Stars are not born overnight. Leaving behind family, stepping out of home towns, one embarks on an uncertain journey to Maya Nagri Mumbai with a dream to make a mark in the entertainment or cine industry. Some of them try their luck in acting, some in singing, and others in dancing, but there is no guaranteed success.
Over the years, popular singing reality show Indian Idol, which just pulled its curtains down on the 12th season, has produced many winners, but in the hunt for real talent it has also rejected many.
Interestingly, despite being in the rejected lot, some have made it big in the industry and went on to become household names, so much so that they are now more popular than the Indian Idol winners.
As they say, success doesn't teach you, failure does.
Comedian Kapil Sharma, singers Vishal Mishra, Neha Kakkar, Asees Kaur and many are among those who either failed to impress the judges or did not win the trophy, but are successful celebs now. Actor and comedy king Kapil Sharma himself had revealed in an episode of SONY TV ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ that he was rejected in the Indian Idol in the audition round.
Vishal Mishra – the voice behind Woh Chaand Kahan Se Laaogi, Kabir Singh’s Kaise Hua and many other songs is next in the list. Vishal was first rejected in the season-4 of Indian Idol, and he was again seen in 6th season, where he got a ticket to Mumbai but unfortunately could not proceed further.
Singer Asees Kaur too had auditioned for Indian Idol in the sixth season but she failed to make much impact. Antara Mitra who has sung songs like Bheegi Si Bhaagi Si and Gerua, was in Top 10 during Idol’s second season but was eliminated. Nonetheless, she still was able to make a mark in the industry because of her beautiful voice.
Next in list is Raghu Ram who failed the impress the judges in first season. Later on, he went to become a judge in Roadies. And how can we forget star singer Neha Kakkar? Neha gives full credit to the Indian Idol platform for grooming her as a singer and shaping her career.
Though she didn’t win the competition, she made a name for herself in Bollywood, a really big one. While it is said there is no substitute for hard work, at times one door is closed, another opens if luck is on your side.