Bollywood Music Industry

From Expanding Your Horizons

Bollywood is a big industry. Basically, it's just an "Indian" Hollywood. Many people have gotten an opppurtunity to sing, compose music, act in movies, and more things just through Bollywood. Read these articles to find more information on such stars

Contents

[edit] Solo Music Directors

A.R. Rahman

Allah Rakha Rahman was born on January 6, 1966 as, is a critically acclaimed award-winning composer, record producer and musician. Rahman served as a keyboard player and an arranger in bands such as "Roots" and "Nemesis Avenue" with friends including Sivamani. He was approached by film director Mani Ratnam to compose the score and soundtrack for Ratnam's Tamil film Roja. The debut led Rahman to receive the Rajat Kamal award for Best Music Director at the National Film Awards, the first time ever by a first-time film composer.

Some of A.R. Rahmans superhit Soundtracks include:

  • Guru (2007)
  • Lagaan (2001)
  • Taal (1999)
  • Rang De Basanti (2006)
  • Swades (2004)
  • Dil Se... (1998)

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Pritam

Pritam Chakraborthy, also known as Pritam is a controversial music composer in India, known for being inspired by various type of music. Born in Kolkata, Pritam is the son of Prabodh Chakraborty, who runs a music school for children. Pritam gained his early training in music from his father, and learned to play the guitar while still in school. Pritam was suppose to be a judge on Saregamapa Lil Champs International along with Sonu Nigam but instead, he was replaced with Suresh Wadkar. Instead, he is a judge on Gajjendra Singh's Star Voice of India Chhote Ustaad along with Kunal Gangawala and Shreya Ghoshal.Having completed his education, Pritam moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in Bollywood. During his stay in Mumbai, he began composing ad jingles, and became friendly with a number of other young men struggling to make it big, like Shantanu Moitra, Rajkumar Hirani, Sanjay Gadhvi and Chandrajeet Ganguly, also known as Jeet, who played the guitar with Anup Jalota.Jeet and Pritam worked together for only one more film which was Mudda-The Issue, before amicably parting.


Some of Pritam's superhit Soundtracks include:

  • Jab We Met (2007)
  • Dhoom 2 (2006)
  • Dhoom (2004)
  • Race (2008)
  • Golmaal Returns(2008)
  • Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)

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[edit] Music Director Duos/Trios

Shankar Ehsaan Loy

Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, and Loy Mendonsa are all music composers from India. Each member of this trio brings his own unique talents and experiences to the group; combining the Carnatic and Classical Indian vocal tradition (Shankar), Wester Rock (Ehsaan) and a deep understanding of fusion including a virtual mastery over the Electronic Synthesizer (Loy). Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have come to create and retain a sweet spot in the mindspace of young audiences by successfully bridging that gap in their own inimitable style. They have won and continue to win critical and commercial acclaim and several awards.

Some of Shankar, Ehsaaan, and Loys superhit Soundtracks include:

  • Kal Ho Na Ho (2003)
  • Bunty Aur Babli (2005)
  • Mission Kashmir (2000)
  • Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
  • Taare Zameen Par (2007)
  • Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love (2007)

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Vishal-Shekhar

Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravijani are one of Bollywoods most popular duos today. The two rose to success after their album, Jhankaar Beats. They won the Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent for Jhankaar Beats. Their music is very popular among the youths. 2005 was a good year for Vishal and Shekhar as they composed the scores for three hit films: Salaam Namaste, Dus, and Bluffmaster. Vishal-Shekhar were recently seen judging a popular music talent hunt show on Zee TV called Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007. Vishal Dadlani is also the vocalist of Mumbai-based electronic band Pentagram. Shekhar is married and has a daughter named Bipasha. He is trained in classical music and has a good sound base. Their music is thus a combination of Indian classical with western rock influence brought by Vishal. They sometimes write the lyrics for the music they compose. They have also had experience in playback singing.

Some of Vishal-Shekhar's superhit Soundtracks include:

  • Om Shanti Om (2007)
  • Cash (2007)
  • Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007)
  • Dus (2005)
  • Taxi No. 9211 (2006)

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Salim-Sulaiman

Salim and Sulaiman are famous Hindi music directors in India. The Salim-Sulaiman duo consist of two brothers, Salim Merchant and Sulaiman Merchant. Salim and Sulaiman have been composing music for over a decade.Before composing music, they were composing the background scores for movies. They are famous for their background scores in their horror flicks.Born in 1970 (Sulaiman) and 1974 (Salim), the brothers grew up in a musical home. Their father Sadruddin Merchant was a music director and composer. Salim also plays keyboards while Sulaiman focuses on percussion. They also sing.Salim-Sulaiman started their career in the theatre whilst still in their teens. The door to Bollywood opened in 1997 when they were working on an advertising jingle.

Some of Salim Sulaiman's Superhit soundtracks include:

  • Aaja Nachle (2007)
  • Krrish (2006)
  • Hum Tum (2004)
  • Kaal (2005)
  • Salaam Namaste (2005)
  • Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004)

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[edit] Male Singers

Udit Narayan

Udit Narayan was born on December 1, 1960. Udit Narayan began his career by singing Maithili, Bhojpuri, Bengali, English, Nepal Bhasa, and Nepali folk songs for Radio Nepal in the early 1970s. He got his first break in 1980, when noted music director (composer) Rajesh Roshan asked him to do a song for the Hindi movie Unees Bees, in which he got opportunity to sing with his inspiration, Mohammed Rafi. But the actual success story of his career began in 1988 with the superhit Bollywood movie Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, fetching him a Filmfare Award, the Bollywood equivalent of the Oscar. Throughout the mid-1990s, he was overshadowed by Kumar Sanu, another superstar Indian singer. In 1996, he got nominated for three songs out of five, and won his third award for a song from the film Raja Hindustani. He reigned the throne of Bollywood playback singing for the next 10 years and won other major awards. Udit Narayan was a judge in Indian Idol-3 along with Anu Malik, Javed Akhtar, and Alisha Chinai, all which are pretty popular characters in Bollywood. He is famous for his original voice.

Some of his superhit songs include:

  • "Pardesi Pardesi" - Raja Hindustani
  • "Are Re Are" - Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)
  • "Chand Chupa" - Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
  • "O Rey Chhori" - Lagaan (2001)
  • "Papa Kehte Hai" - Ghar Se Nikalte Hi (1996)
  • "Mehndi Lage Ke Rakhna" - Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

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Sonu Nigam

Sonu Nigam , born July 30, 1973 in Faridabad, Haryana, India] is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Bollywood movies. Sonu Nigam began his singing career at the age of three, when he joined his father on stage to sing Mohammad Rafi's "Kya Hua Tera Wada". Sonu started hosting "Sa Re Ga Ma," a television singing talent competition, which soon became one of the most popular shows on Indian television. The first episode of "Sa Re Ga Ma" was aired on May 1, 1995. Singing offers poured in thereafter, though slowly at first. He rose to fame with the song, "Sandese Aate Hain", in Border.Sonu came back to the sets of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in a historical moment of sorts, this time as a judge along with Suresh Wadkar on the show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs International.

Some of Sonu Nigams superhit songs include:

  • "Yeh Dil Deewana" -Pardes (1997)
  • "Sandese Aate Hain" -Border (1997)
  • "Suraj Hua Maddham" -Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)
  • "Kal Ho Naa Ho" -Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
  • "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" -Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
  • "Main Agar Kahoon" -Om Shanti Om (2007)

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Shaan

Shantanu Mukherjee was born in Khandwa, India on September 30, 1972. He is popularly known as Shaan. Shaan was born into a Bengali family, and is the son of the music director, Manas Mukherjee. His sister is Sagarika, an Indian singer. He has two sons. Shaan began his career by singing ad jingles as a child. His real music career began in 1995 with his first release, the remix album called Q-funk. In 2000 he won the MTV Asia Music Award for 'best solo alubum' for his album Tanha Dil. Three years later Shaan launched his album Aksar which was again hugely successful. He hosted the television show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee TV for six years; from 2000 to 2006. He also appeared as the guest in the first episode of the new show Antakshari: The Great Challenge which aired on February 9, 2007 on Star One. Shaan is also a very popular choice for 'Pro Shows' which are conducted as a part of the cultural festivals of various colleges.

Some of Shaan's superhit songs include:

  • Chand Sifarish - Fanaa (2006)
  • Jab Se Tere Naina - Sawariya (2008)
  • Dus Bahane - Dus (2005)
  • Nikamma - Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa (2002)
  • Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe - Dil Chahta Hai (2001)

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Abhijeet

Abhijeet Bhattacharya is an Indian singer who has sung in many Bollywood movies. He was born in Kanpur, India to a Bengali couple. Abhijeet left home for Mumbai in 1981 to study Chartered Accountancy. Because he was fascinated by music, he quit his Chartered Accountancy and decided to persue a career in playback singing. In the 1990s, Abhijeet established himself as a notable playback singer. His first notable hits were the songs from the film Baaghi. Some of his songs such as 'Kurta Phaadke' from Anari No. 1 did not do well with the public. Abhijeet has given his voice for actors such as Shahrukh Khan, Sunil Shetty, Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Saif Ali Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan. He was recently seen as a Judge in a reality show called Voice of India. His reactions on the show were very emotional.

Some of Abhijeet's superhit songs include:

  • Ole Ole - Yeh Dillagi
  • Zara Sa Jhoom Loo Main - Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
  • I'm The Best - Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
  • Suno Na - Chalte Chalte
  • Tum Dil Ki Dhadkan - Dhadkan
  • Woh Ladki Jo Saab Se - Baadshah

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Aditya Narayan

Aditya Udit Narayan Jha was born in India on August 6,1987. He was born to Udit Narayan and Deepa Narayan. He was only five years old when he started his musical career. Aditya also starred in some movies. (In one movie, Jab Pyar Kississe Hota Hai, he was portrayed as Salman Khan's son.)In 2001 he took a break from Bollywood on account of his changing voice. During that time he took the time to pursue his education, so he went to London for a year to pursue a diploma in a music school. Later on, in 2007, Aditya returned as a host of the popular musical show SaReGaMaPa. He also did the following SaReGaMaPa show SaReGaMaPa Lil' Champs.This time he has signed up for a new movie, Thirteen.

Some of Aditya's superhit songs include:

  • Papa The Great - Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT) (1988)
  • Kahin Aag Lage - Taal (1999)
  • Hum Saath Saath Hain - Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999)

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Sukhwinder Singh

Sukhwinder Singh is an Indian singer, most famous as a Bollywood playback singer. Sukhwinder Singh is a leading Bollywood singer. He first performed on stage at the age of 7 or 8, singing the Lata number "Sa re ga ma pa, pa, pa, ga ma re, ga re mere sang mere saajna." He also released a Punjabi album called Munda Southhall Da with T. His greatest success is arguably the song Chaiyya Chaiyya for Mani Ratnam's 1998 film Dil Se, composed by A. R. Rahman, for which he won the 'Best Male Playback' award at the 1999 Filmfare Awards in India (the same song was used in Spike Lee's film Inside Man). His popularity increased after he sung Chak De India-an Indian patriotic song in the Hindi film "Chak De India". Recently he also performed in the Indian Idol Grand Finale.

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Suresh Wadkar

Suresh Wadkar was one of the top Bollywood singers in the olden days. Suresh Wadkar was born in Kolhapur, India. He began acquiring basic music education from Pandit Jialal Vasant. He soon impressed his guru with the quality of his voice. At the time, Lata Mangeshkar was so impressed with his voice that she strongly recommended him to many illustrious film personalities.

Some of Suresh Wadkar's superhit songs include:

  • Surmai Shaam (Lekin)
  • Chappa Chappa Charkha (Machis)
  • Lagi Aaj Saawan Ki (Chandni)
  • O Priya Priya (Dil)
  • Aur is Dil mein kya rakha hain (Imandar)
  • Aye Zindagi Gale Lagaa Le (Sadma)
  • Seene Mein Jalan (Gaman)

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Atif Aslam

Atif Aslam is a Pakistani musician. He was born in Wazirabad, Gujranwala, Punjab, pakistan and educated in Lahore and Rawalpindi.One day he was singing with his friends at the college canteen. His friends urged him to participate in the singing competition on Independence Day celebrations at PAF College Lahore and Sargodha in 1998. . He was not able to give time to cricket due to his busy study schedule here. His hobby of singing continued with him entering the singing competition of his college. There were a total of 8 participants. The media team entered Atif's name in the competition at the eleventh hour. He won the competition by singing the hit number Duur of Strings. He kept on winning these competitions every semester until he announced that he will no longer participate in them so that someone else can also win the competition.Atif released his first album Jal Pari on 18th July 2004 by Sound Master and IC records. It was declared to be the best selling album of the year within just 5 months of the release.[citation needed] In the meantime Atif also cleared his Bachelors in Computer Science (hons) from University of Central Punjab. On 14th April 2007 Atif Aslam performed in Royal Albert Hall. On 17th July 2008 Atif Aslam will be the second singer to perform in Colosseum in Rome, Italy after the peace concert held on 12 May 2002.

Some of his hit songs include:

  • Woh Lamhe - Zeher
  • Pehli Nazar Mein - Race
  • Tere Bin - Bas Ek Pal
  • Hum Kis Gali Ja rahe hain
  • Mahi Ve
  • Doorie(album)

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Kunal Ganjawala

Kunal Ganjawala is an Indian Bollywood singer. He got his first breakthrough with the song Bheegey Hont from the film Murder, which won him the 2005 best male singer award. Kunal says: “ I was not even a bathroom singer. I began singing only when I was caught by my seniors as an 8th standard students in St Peters School. I was passing by them whistling a tune when a few of them caught hold of me and commanded, 'Sing a song'. I was shocked. I said I never sang in my life. They said, "Dont lie!". When he can whistle tunes so well, why can't he sing?' They caught hold of my neck saying, they would throttle me if I didn't. With great difficulty I sang Nazar ke samne (Aashiqui) and Ek din bik jayega (Dharam Karam). They spared me then but made me sing in college festivals later. ” He later got married to Gayatri Iyer, another singer.

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[edit] Female Singers

Asha Bhonsle

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Asha Bhonsle was born on September 8,1933. She has amazed audiences all over the world with her beautiful voice for the past 6 decades. Bhonsle is a versatile singer and has sang songs in Pop,classical,folk songs and much more. She even sings songs in over 14 different langages. Asha is also the sister of the great Lata Mangeshkar.Alongside her sister Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle is regarded as an icon of Marathi music (Marathi is her mother tongue). Bhonsle has recorded and sung over 1200 songs. She has also sung in atleast 950 Bollywood movies. On August 23, 2005, You've stolen my heart - Songs From R D Burman's Bollywood was released in US. The album was nominated for Grammy Awards 2006 in the category of "Best Contemporary World Music Album". Even though Bhonsle is over 70,she still captures many peoples hearts with her sweet voice.

Some of Asha Bhosle's superhit songs include:

  • Garibon ki Suno -Dus Lakh (1966)
  • Yeh Mera Dil -Don (1978)
  • Hone Lagi Hain Raat -Naina (1973)
  • Dum Maro Dum -Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1972)
  • Piya Tu Ab To Aaja -Caravan (1971)
  • Parde Mein Rehne Do - Shikar (1968)



Alka Yagnik

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Alka Yagnik was born into a Gujarati family on March 20, 1966. Both of her parents are very good classical singers. Alka herself is a classically trained singer. Alka began singing bhajans for Calcutta Radio at the age of six. At the age of ten, Alka's mother brought her to Mumbai, hoping she could try her luck and put Alka into the film industry as a child singer. She got her big break with the song Ek Do Teen from the film Tezaab. The song turned her into a star overnight and went on to become a pop hit. She also received her first Filmfare Best Female Playback Award for the song. She has sung in many languages other than Hindi, including Punjabi, Benjali, and Marathi. She has also been the judge of various Sa Re Ga Ma Pa shows, and Star Voice of India, both singing competition shows, in which children or adults of various age groups compete with one another to win the award for best vocals.

Some of Alka Yagnik's superhit songs include:

  • Choli Ke Peeche - Khalnayak (1993)
  • Zara Tasveer Se Tu - Pardes (1997)
  • O Re Chhori - Lagaan (2001)
  • Dil Ne Yeh Kaha Dil Se - Dhadkan (2000)
  • Taal Se Taal - Taal (1999)
  • Ghoongat Ki Aad Se - Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke (1994)


Kavita Krishnamurthy

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Kavitha Krishnamurthy is an Indian playback singer, sometimes known as Kavitha Subramaniam. She was born as Sharada Krishnamurthy in Delhi to a Tamil family. She moved to Mumbai to pursue her musical career. Her first Bollywood song was officially credited in 1980 in the film Maang Bharo Sajana. She is married to L. Subramaniam, a famous violinist. She was nominated for eight Filmfare awards, in which she won five. During the '80s and especially the '90s, Kavita Krishnamurthy rocketed to stardom as one of the most versatile and technically gifted female singers in the music-reliant Indian film industry.

Some of Kavita Krishnamurthy's superhit songs include:

  • Hawa Hawai -Mr. India (1987)
  • Pyar Hua Chupke Se -1942: Love Story
  • Mere Piya Ghar Aaya -Yaarana (1995)
  • Aaj Mein Upar -Khamoshi (1996)
  • Dola Re Dola -Devdas (2002)
  • Nimbooda -Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
  • Dheeme Dheeme -Zubeidaa (2001)


Alisha Chinai

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Alisha Chinai is an Indian Bollywood singer. She was born on March 18 1972. Her sctual name was Sujata, but chaned her name to Alisha. She is known as the "Indian Madonna" She made it into the music industry, because of the Indian music director Bappi Lahri who discovered Alisha's talent. They had many disco hits together in many films in the 1980s including Dance Dance, Commando, Guru and Love Love Love. Throughout these years, she had numerous Bollywood hit songs. Alisha is currently a judge on Indian Idol 3.

Some of Alisha's superhit songs include:

  • Oh My Darling -Mujhse Dosti Karoge
  • Kajra Re -Bunty Aur Babli (2005)
  • Aaj Ki Raat -Don (2006)
  • Touch me -Dhoom 2 (2006)
  • Its Rocking -Kya Love Story Hai (2007)


Sunidhi Chauhan

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Sunidhi Chauhan was born in Delhi on August 14, 1983. She has sold her solo album called Aira Gaira Nathu Khaira. She started her singing career at the age of four. Her family soon moved to Mumbai, where a TV host spotted her talent. Her performances were telecast all over India through the National Television channel Doordarshan, through the music show "Meri Aawaz Suno" where she won the "Lata Mangeshkar Trophy" for the best female singer of India along with Pradip Somasundaran in the male category. Her singing career got a big boost when Sandeep Chowta gave her the first major break in "Mast". After "Mast" there was no turning back. Sunidhi Chauhan had been receiving criticism for a mature voice despite being young. She is known today as the most versatile singer after the Indian singing legens, Asha Bhosle. She also sang the English language song "Reach Out" at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Asian Games at Doha, Qatar.She has also sung the songs in the Hindi-dubbed version of Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical. She sang the songs which were sung by Vanessa Anne Hudgens in the English version. In Feb 2007, as part of it's marketing campaign and launch of Windows Vista in India, Microsoft hired Sunidhi Chauhan to sing the "Windows Vista Song" titled Wow is Now. This song features English and Hindi lyrics proclaiming the many 'glamorous' features of the Windows Vista Operating System.

Some of Sunidhi Chauhan's superhit songs include:

  • Aisa Jadoo - Khakee (2004)
  • Crazy Kiya Re - Dhoom 2 (2007)
  • Beedi Jalaile - Omkara (2006)
  • Kaisi Paheli Zindagaani - Parineeta (2005)
  • Bhaage Re Mann - Chameli (2004)
  • Dhoom - Dhoom (2004)


Shreya Ghoshal

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Shreya Ghoshal was is an Indian playback singer who was born on March 12, 1984. She grew up in Rawatbhata, a small town near Kota, Rajasthan. From the age of four Ghoshal accompanied her mother on the harmonium. She has leanrned Hindustani classical music from Maheshchandra Sharma. When she was a child, she won the special episode of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa singing contest on Zee TV. She caught the attention of film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali when she participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa for a second time, this time competing against adults. In 2000, He offered her the opportunity to be the voice of Paro, the lead female character of his film Devdas, who was to be portrayed by Aishwarya Rai. Shreya sang five songs in the film.She has received much applause for the very tough song 'Mere Dholna' from Bhool Bhulaiya. She started her career in Telugu songs with the film Okkadu. Shreya has also done playback singing in several other languages such as, Marathi, Malyalam, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, and of course - Hindi. Shreya Ghoshal is a well'known singer famous for her sweet voice.

Some of Shreya Ghoshal's superhit songs include:

  • "Yeh Ishq Hai" - Jab We Met (2007)
  • "Bairi Piya" - Devdas (2002)
  • "Dhoom Tana" - Om Shanti Om (2007)
  • "Chalo Tumko Lekar Chale - Jism (2003)
  • "Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai" - Jism (2003)
  • "Piyu Bole" - Pareenita (2005)

[edit] SaReGaMaPa Lil' Champs Contestants

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, formerly known as Sa Re Ga Ma before Shaan's debut, was a musical contest shown on Zee TV. (Shaan was the previous host of the show.) The first episode aired on May 1, 1995 and was hosted by Sonu Nigam; the show was extremely popular at that time.

Lil' Champs is a Sa Re Ga Ma Pa hosted competition for younger kids. For many years this show has been popular and it still is Read theese articles to find out about some of the Little Champs.

Lil' Champs

Anamika Choudhary

Anamika Choudhary is the winner of the 2007-2008 Little Champs. She is born on July 7. She is in 7th grade and goes to school at Edith Douglas School. According to her, entry into little champs was easy. She practices music for about 3 hours everyday. Anamika learns all kind of music. Her favorite actor includes Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. Her favorite singers include Suresh Wadkar and Lata Mangeshkar.

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Vibhor Paraashar

Vibhor Parashar is a 2007-2008 little champs contestant. Born on Januaty 3, 1996, Vibhor started singing at the age of three. Vibhor attends Darbarilal Model School in Delhi. According to Vibhor, entry into little champs was pretty easy as for he practices 2 hours every day. Vibhor's favorite singers include Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan. He loves John Abraham and Aishwaria Rai. During his free time, Vibhor enjoys playing cricket.

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Rohanpreet Singh

Rohanpreet Singh is a 2007-2008 little champs 1st runner up. Born on December1, Rohanpreet started singing at the age of three and a half. He gave hi first stage appearance at the age of four in his colony. When According to Rohanpreet his inspiration is his father, because his father�s uncle is a well-known classical singer and composer. He even writes his own lyrics. For Rohanpreet entru into little champs was pretty easy because he practices 2-3 hours per day. Rohanpreet learns Hindustani Classical. Rohanpreet's favorite singers include Sonu Nigam, Himesh Reshemiya and Sunidhi Chauhan. Rohanpreet loves to play Video Games & Cricket.

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Smita Nandi

Smita Nandi is an 2007-2008 Little Champs contestant. Born on April 7, Smita began singing at the age of two. She attends Sishu Vihar High School in Tripura. According to Smita her grandmothers harmonium was her first inspiration. At the age of four Smita sang in a competition an was the first runner up. Smita is known for her beautiful sweet voice and of course is one of the top 10 little champs , because of her daily practice of three hours. Smita learns Classical Rabindra Sangeet and Hindustani Classical. Smita's favorite singers inclue Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Asha Bhonsle, and Shreya Ghoshal. Her favorite actors include Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra.

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Loria Doshi

Loria Doshi is a little champs 2007-2008 contestant. She is not only a beautiful singer, but a smart student. She passed 12th grade, and has a world record of passing 10th at the age of 8. Born on November 17, Loria has astounded people with her singing, of course because she practices 2 hours daily. Lorias favorite singers include Sonu Nigam,and Jasbindar Narula. Her favorite actors include Salman Khan, Hritik Roshan, and Sharukh Khan.

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Tanmay Chaturvedi

Tanmay is the second-runner up for the little champs 2007-2008. He was born on November 11, in Lucknow,India. Right now he is a sixth grader in Kendriya Vidyalaya. Tanmay started singing when he was only one and a half years old! At the age of five he gave his first stage performance. In studies he claims he is an average student. He practices at least five hours everyday. His favorite female singer is Lata Mangeshkar and his favorite male singers are Md. Rafi & Sonu Nigam. His favorite actor is Hrithik Roshan, while his favorite actress his Aishwarya Rai. Tanmay's favorite movies are Heyy Baby & Koi Mil Gaya. He likes to play Cricket and he loves to eat Kajju Katli. He says,"I just love to sing all the time."

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[edit] SaReGaMaPa Adult Contestants

Junaid Sheikh

Junaid, a 2007 contestant, was born in 1983 in Karachi, Pakistan. He is 24 years old. For education he goes to Sachal Sarmast Commerce College. Some of his hobbies include singing, composing new melodies, working out and playing the guitar.Junaid's favorite actor is Salman Khan. During his first SaReGaMaPa performance he got a yellow card on Episode 5(18th May). Then,on the next episode he sang 'Khali Dil Wich' and got green card. Later on he sang Gustak Dil Tere Liye, but still got a yellow card. Sadly, Junaid got out on August 24. Though, he got out he still continues to sing and sometimes sings with other singers in Bollywood films. junaid_sheikh.gif

Aneek Dhar

Aneek showed tremendous interest in music since his very childhood. He took lessons in music from his parents since he was barely 4 years old. Little Aneek started taking lessons in Tagore songs from a recognized exponent of Rabindra Sangeet, Promit Sen. Aneek later joined Sur Tarango a Bengali band headed by Santanu Ganguly. Aneek got schooled at Nava Nalanda Higher Secondary School in South Kolkata and scored highly in his board exams and started college with Honors in English at Saint Xavier�s College, but discontinued because his musical aspirations were soared higher with Aneek being recognized by Zee Bangla as the Golden Voice followed shortly by his entry in the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2007 contest. aneek_dhar.gif

Mauli Dave

Mauli Dave, a 2007 contestent, was born in Houston,Texas. She is 19 years old. Mauli's native language is Gujarati. During her 2007 performance her hit song was "Maya Maya." Everybody went crazy for that song. Mauli only stayed on until the Top Seven. Mauli is doing her 2nd year of college at University of Houstonwith �Graphic Communications� as major. She has done �Rangapravesham� in Kuchipudi classical dancing in the year 1999 at Ahmedabad. Mauli learned Bharatnatyam from her mother Dipti Dave. She was finalist in �Boogie Woogie, Chalo America�. dance competition organized by Sony TV in the year 2003. Mauli, with her brother Omkar had her first Bhajan album (CD) titled �Prabhu Tare Pagathiye� released in September 2006. The bhajans are in Gujarati and have been comoposed by Omkar. The music arrangement is also by Omkar. Mauli, Omkar and Hemant have provided vocal. The recording was done in June, 2006 at studio Mrudang, Ahmedabad. 30sld3.jpg

[edit] Indion Idol Contestants

Prashant Tamang

Prashant is an Indian Idol contestant, who became the winner of Indian Idol Season 3. Prashant is a Kolkata-based singer. He is the only contestant to have never been in the bottom 3 or 4 of the galas. He made it to the top 2 contestants of Indian Idol #3 along with Amit Paul, before eventually winning the title. He is the first contestant from an Indian-Nepalese origin, and the first one from the Indian Police Force to enter the final rounds. He was a favorite to win the competition, due to the strong support from the Nepalese people and the Indian Police Force. Tamang first joined the Kolkata Police Force, before becoming a national police officer. In the Kolkata Police Forces, he sang for the police orchestra.

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Emon Chatterjee

Emon Chatterjee was born in West Bengal, India on July 2, 1989.

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