| CONTESTANTS WHO WILL COMPETE | 1. Shweta Pandit & Naresh Iyer |
| SHWETA PANDIT
A child prodigy, Shweta Pandit was only 5 when she sang the title track of the hit movie 'Anjali' with music maestro Ilayaraja. Ever since, she has not looked back. After the tremendous success of her song 'You're my love' from 'Partner', this Mumbaichi mulgi will participate in Mission Ustaad on 9X. Shweta has lent her voice to many romantic numbers in blockbusters like 'Mohabbatein', 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna', and 'Neal 'N' Nikki', among others. | She has already worked with leading music composers like Jatin-Lalit, Salim-Sulaiman, Shankar Ehsaan, Loy and Rajesh Roshan, and also has music albums like 'Main Zindagi Hoon' and 'Aplam Chaplam' to her credit. All set to rock the floor, this vivacious girl, who is in her early twenties, has teamed up with talented singer Naresh Iyer in the musical mission to touch the nation's heart. According to Shweta, "It's a wonderful concept and a complete honor to be part of Mission Ustaad. It is a platform where we all unite to create awareness about the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals. I always wanted to do something for the people of our country. To be able to do so with my music and voice is the most unique thing about the entire effort." NARESH IYER
Born and brought up in Matunga, Mumbai, Naresh was spotted in the reality talent show "Super Singer"' on Television by the famous composer A R Rahman. The 25-year-old sang his way to the 25 final contestants. Naresh was not exactly a newcomer to music; he had sung in almost 500 stage shows with a theatre group called Rangaat Productions. Trained for two years under singers Chintamani Gore and Sushila Mani, Naresh made his mark in Bollywood through 'Rang De Basanti'. He had the whole nation humming to 'Roobaaru' and 'Pathshala'. Naresh has won the Filmfare RD Burman Award in February 2007 and also the National Award in August 2007 for Best Male Singer for - 'Roobaroo' from 'Rang De Basanti'. Commenting on the show, Naresh stated, "Mission Ustaad is a wonderful platform for doing something nice for your country. And you also become an inspiration to others through the messages you convey through your music." | 2.Vasundhara Das & Mohit Chauhan |
| VASUNDHARA DAS
This bright eyed singer, actress and music video star has been training in Hindustani Classical music since she was six. Vasundhara won many accolades for her song in 'Lagaan', which she sang for the British actress Rachel Shelley. She is also a bit of a linguist and can leave one quite tongue tied with her Spanish. Vasundhara's first celluloid break came with the Tamil film 'Mudhalvan', under the musical baton of A R Rahman. | She voiced sensuous siren Sushmita Sen for 'Shakalaka baby', and the song was a resounding success. Her role opposite veteran actor, Kamal Haasan in 'Hey Ram' drew her to the higher echelons of cinema. She released her first private album, 'Meri Jaan'. The album was an eclectic blend of myriad elements and worked very well for her. On being a participant Vasundhara said, "Mission Ustaad is a unique concept, blending mass musical entertainment with the worthy cause of spreading the word on the UN's MDGs. It's great to be part of a show that will not only entertain, but also enlighten."
MOHIT CHAUHAN
This mountain boy from Himachal Pradesh is a natural singer and a quick learner too. Mohit, had done his masters in Geology, and was actually studying in Delhi with the ambition of becoming an ad copywriter. But music beckoned as a full time career, and as lead singer of the band 'Silk Route', Mohit shot to fame with the popular song 'Dooba Dooba Rehta Hoon'. This was followed by a series of successful music albums. Mohit has also rendered his voice to the popular song 'Khoon Chala' from the super hit movie 'Rang De Basanti'. Besides singing, Mohit also plays some musical instruments like the guitar and flute. He is an adventure freak and also enjoys cooking. He is on a new mission now! Mohit Chauhan has teamed up with Vasundhara Das. About the show, Mohit said, "I am delighted that 9X has given an artist like me such a great platform to be able to express my emotions and my concern for the people of India. Mission Ustaad has given me the opportunity to work with some of the best artists of our time -- I'm working with A R Rahman and Javed Akhtar, and am a part of the UN's MDG campaign too." | 3. Mahalakshmi Iyer & Kailash Kher |
| MAHALAXMI IYER
Mahalaxmi hails from a musical family. Her mother is a classical Carnatic music singer. Mahalaxmi made her singing debut with A R Rahman in Mani Ratnam's 'Dil Se'. She sings in more than five regional languages and has taken the playback world by storm! Be it the melodious voice behind Rani Mukherji's 'Chupke Se' in 'Bunty Aur Babli' or Priyanka Chopra's 'Aaj Ki Raat' in 'Don' or 'Bol Na Halke Halke' from 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' in 2007, the versatile | Mahalaxmi Iyer has also been a part of several successful soundtracks such as 'Mission Kashmir', 'Yaadein' and 'Saathiya'. Having worked with some of the biggest music composers like A R Rahman, Anu Malik, Jatin-Lalit and many more, Mahalaxmi, has also rendered her voice for hit films like 'Dhoom 2', 'Salaam Namaste' and 'Fanaa'. According to her, "Mission Ustaad through 9X has given me an opportunity to address various issues concerning people around us & create awareness on those social issues using music as a medium."
KAILASH KHER
Kailash Kher is one of India's most spectacular singing sensations in the playback world of Bollywood music. Known for his sufiyana style, he shot to fame with the smash hit 'Allah Ke Bande'. He has released two soulful albums with his band 'Kailasaa'. His voice is the kind that touches souls, and evokes undiscovered adrenalin. No wonder they say, 'It's the soul of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the voice of Kailash Kher.' Many of his fans love him because his voice reminds them of the late maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, but Kailash has his own performance style and executes every rendition with inimitable flair. Born in Meerut, he set foot into the world of music at the age of twelve. After he arrived in Mumbai, it didn't take long for Kher to get his first break. His popularity rose by word of mouth, and his performances at Salim Studio won him his first advertising jingle for Nakshatra, followed by several others like Hero Cycles and Chevrolet. It was all the way up from there, and he finally bagged the Bollywood number 'Rabba ishq na hove' from the movie 'Andaaz.' Teamed up with Mahalaxmi Iyer, Kailash Kher is all set to make his debut on television with Mission Ustaad. Commenting on the show, he said, "I consider this opportunity as a blessing from God. In all the years that I have spent as a professional singer, I have never before seen or experienced this kind of a practical approach that goes beyond materialism." | 4. Sunali Rathod & Roop Kumar Rathod |
| SUNALI RATHOD
Her day begins with jogging at Worli Seaface. She maintains a strict daily routine of riyaaz which explains her sweet voice. No matter how senior or popular the singer is, it is vital to do daily riyaaz, she insists. Meet Sunali Rathod. Married to the extremely talented and supportive playback singer Roop Kumar Rathod, Sunali has also been assisting her husband at concerts and musical events. She has mostly confined herself to singing bhajans, ghazal pieces and folk numbers until recently, when she released her | own album 'This Is Me', which showcases her talent for Indipop. She attributes her relatively easy transition from a ghazal singer to a mainstream pop diva to her riyaaz, which she does several times a day without fail. As a ghazal singer, some of her famous albums include 'Aaghaz', 'Bazm-E-Meer', 'Khushboo' and 'Ishara'. Catch Sunali team up with her real-life partner Roop Kumar Rathod on Mission Ustaad. Commenting on the show Sunali said, "To me, Mission Ustaad is dil se dilon tak pahuchne ka surila safar." ROOPKUMAR RATHOD
The son of the classical luminary, the late Pandit Chaturbhuj Rathod, who, in his time, also groomed music composer duo Kalyanji Anandji and singer Manhar, Roop Kumar continued his father's legacy and learnt the table, which he began playing with Pankaj Udhas and Anup Jalota. Roop Kumar played the tabla for Shyam Benegal's 'Discovery of India', and also for the various songs sung by Melody Queen Lata Mangeshkar. Years ago, singer Sunali heard the ghazal resonate from the corridors of a green room. She was surprised to see that it was Roop Kumar Rathod, then just a tabla player, humming it. She urged him to take to singing and since then there has been no looking back for Rathod. From Sufiyana music to ghazals and romantic songs, Roop has all kinds of songs to his credit. 'Maula Mere' (Anwar), 'Sandese Aate Hai' (Border), 'Tere Liye' (Veer Zaara), 'Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaaye' (Sarfarosh), 'Khamosh Raat' (Takshak) to name a few. Commenting on his partnership with his wife, he said, "Aisa Koi Zindagi se wada to nahin tha… Tere bina jeene ka irada to nahin tha!" |
Book Talk
Aami Daakini
