Vipul Mehta is New Indian Idol; Celebrity Galore at the Grand Finale

Punjabi boy Vipul Mehta was declared the Indian Idol 6 winner at a gala event on Saturday night.

Mehta beat Devendra Pal Singh and Amit Kumar to take home the coveted title after two months of hard work and stiff competition. Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor declared the winner at a programme telecast by Sony Television channel.

Vipul Mehta, the winner of Indian Idol 6, was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 5 million, a Nissan Micra car and a Suzuki Hayate bike besides winning a contract to record an album and a chance to render tracks for an upcoming Bollywood film.

Hosted by the vibrant Hussain Kuwajerwala and Mini Mathur, the grand finale of Indian Idol was an entertaining one with performances by the top three contestants Vipul Mehta, Devendra Pal Singh and Amit Kumar.

Judges of the reality show Sunidhi Chauhan and legendary singer Asha Bhosle performed in the grand finale. Indian Idol 1 winner Abhijeet Sawant and session 6 winner Sreeram Chandra gave a retro feel to the programme by performing a medley.

It was celebrity galore with Bollywood actors Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz, who graced the show as part of promotion for their film "Barfi", and "Heroine" actress Kareena Kapoor attending the grand finale. In fact, they added glamour to the event.

Music director Anu Malik and singers Salim Merchant, Sunidhi Chauhan and Asha Bhosle form the judging panel of the reality talent hunt show.

The winners of the earlier five sessions are Abhijeet Sawant, Sandeep Acharya, Prashant Tamang, Sourabhee Debbarma and Sreeram Chandra.