INSTANT STARS

Abhijeet Sawant
The Indian Idol winner was propelled to instant star status and was suddenly seen all over TV, performing live and promoting his debut album, Aapka Abhijeet Sawant. The fanfare may have faded, but Abhijeet continues to work the circuit, performing live concerts around the country.
Debojit Saha
With apparently all of North-East voting for him, Debojit of Assam beat Vineet of Lucknow in the closely fought finale of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005. He’s currently singing for some films under production and launched a missable debut alum under the aegis of Zee TV.
Divakar
This 13-year-old Delhi boy may not have won the final of Li’l Champs, but he sure won the hearts of the audience and the judges. The favourite amongst the three finalists, his head turned upto the sky, “he sang to the Gods”, as the judges put it. Whether, his spot of luck continues, remains to be seen.
Qazi and Ruprekha
This pair of the frizzy haired boy from Srinagar and the sweet-voiced girl from Kolkata won Sony’s Fame Gurukul 2005. Their debut album was titled Jodi No 1, but this jodi, that sent an SMS flutter across the country, soon faded into oblivion.

Ravinder Ravi, Singer
It took more than a month to get Ravinder Ravi, in between cutting his new album and a concert tour of Punjab, to take out time for this interview. The housepainter from Punjab who reached the top five of the first Indian Idol is perhaps the only contestant to have sustained buzz around himself.
The online encyclopedia, Wikipedia lists him as one of the most successful Indian Idols, with the maximum musical performances in India and abroad. Ravi seems surprised at this, “I had no idea.”
Dressed in a sweater and corduroy pants, he poses like a natural for the photo shoot. “Before Indian Idol , I had never got my photograph taken. I was stiff and uncomfortable in front of the camera. Now, I’m surprised to see my photos, and how stylish I look,” he smiles, before breaking into a Punjabi folk song in his startlingly high-pitched voice. A voice that makes you stop in your tracks and listen. “The voice of God,” as the judges on Indian Idol called it before they began trashing him.
In 2005, riding the crest of the instant fame that came after the show, Ravi, underwent a drastic transformation. The man who rode a bicycle, paintbrush in hand, for Rs 60 as his dailywages, was seen in leather jackets and denims, gifted a car to his wife andstarted travelling around the country. He is now mobbed by crowds in towns like Jalandhar, Mandi and Indore. His house in Ludhiana is almost a tourist destination.
“I have seen extreme poverty. There were days when I would sleep without eating. I had to borrow Rs 300 from a friend to reach the auditions of Indian Idol in Delhi. How can I ever forget my origins?” he says. “I never hide my roots. My thinking is the same. Just that I have graduated from a cycle to a plane.”
Ravi is almost the precursor of reality TV drama, tugging at the heartstrings of the nation with his gritty perseverance, despite his “dubious” talent. Just before his elimination, the judges, Anu Malik, Sonu Nigam and Farah Khan made it amply clear that they didn’t think he deserved to stay on. Yet, week after week, the people voted for him.
At the time, Ravi went on record to express his discontent with the channel, the show, and the judges. “I did feel then that they were being unfair and at some level I was being victimised because of my background and looks. But in retrospect, I can see that I had my shortcomings. The other contestants were trained, I was self-taught,” he concedes. “I’ve learnt a lot since those early days. If I were to participate now, I’m sure I would win.”
Yet, luck played a huge part in his success. He says, “There are crores of Ravinder Ravis with more talent languishing in every corner of this country and most do not get a chance.” He adds: “I’m all for more and more talent hunt shows like Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. They give people like me a fair chance.”
Where are they now?
Shahzad Kalim
The winner of Lakme Fashion House 2005, he leapfrogged from Patna to Milan by winning an internship with Donatella Versace. However, after the much-touted internship and a debut at the Fashion Week, he’s as much as gone with the wind.