Acting is their first choice

Talent hunt shows like Antakhshari, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Meri Awaaz Suno attracted thousands of singing hopefuls in the 90s. The craze continues till date with shows like Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul and its revised version Fame X hitting the marquee. While these shows have given Bollywood excellent playback singers like Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan, in recent years many such contestants and winners have turned towards acting. Chhavi Mittal, Mansi Parekh, Twinkle Bajpai, Qazi Touqeer, Amit Tandon… are all participants of recent talent hunt shows, but singing has now taken a back seat!

"I've done my masters in singing and took part in singing shows. But as I started getting offers for modeling and acting, singing became the second option. I feel it's a good thing if one experiments with his/her talent," says Chhavi Mittal, a Sa Re Ga Ma Pa participant who later starred in Tumhari Disha, Twinkle Beauty Parlour and an underproduction film Kaise Kahe.

The experience gained in the talent hunt shows — in terms of dressing, facing the camera, dialogue delivery… — comes in very handy when taking on acting assignments. Agrees Twinkle Bajpai, a Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contestant, who is now seen in a main lead role in Betiyann on Zee. "I've dreamt of being an actor, but I am a singer too. My make-over done by the reality show boosted my confidence. Now I am also anchoring Zee Antakshari for Dubai," she says.

Qazi Tauqeer, the winner of Fame Gurukul said throughout the competition he was a performer with the ultimate aim of facing the camera. Though he has not achieved anything concrete in terms of acting assignments (especially after being thrown out of Bobby Khan's film opposite Sneha Ullal), he hasn't given up hope.
Mansi Parekh who acted in Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi and India Calling, is a part of a band called Akruti and is also a former Channel V pop star contestant. "I started my acting with Kitni Mast… on MTV. As my character was that of a singer, I thought of giving it a try. Now I am known as an actor but I am singing too. I think the line between singing and acting is invisible," says Mansi.

But after embarking on an acting career, perhaps it isn't easy to go back to being just a singer. India Calling has gone off-air some time back and Mansi has not done anything substantial as a singer too. Amit Tandon, the Indian Idol contestant, who acted in Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi has taken a break from acting, to cut his own album. Initially, he was excited about his roles, but soon realised that singing is his first love, and with acting assignments not being great, he opted to take a break from acting and get back to singing.

Anchoring shows is another option most upcoming singers like to take. Debojit, the winner of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, and his co-contestant Himani are anchoring Antakshari on Zee Bangla and Zee Antakshari respectively. "When I got this offer I thought if Shaan can do it, I too should give it a try. But singing will be my first choice always," explains Debojit. Looks like the word 'all-rounder' not only applies to cricketers but also to these entertainers! (as they would like to be known).

However, in India singer-actors have rarely been successful except for Kishore Kumar who is a legend. Sonu Nigam tried and failed to click as an actor. Himesh Resshamiya is only hoping he succeeds with his big budget film. But despite this uncertainty, the trend has gained momentum. Looks like it's not easy to resist the temptation of being in front of the camera!