Singer Pawandeep Rajan from Uttarakhand was declared the winner of ‘Indian Idol 12’, a musical talent hunt airing on Sony TV, on August 15 after he beat six other finalists.
Rajan emerged the winner after a 12-hour singing marathon in a contest judged by established talents Himesh Reshammiya, Anu Malik and Sonu Kakkar.
Actors Siddharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani, on call to promote their new war film ‘Shershaah’, were the special guests for the grand finale.
In an interview with Indian Express, Rajan spoke highly about the exposure that he got from participating in ‘Indian Idol 12’.
“‘Indian Idol’ is a platform that gives a lot of respect to artists, and the kind of exposure it gets you is unmatched. Through the course of the show, we got to sing so many songs, and had the best judges and guests to guide us. The reason I got back in the arena was not my will to win but my quest to learn. And I am thankful that after spending so many months on this show, we are now ready to playback,” said Rajan.
Besides the winner’s trophy, Rajan was also awarded a car and cheque of Rs2.5 million (Dh123,759). Singers Arunita Kanjilal and Sayali Kamble were declared as the first and second runner-up, respectively.
‘Indian Idol 12’ premiered in November last year and it culminated with a 12-hour long finale on Indian Independence Day.
