaya Aap Ne, Naughty Boy and in forthcoming films like Mumbai Dot Com, Fire and some others." Words of wisdom Here are some pearls of wisdom from our former winners. Says Meenal Jain, participant of Indian Idol 2, "Indian Idol is such a huge platform that there€™s no room for mistakes. They can€™t afford to make any mistake by trying to experiment now. Song selection is confusing, but they have to choose good songs that suit their voice and personality. Concentrating on their singing and trying to give their best performance is half the work done. Try to first improve your singing and you€™re your performance." Amit Sana chips in: "Luck is important, but working hard to improve your singing is vital." Rahul Vaidya also offers some tips. He says, "I would like to advice the Indian Idol 3 finalists to simply focus on their songs and forget about the votes. We all win some and lose some, so never take defeat to your heart." Prajakta sums it up by saying, "The contestants now are comparatively very confident because they have already seen two successful seasons of Indian Idol and so are far more prepared than all the previous contestants of Indian Idol. This is a good sign as it will open doors for several talented singers from across India to present their skills to the viewers and supply loads of good talent to the industry as well." The journey for all the former Indian Idols has been exciting and all of them have emerged winners. The road is paved for Indian Idol 3. All the best to all the finalists. May the best performer win the coveted title. Catch the action on Indian Idol | Missed an episode? Watch the video | Check out exclusive videos | Behind-the-scenes pictures | Read recaps | Have a question for a contestant? Post them here Striking the right chord Abhijeet Sawant: Published his biography. Released album Aap ka AbhijeetJunoon. Has given stage performances all over the world. and is working on the next one, Amit Sana: Is busy with stage shows and is working on his second album post his hit debut album Chal diye. Rahul Vaidya: Is abroad preparing for his shows. After his solo album Tera intezaar, he is working on his next album. Aditi Paul: Has recorded two songs with music director Monty (of Black fame). Did playback singing in Bollywood films like April Fool and in Bengali movies. Prajakta Shurke: Is recording her album Dhakka with the music director Leslie Lewis. Has performed in stage shows across the globe, from Johannesburg to Belgium. Sandeep Acharya: Mere Saath Saara Jahan, his first album, is already a success. Along with several stage shows, he is working on his second album. Also recording three film songs with popular music composer Kashyap. Meenal Jain: Has signed a contract with Crescendo music and is ready to release her second album after the success of her debut album Mehram. She has also performed in stage shows in India and abroad. Post Indian Idol 1, she got an offer to host the TV show Antakshri: The great challenge. Antara Mitra: She has given stage performances all over India, Africa and Europe. She has also done playback singing in Bollywood films with the established music composers like Pritam & Anand Raj Anand. N C Karunya: Has sung for Lage Raho Munnabhai. Has performed in several cities across the globe including New York, LA, Detroit, Dallas and Washington. https://sifyimg.speedera.net/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?i d=14470238 |
