The latest season of Zee TV's singing reality show "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa" ended on Sunday night with Kushal Paul from singer-composer Pritam Chakraborty's team walking away with the trophy.
The 17-year-old, who hails from Kolkata, was known as the rockstar of the singing talent hunt show. Kushal won the coveted trophy and an Elite i20 car as prize. Kushal along with Sachin Kumar Valmikan from Uttar Pradesh, and Jugpreet Bajwa from Vancouver, Canada made it to the top three. But he pipped the other two contestants to emerge as the winner of the reality show.
The grand finale of the singing reality show was held on Sunday night with each finalists giving their best performances. The finale was graced by Marathi movie "Sairat" lead actors Akash Thosar and Rinku Rajguru, singers Kailash Kher, Sukhwinder Singh, Armaan Malik and Benny Dayal.
Talking about winning the show, Kushal said that it was an unbelievable moment for him, as he and other contestants worked day and night for it.
"Never in my wildest dream had I thought of such a big win," Kushal said in a statement after being announced the winner of "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa."
"The show has given me a chance to meet and perform in front of legendary singers like Asha tai (Asha Bhosle), Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Kumar Sanu and I am really thankful to Zee TV for giving me this golden opportunity.
"I am also grateful to the audiences for having voted for me and showering me with so much love. But this journey wouldn't have been the same without the guidance, support and love of my mentor, Pritam da. I want to dedicate this victory to my mentor and my family," he added.
Kushal's mentor Pritam praised him and called him a rockstar. Pritam told IANS that he knew Kushal had the potential to win the singing talent hunt show.
"This is a moment of great pride for me as I am a huge fan of his vocal talent and knew that he was winner-worthy right from the auditions phase. Kushal is not just a gifted singer but an exceptional performer with a magnetic stage presence," Pritam told IANS.
"He has a long way to go and has a great career ahead of him in singing. Here's wishing him and all our other contestants the best in their future endeavours," he added.
