Less than a fortnight after being crowned the first "Indian Idol", 23-year-old Abhijeet Sawant is a hunted man scores of parents are chasing after him with proposals to marry their daughters. "My family is having a tough time controlling parents who have just kept pouring in with marriage proposals since the day I became the Indian Idol," Sawant told AFP in an interview.
The boyish-looking Sawant, an amateur singer with a local Bombay orchestra, was chosen as the first "Indian Idol" in a competition modelled on the popular American Idol format. Sawant used to sing Bollywood songs in musical shows during religious festivals and at wedding ceremonies, where he was recognised as talented but not exceptional.
But his moment of glory came at the end of a five-month countrywide search for a singing star organised by Sony Entertainment Television.
In the final round, some 48 million viewers watched Sawant, the son of a Bombay civic officer, beat off competition from 21-year-old Amit Sana, who hails from the eastern industrial city of Bhillai where his father is a steel worker. It is one of three most-watched television shows in India this year. The two finalists were chosen from a group of 129 singers, culled from over 21,000 aspirants in the talent hunt that began in October across 10 Indian cities. Sawant was voted favourite by television audiences who sent in their vote through mobile text messages. Over 30 million text messages were sent in the run-up to the final.
The new star walked away with a 10 million rupee (220,000 dollar) singing contract with Sony, a luxury car and a week's holiday with his family in Switzerland. Life, however, has changed dramatically for Sawant, who says he misses his common, boy-next-door life with his parents and younger sister in the city's Dharavi slums his sudden fame has forced him to go into hiding.
"Though I am staying near my home in the city, I am not disclosing the place where I go to sleep at night," Sawant said.
"People just want to see me and meet me. It has become impossible to live there. I have not even been able to meet my friends after my victory."
"The problem is that if I stand in one place for more than five minutes, people start recognising me and chasing me," he said.
"It has become difficult for me to lead a life of a commoner."
For six months during the contest he was out of contact with his family, in accordance with the rules of the show. When he returned after winning the contest to his one-bedroomed home in a government building in central Dharavi, he was treated like a long-lost prodigal.
"I felt as if I had won some war," Sawant said. "There were thousands of people waiting to see me, including fathers with their (marry-my-daughter) proposals. Everybody gave me books and blank papers to sign. I have lost the count of autographs that I have signed in the last 10 days."
Sawant's home has now become a landmark for anyone entering Dharavi. Not that Sawant is complaining.
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