Latest news with #IndianIdol1
Pink Villa
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Here's what late Balasaheb Thackeray did when Abhijeet Sawant was labelled 'homeless'
Abhijeet Sawant, the winner of Indian Idol 1, recently had a lengthy chat with Pinkvilla's Hindi Rush. While speaking to us, the talented singer recalled meeting the legendary politician Balasaheb Thackeray. He mentioned how once he was tagged as 'homeless' on one of the newspaper's front pages, after which Balasaheb called him to meet and even offered him a home to stay. Abhijeet recalled denying the offer. While exclusively speaking to Hindi Rush, Abhijeet Sawant recalled living in BMC quarters with his family when a journalist visited them. He added, "Udar ek hai ki bahar notice lagi hui hai ki 'Ye building asurakshit hai. Aap apne bharose par reh rahe ho.' Aaj bhi jaaoge, aaj bhi voh building ke niche voh poster milegi. Building abhi bhi sahi hai. Voh aadmi voh padh ke upar aa gaya (There is a notice outside which reads, 'This building is not safe. You live on your risk.' Even if you go today, the poster will still be there. The building is still there. That man read that and came up)." Abhijeet revealed how the journalist then inquired about the poster that he saw on the building after the interview. The singer mentioned that he informed the journalist that the notice is there, but they are planning to shift and had a brief discussion with him. Abhijeet said that he told the journalist that he is hunting for houses. Watch Abhijeet Sawant's exclusive interview with Hindi Rush here- The Bigg Boss Marathi 5 fame shared that the journalist then printed on his newspaper's front page that he was homeless. He shared, "Photo liya. Mumbai ka bada newspaper hai voh, aisa vaisa nahi. Front page chappa, 'Abhijeet Sawant Homeless.' (laughs)." (He took a photo. It was Mumbai's big newspaper. On the front page he printed, 'Abhijeet Sawant Homeless.')." Abhijeet disclosed that he won Indian Idol and had money to purchase a house, but as it was printed on the front page, Balasaheb Thackeray called him. He recalled, "Balasaheb Thackeray unhone muje ghar bhi offer kiya uske baad (Balasaheb Thackeray offered me a house after that)." Further, he recalled that Balasaheb had called him and asked him to come to his house. Abhijeet shared that when he reached Balasaheb's house, the politician told Sawant, "Aisa sab mai padha. Mera ek banda hai. Voh builder hai. Mai usko phone karega. Voh teko chaavi lake de dega. Tujha ghar. Rakh le tu. (I read this. There is one man. He is a builder. I will call him. He will give you the key. It will be your house. Keep it)." Abhijeet recalled denying the offer as he had already booked a house and had made an advance payment for it. He shared that he told Balasaheb Thackeray, "Sir, nahi. Maine liya hai. Advance booking kiya hai. Mai purane ghar isiliye reh rha hu kyuki muje pasand hai udar rehna (Sir, no. I have purchased a house. I did the advance booking. I live in the old house because I like living there)." Workwise, Abhijeet Sawant was last seen in Celebrity MasterChef as a contestant.
News18
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
‘Not Relevant': Abhijeet Sawant Slams Rahul Vaidya's Comments On Virat Kohli
Last Updated: Rahul Vaidya had earlier claimed in his posts that Virat Kohli had blocked him on Instagram. Actor-singer Rahul Vaidya has been at the centre of a controversy for a while now, owing to his multiple comments on Virat Kohli. From calling fans of the Indian cricketer 'jokers" to claiming that Kohli blocked him on Instagram, Vaidya grabbed a lot of attention with his social media activities. Now that the singer says he's been unblocked by Kohli, Indian Idol 1 winner Abhijeet Sawant couldn't resist taking a playful jab at him. Sawant, who previously competed with Rahul Vaidya on the singing reality show Indian Idol, opened up about his thoughts on a Hindi Rush podcast. Noting that he isn't friends with the singer, Sawant shared, 'He is somebody, like I said, unnoticed. But he will never go unnoticed. So somebody who has the habit of not going unnoticed will do something to get attention." In response to whether Rahul Vaidya intentionally picked up Virat Kohli's massive fan base, he added, 'It can be possible, and I don't find it relevant. I don't find any meaning to it. Fine, if you see someone doing wrong, no matter how big there, you should speak up." During the conversation, Sawant claimed that a few artists actually do PR things to stay in the news. Without taking names, he quipped, 'I don't want to do any such Rahulgiri." Rahul Vaidya-Virat Kohli Controversy The online feud stemmed from Virat Kohli accidentally liking a picture of Avneet Kaur, following which the cricketer issued a statement and cited Instagram's technical issues. In the aftermath, Rahul Vaidya dropped a fierce post, claiming, 'So guys, Virat Kohli has blocked me, as you all know. I think that, too, is an Instagram glitch. Virat Kohli didn't block me. Instagram's algorithm told Virat Kohli, 'I'll block Rahul Vaidya on your behalf. Right?" Days after his controversial comments, Rahul Vaidya posted on Saturday that Virat Kohli has unblocked him on Instagram. Expressing gratitude, Vaidya called Kohli 'one of the greatest batsmen." He also addressed the criticism he and his family faced amid the backlash. Despite the ongoing exchanges between Vaidya and Kohli's fans, no official statement has yet come from the cricketer or his team. First Published:
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
‘Rahul Vaidya will do anything get noticed': Abhijeet Sawant skewers singer for comments against Virat Kohli
Indian Idol 1 winner Abhijeet Sawant has reacted to Rahul Vaidya's remarks against cricketer Virat Kohli following the row over liking a post about actor Avneet Kaur. In an interview with Hindi Rush, Abhijeet said that Rahul "has this habit of not going unnoticed" and so he will "try to do something" to always be in news. (Also Read | Virat Kohli's brother calls Rahul Vaidya loser for comments against cricketer: 'Apni singing pai mehnat karle') Laughing when asked about Rahul, Abhijeet later added that what he did "doesn't make any sense". "He is somebody who will never go unnoticed. Somebody has this habit of not going unnoticed, he will try to do something to get noticed. Mujhe relevant bhi nahi lagti yeh cheeze. Uska koi matlab nahi hai (I don't think these things are relevant. There is no meaning to this)," said Abhijeet. "Koi sach mein bhi ghalat karte bhi dikha aapko phir woh kitna bhi bada ho toh aap boldo (If you see someone doing wrong, even if a big celebrity, then you should tell them). Then you are making a koi matlab nahi hai. Baki koi nahi bol raha hai na (This doesn't make sense. Nobody else is saying anything, right?)." When asked if there are artists who do PR things to stay relevant, Abhijeet said there are "two to three such people". However, when asked if he could name them, Abhijeet laughed and said "main woh Rahulgiri nahi karna chahta (I don't want to do such Rahulgiri)". Both Abhijeet and Rahul were part of Indian Idol season one. While Abhijeet emerged as the winner, Rahul was the second runner-up. Amit Sana was the first runner-up of the show. The entire row started after Rahul directed a comment hinting at Virat liking a post about Avneet. Rahul then claimed that Virat blocked him. Rahul shared a video on his Instagram Stories in which he said, "I want to say that going forward, the algorithm might like many photos which I didn't do. So, the girls, please don't do PR around it because it is not my mistake. It is Instagram's mistake, okay?" Next, he said, "So guys, Virat Kohli has blocked me, as you all know. I think that, too, is an Instagram glitch. Virat Kohli didn't block me. Instagram's algorithm told Virat Kohli, 'I'll block Rahul Vaidya on your behalf'. Right?" On his Instagram Stories, Rahul wrote, 'Virat Kohli's fans are even bigger jokers than Virat!' Recently, Virat found himself at the centre of a row after several users noticed that his verified Instagram account had liked a post from a fan page dedicated to Avneet. He shared a short note on his Instagram Stories to clear the air.
Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Today, Shah Rukh Khan probably wouldn't greet me like he used to': Abhijeet Sawant reflects on declining fame, recalls hobnobbing with stars during prime
Abhijeet Sawant, who once captured the hearts of millions with his melodious voice as the winner of the first season of Indian Idol, went on to sing for several Bollywood films. However, over time, his prominence in the industry began to fade. In a recent conversation on the Hindi Rush Podcast, Abhijeet opened up about the highs of his career, the moment he met superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and the eventual decline of his stardom. 'Uss time par aisa hogaya tha ki bade bade stars aakar mil rahe thay… ki aare yaar Abhijeet, big fan. Ek baar Shah Rukh Khan sahab aakar mile. He was being very kind, ek baar show par bulaya mujhe perform karne ke liye… khud announce kiya mera naam, and said maine ghar par bohot dekhe iske gaane (At that time, it had reached a point where big stars would come up to meet me, saying, 'Hey Abhijeet… big fan.' Once, Shah Rukh Khan himself came up to me, he was very kind. He invited me to perform on a show… personally announced my name… and said he had watched many of my songs at home).' Also Read | Indian Idol 1 winner Abhijeet Sawant says live performances are his biggest source of income: 'I spend most of my time on stage…it is my business' But Abhijeet also candidly spoke about how fame is fleeting and how difficult it became to maintain his position as the industry evolved. 'Woh consistency nahi ho paa rahi… woh gaane nahi mil rahe hai… ya kuch aisi cheezain nahi ho rahi ki main hamesha uss level par chalta rahoon… agar aaj main milunga Khan sahab se toh shayad woh sirf hello karke chale jayenge (That consistency isn't there anymore… I'm not getting those songs… or things just aren't happening the way they used to, for me to remain at that same level… If I were to meet Khan sahab today, maybe he'd just say hello and walk away.) Abhijeet further reflected on how many people rely on their initial impression or moment of fame to carry them through, but emphasised that this is not sustainable. He noted that one must consistently put in the work, not only to reach a position of success but also to maintain it over time, with hard work and perseverance.
