Kushal Paul, a 17-year-old from Kolkata, is the latest to win music reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, which has been on air since 1995. The grand finale of the 19th season of the show was aired on Sunday night.
Paul, who came to be known as the rockstar of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, was part of singer-composer Pritam Chakraborty’s team on the singing talent hunt show. “Never in my wildest dream had I thought of such a big win. The show has given me a chance to meet and perform in front of legendary singers like Asha tai (Asha Bhosle), Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Kumar Sanu,” he said.
“I am also grateful to the audiences for having voted for me and showering me with so much love. But this journey wouldn’t have been the same without the guidance, support and love of my mentor, Pritam da. I want to dedicate this victory to my mentor and my family,” Paul said in a statement after being announced the winner.
Kushal, who was presented the winner’s trophy and drove away in a new Elite i20 - Hyundai, said singing is his life and passion, and winning the show is a dream come true.
Labelling his protege Kushal’s performances no less than that of a rockstar, composer Pritam said, “This is a moment of great pride for me as I am a huge fan of his vocal talent and knew that he was winner-worthy right from the auditions phase. Kushal is not just a gifted singer but an exceptional performer with a magnetic stage presence. He has a long way to go and has a great career ahead of him in singing. Here’s wishing him and all our other contestants the best in their future endeavours.”
Thanking his mentor, Kushal said, “I was in Pritam Da’s team and I have learned a lot from him and other mentors too. I have learnt a lot from the show as well, like how to perform. I have developed a lot of confidence,” he said.
“As a playback I would really like to work for Hrithik Roshan. He is my favourite since childhood. I started learning when I was three and that’s very young age to start with. All the credits goes to my mom, she motivated me. she knew that I could sing,”
Watch Kushal perform on the stage of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
The final battle culminated on a star-studded evening which had the top five finalists putting their best performance one last time. It was graced by Akash Thosar and Rinku Rajguru, the lead pair of Marathi movie Sairat, and singers Kailash Kher, Sukhwinder Singh, Armaan Malik and Benny Dayal.
Adding zing to the stage were performances by mentor Mika Singh, who sang popular numbers Dard-e-dil dard-e-jigar, Mein dardi rab and Baar baar dekho. Other mentors Sajid-Wajid and Pritam also performed.
Kushal has not signed any projects till yet but promises to do something of his own and come up with a music video. As a singer, he admires Sonu Nigam in the film industry.
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