"Aaj main Don ki haisiyat se nahin, Don uncle ki haisiyat se yahan aya hoon," said King Khan and the 20,000-strong crowd gathered in Andheri Sports Complex erupted in a frenzy of applause. Shah Rukh Khan's presence at the grand finale of Zee TV's 'Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'iL Champs' electrified the proceeding as he announced the winner of the talent hunt which spanned four engrossing months.
Before he announced the winner, SRK's advice to the three finalists — Sanchita Bhattacharya, Diwakar Sharma and Sameer Mohammad — was succinct: "All three finalists are winners. I wish I had received the love and affection of lakhs of people like these kids when I was their age. To reach a platform like this at so young an age is what counts. Full credit goes to their parents."
The shy yet supremely talented 15-year-old Sanchita from Howrah won the title of 'L'iL Champs', beating Diwakar of Delhi by a close margin of 3,696 votes. Sanchita, who had trailed all through the day as the voting results poured in, broke down at the final announcement mistakenly thinking she was the first runner-up. It was only after Alka
Yagnik explained to her that in fact she had won, did she stop crying.
Earlier, a spectacular show comprising songs and performances by Alka Yagnik, Abhijit and Bappi Lahiri, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal and the L'il Champs participants, including Pawani Pandey and Abhrokanti (who won special prizes) filled the evening. Shahrukh Khan presented Sanchita a scholarship from Kidzee worth Rs15 lakh while Dr Brijmohan Lall Munjal, chairman of Hero Honda and Pradeep Guha, CEO Zee Network, gave away the prizes to first runner up Diwakar (Rs 10 lakh) and second runner up Sameer (Rs 5 lakh) respectively.
The stage was a specimen in craftsmanship and the special effects in lighting only enhanced the visuals. The event had many audio visuals that brought back the best, funny, heartwarming and controversial moments in the show. "I commend my team's efforts for their ability to bring about this tremendous event. We had a short circuit half an hour before showtime and it is a miracle that the event went off as smooth as it did," said Gajendrra Siingh, the director of the show.
All the performances will remain etched in the minds of the audience as it was over two hours of non-stop entertainment. There was a palpable air of anxiety as host Shaan kept the audiences informed of the voting trends. Till a few hours before the final results, Diwakar was in the lead. But, by the time the show came to a close, Sanchita had emerged victorious.
Says Gajendrra, "I recieved a lot of flak when I started this series saying that I was cashing in on kids and putting pressure on them. But today, I feel vindicated that I have once again brought forward three talented singers into the limelight through this platform."
Zee TV marketing head Tarun Mehra sums it up: "With kids, SRK and Gajendrra present on one stage, could it have been anything but spectacular?"
Record vote!
Over 1.32 crore votes were polled in the final week of 'L'il Champs'
Sanchita — 45, 23, 312
Diwakar — 44, 19, 616
Sameer — 43, 42, 028
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
