Qazi Touqueer of Fame Gurukul speaks

As Fame Gurukul heads for its penultimate round, five contestants will be in the final reckoning. One of them, Qazi Touqueer, is from Kashmir. Believed to be lower in the talent quotient when compared to his competitors, this street-smart singer is very clear that it's not just talent that takes you places — there's something called packaging and attitude. He has loads of it.

You are a hot favorite among the viewers…
Mujhe itna janta ka pyaar mil raha hain... I'm happy and thank God for that. I didn't think I would get this kind of response. It's unbelievable. People even ask me for autographs.

How has your family reacted?
My mother is a government teacher and my father is a lawyer. I always wanted to sing and dance, be a complete performer. My folks at home thought I wouldn't do too much. When I saw the Fame Gurukul advertisements and was interested in taking part, there was pressure at home. What would I achieve? I was questioned. I believed I would create history. The family said it was risky for me to go to Kolkata for the auditions. I went to Delhi instead and from a few 1000 entries I was selected. I promised them that till I reached 14, I wouldn't come home. Now see where I am.

How do you feel about having come so far? Do you think you will win?
Anything can happen. If people love me as they do now, then I will. I am doing it for those people who feel refreshed after a long day's work, when they hear my songs. All the contestants are trained singers, all are good. I'm not a trained singer, for me it's a challenge to prove that I am a good singer.

What have you learnt in all these months at Fame Gurukul?
I have learnt a lot. My voice was my weak spot. When I sang Yeh tara, woh tara the judges, particularly Shankar Mahadevan, were happy. Now I have improved. Talent ho to aage badhegein. This is my life's only passion. I will never look back even if I lose. But I want to win.

What were your special moments so far, what are you looking forward to?
When Mandira Bedi told me I had broken the record with 40,000 votes, Shankar Mahadevan complimented me… it was so special. Sometimes even the judges thought I am lajawab. I'm lucky to have come back eight times, thanks to the public. But my happiest moment was when Shahid Kapoor visited us. Shahid too asked me for an autograph.

You are the first Kashmiri to get into a show like this.
Talent can come from anywhere, even from small villages in India, but there has to be a passion. My message for the young people is: I was failing. I wanted to win. I didn't accept failure