Abhijeet vs Harshit: The final fight

Who do you think can cut short your chances of winning the contest?

Abhijeet: I believe Harshit may prove dangerous to my chances of winning the title. He has a fresh voice and a completely new way of singing the songs that he chooses. He had lost an earlier

contest and hence, he would strive all the more to win this one.

Harshit: Abhijeet is certainly the stronger contender. He has already won one show and he has popularity on his side. His recent album also did well and he has been getting rave reviews for his performance on the show.

Where does Rahul Vaidya stand in the competition?

Abhijeet: Rahul is also a very good singer but he has often been asked to sing in his own voice and not try and imitate the singer who has sung a particular song.

Harshit: Rahul gets a little carried away with performing and hence, tends to compromise a little with his singing. While his performances have a lot of energy, his singing lacks the depth.
But, he has also been generating a lot of controversies on the show.

Abhijeet: I guess Rahul still has a childish streak in him. His alleged liking for Mandira Bedi and other issues have been blown out of proportion. We should let him be.

Harshit: I am not sure, but I think it is Rahul who has been spreading rumours about me using political pressure to win the contest. I don’t know why he would say such a thing about me. I think he should concentrate more on his singing.

Both of you had participated in contests earlier, why did you take up this one?

Abhijeet: I would say that I was naïve when I had won Indian Idol. After some time people attached the tag of being an okay singer with my name. I wasn’t comfortable with that and took up this show to prove my credentials.

Harshit: I failed to win the earlier competition by a narrow margin. Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar offered a higher level of competition. I took up the challenge to compete with 20 singers and prove my mettle.

After Jo Jeeta... comes to an end, what are the plans for the future?

Abhijeet: I am going on a holiday after the finale. The post-production work of my film Lottery is on. I am also producing a Marathi film. Singing is a passion for me, and all the other jobs are for creative satisfaction. A singer can not survive by doing only playback singing. Being multi-faceted always helps.

Harshit: After the show, I will get back to pursuing playback singing. I am singing for Raaz 2 and Mere Khwaabon Mein Jo Aaye . I am also planning to cut an album soon. I have been getting offers for acting in TV shows but I have turned them down to concentrate on singing.

Abhijeet Sawant set for image change with film debut

New Delhi, June 29 : Indian Idol winner Abhijeet Sawant says he is set to change his 'romantic' image with his acting debut in "Lottery".

"The movie is not at all a romantic flick. It is in total contradiction with what audiences must be expecting from me. It is basically a thriller," Abhijeet told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
In the film, Sawant plays an accountant working in a fashion magazine, who gets trapped in a murder case.

The singer-turned-actor, whose voice was widely appreciated in the film "Aashiq Banaya Aapne" and the album "Junoon", has been cast opposite television actor Rucha Gujarati and newcomer Manisha Kelkar in the film.

However, "Lottery" was not his first film offer. Abhijeet said he was flooded with movie offers immediately after he won the first season of talent hunt show "Indian Idol", but he turned them down.

"I thought I lacked the confidence to act at that time," he said.

So what made him sign "Lottery"?

"I met director Hemant Prabhu a year ago and he told me about the role. I was convinced since I felt the role was very close to my real self and it suited my nature.

"Initially, I thought it would be difficult to act, but gradually I grew as an actor and the outcome was surprising for all," he said.

Apart from "Lottery", he has a couple of other acting offers, but he hasn't finalised anything as yet.

Though he has taken his first steps into Bollywood, singing remains a passion for him.

He is currently a participant on STAR Plus' reality music show "Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar", where the winners and runners-up of previously held talent hunts across channels compete with one another.

But what made him want to compete with his colleagues again?

"I came to 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar' because it appeared as a challenge to me to compete with all of them once again ... And I also thought it would be a treat for the viewers," he quipped.

Abhijeet's upcoming projects as a singer include "Care of Footpath" and "Mumbai.com".