For singer Abhijeet Sawant, this Ganesh Chaturthi is extra special. Not only is the singer celebrating the festive season with a new song, but what makes it even more special is that the song marks his first recording with his daughters, Aahana Sawant (13) and Smeera Sawant (9). Titled Gana Dhav Re, Abhijeet is certain that the song will capture the essence of the festivities.

“This is an old folk song from the Konkan area in Maharashtra. People used to dance to this tune. Gana Dhav Re means Bappa mere liye aa jao. Now we have come up with a newer version of this with composer Sanket Sane,” says Abhijeet in an exclusive conversation with HT City. The singer quickly points out the reason this song means more to him.

“What makes it more special is that this is the first time I am singing with my daughters. I told them to sing it completely,” he shares.

Abhijeet is certainly a proud father watching his daughters sing in the studio at such a young age. But the singer says the decision to have them sing in the song was completely unplanned.

“It was a very random decision. Both my daughters have been learning classical music and singing for many years. My younger daughter, Smeera, has also done some ads, too. Both are very talented, and I thought this was the perfect song for them to start their journey,” he says, adding, “We always believe that whatever good happens, it should always start with Shree Ganesh aarti. So, this is a tribute from our side, and I am very happy that both came and very obediently sang their parts.”

Singing in front of your father, who is also a renowned musician, is surely a factor for nerves to kick in. However, Abhijeet shares that his daughters were calm and confident in the studio.

“Sometimes we know they might perform well, and sometimes they might not. They also had the pressure of singing in front of their father. They have seen my profile of work, and they know my personality. It was fun to tell them how to sing, what to do in the song and how to create happiness in the song,” he says.

Expressing his feelings as a father to see his daughters shine in the studio, he shares, “I was very happy how they were sounding in the studio. I remembered my old days when I used to be alone, and somebody picked me in the studio and asked me to sing in front of the mic. I was very scared to sing anything in front of the mic. But they were very confident.”

It’s one of those rare beautiful evenings in Mumbai when the air is still, and the grey skies hold the promise of rain. A familiar voice drifts in through the speakers — Abhijeet Sawant’s. The singer, who won the nation’s heart in 2005 as the first winner of Indian Idol, is back with a single, a recreation of the Marathi classic, Chal Turu Turu. When we sit down with him for a chat, he opens the conversation by revealing that this Marathi song has been with him since his growing up days. “Before Indian Idol, I used to do orchestra shows in pandals. This was my first entry song, you know,” he grins.

However, the singer admits that when Saregama approached him to voice the recreation, he was nervous. “Chal Turu Turu is an old, beloved song. People sometimes criticize recreations; they question why you’re changing the original. But when I heard the new version, I realized that the soul of the song had been maintained. That’s when I felt confident to give it a new look while respecting what it originally was.”

The single comes as the latest chapter in Sawant’s musical career that had started with a bang. In 2005, when India got its first season of Indian Idol, the country was new to interactive reality shows, and the prospect of choosing your own pop star seemed thrilling. After weeks of being glued to television screens, the audience gave its verdict — Sawant. The Mahim boy’s life changed overnight. “I remember the day I came home after winning. The building where I lived was packed with people. Strangers were celebrating. Such a thing happens rarely in life,” he recalls.

It was a break that nobody at that time could imagine, and everyone today hopes for. But two decades on, it almost feels as if he couldn’t capitalize more on the fame. Sawant reflects, “I tried my best. But playback needs luck and time. I got the kind of fame nobody else got at that time. We were constantly travelling, doing shows, shooting. We didn’t get time to meet music directors and producers. No matter how big you are, you have to go and ask for work.”

First came a few albums and several playback singing opportunities. Then, Sawant tried other avenues — featuring in Zara Nachke Dikha, Bigg Boss Marathi, and even dabbling in politics. But he asserts, “Music has always been there. Only during one film, I didn’t pursue it for six months. I didn’t even [try] any other profession because of music.”

Sawant was the OG product of the reality television boom. Everything was “raw” back then, he remembers. “There was no social media. Everyone involved was new to Indian Idol, even the crew. It was all honest.”

Have reality shows become too scripted today? He says, “Earlier, anyone could audition. Now if you’re not trained, you can’t even think about it. Also, we thrive on emotions. With reality shows, sometimes [the emotional drama] is too much. [Despite that], you’ll find real talent.”

Almost two decades after being declared runner-up of Indian Idol’s inaugural season, singer Amit Sana recently claimed in an interview with podcast host Siddharth Kannan that voting lines closed for him two days in advance. The winner of the finale, singer Abhijeet Sawant, has reacted to the allegations, calling Sana “naive”.

“There are several reasons why you lose a competition. He shouldn’t forget that he was a runner-up. It wasn’t like we both were the only talented boys in the show, there were several other talented people in that competition,” Sawant told News18, adding, “I feel his people have conveyed such [rumours] to him and it might have got sentimental.”

Sawant also dismissed Sana’s allegation that the former’s win was influenced by “political clout”. The Mar Jaavan Mit Jaavan (Aashiq Banaya Aapne, 2005) singer added: “It can be their opinion, too. Entire India was voting for us. How is it possible that one of us was getting votes and the other wasn’t? Indian Idol was being monitored by the international team. They used to be there on sets all the time.”

The finale of the show aired on March 5, 2005. Singer Rahul Vaidya was the last contestant to be eliminated before the finale was set up between Sawant and Sana.

The winner of the first season of Indian Idol, singer Abhijeet Sawant feels thankful for all the love he got back then in 2004. Though he got a dream start, his 15-year-long journey in the showbiz hasn’t been without struggles and roadblocks.

Recalling his reality show days, he shares, “I lacked guidance and had no idea how to go about it. It was overwhelming. It was a completely new experience for me, which was scary too.”

Sawant, 40, says that back then, the idea of reality shows was so new “that even the ones making it didn’t know what was what”. “There wasn’t much positivity in the industry for new artistes, though the audience was cheering for you. There was no welcoming attitude for new kids,” he reveals.

He admits after winning the show he did ‘feel like a legend’. “You can’t take that lightly. It has been written down in history. When my first album released, I was so excited but a musician told me, that ‘Your song is quite regular. It should have been rock or distortion’. I think somewhere there is illiteracy in our audience regarding music which is why we haven’t been able to push the music industry to greater heights. But if I look at my career, I feel I’ve achieved a lot. To be relevant in this industry for 15 years is a big deal,” says the singer, whose first solo album, Aap Kaa Abhijeet Sawant, released in 2005, followed by albums Junoon (2007), Farida (2013) and Fakira (2018). He also did playback singing in films such as Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005) and Dishoom (2016).

So, how has been his journey after the show? “There was a different kind of struggle... Somewhere, my work wasn’t taken seriously. Music composers thought I had already achieved stardom and that I didn’t need any more songs. Often we love underdogs and support them. But when they reach the top, then we feel insecure,” he shares, adding that he always dreamt of being a pop singer, but things didn’t go as planned.

“Had I got the right guidance I’d have reached greater heights in my career. In 2008, the pop industry had sort of diminished. Indie songs ka daur khatam ho gaya tha... If the pop industry was thriving back then, as it is now, maybe it’d have been possible to do more,” he says.

Sawant’s advice to reality show aspirants is that every individual has their own journey. After a competition, there are many highs and lows, “irrespective of your win or not, you have to keep moving on and doing more. Learn from the bad experiences and cherish the good ones. Today’s children can shape their journey their way due to the exposure on social media and on channels like YouTube. They can create their own identity and also pursue their passion,” he concludes.

Singer Abhijeet Sawant is excited about the upcoming Ganeshostav, for he feels he has a special connect with Lord Ganesha.

Sawant, who rose to fame after winning the first season of the music reality show Indian Idol, shares, “I am a Ganesha devotee. When I had not won Indian Idol and life was haywire, I would talk to him. I’d get emotional before Bappa and ask him about my future. And, whenever I’d see him, I would see a vishal roop of Ganesha, with a loving, kind face. Holding on to that feeling, I have composed and sung a new Marathi song on Bappa, for Ganesh Chaturthi. I don’t know how many people will resonate with my feeling, but I have tried my best.”

The singer has, in his second album, recorded songs on Lord Ganesha with other singers, including Rahul Vaidya and Prajakta Shukre. But, Sawant feels they were typical songs and didn’t express his emotions for Lord Ganesha.

“We had shot a video which also featured my mum and dad. I had not composed the songs, which is why I have poured my feelings for Bappa into this new song. I hope people like it,” he adds.

The 39-year-old has crooned a number of film songs as well as indie tracks. However, he hasn’t really worked much in the Marathi music industry.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to,” the singer clarifies, adding, “In fact, I did playback for smaller films. After Indian Idol, the first song was for a Marathi film, which was a small-budget film and didn’t even release in big cities in Maharashtra. I have studied Marathi in a Marathi-medium school, so the language is in my blood. I am happy to see that my song Sar Sukhachi Shravani from the film Mangalashtak Once More (2014), is still a favourite among audiences. I hope to do more work in Marathi soon.”

Controversy surrounded the ‘love angle’ between Arunita Kanjilal and Pawandeep Rajan on Indian Idol 12

On Indian television, reality shows are great crowd pullers. And while they showcase real talent from all over the country, their entertainment factor is what often makes headlines. With judges being asked to praise contestants regardless of merit and ‘fake’ content being churned out in form of love stories and emotional and funny anecdotes, is the ‘real’ factor disappearing from reality shows?

Singer Rahul Vaidya, the second runner-up of Indian Idol 1 and a Bigg Boss participant, maintains that while “some emotions could be scripted to make the show interesting, the talent is real”. “The nok-jhok between contestants, judges and hosts and even link-ups are often fabricated to spice up the show… If a show is in the news, it means the audiences are watching it and it is working,” he says.

Indian Idol 1 winner, singer Abhijeet Sawant recently pointed out that reality shows are often in the news for controversies and not talent. From the wedding angle between singers Neha Kakkar and Aditya Narayan in Indian Idol 11 to Indian Idol 12 contestants being trolled for singing Kishore Kumar songs with a twist, Sawant feels such elements take away from a talent’s performance.

Narayan, who has been a part of reality shows for 15 years now, feels every show is sincere. He says, “The goal is to give talent a platform and that is the ‘real’ part, rest of the things happen impromptu on the sets. Contestants, crew and judges work together for three-four months, so it leads to pranks, teasing and masti-mazak.”

Singer Shaan has judged many reality shows and admits that he is fine with light and fun banter but not any gimmicky stuff. “The creators are under pressure to get TRPs, so they go for popular stuff that works... I have also been asked to create stories, connect with contestants or have a takiya-kalam, but I refrain from doing so. In 24 years of being a judge on numerous reality shows, I have stayed real,” he shares.

Though he doesn’t believe in broadcasting it, Shaan says he has given many contestants a break. “Arunita Kanjilal from Indian Idol 12 toured with me all over the US after winning Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs 5 in 2013. Indian Idol 12’s Pawandeep Rajan stayed with me in my house after he won The Voice in 2015.”

Who wore what, who danced with whom, what banter and jokes were shared on the sets and who shed some tears — this is precisely what trends on social media just before any new episode of a reality show is aired. Social media posts talking about any contestant’s brilliant performance or talent would be few and far between, and often the last to go viral. So, when singer Abhijeet Sawant, the winner of the first season of the singing reality show Indian Idol, commented recently that “in Hindi reality shows, the tragic and sad stories of contestants are redeemed. The focus is only on that”, it seems he was pointing at something clearly evident in reality shows on TV for the last few years.

The debate around ‘are reality shows scripted’ or ‘do they coach participants to manipulate emotions on screen’ is not new. However, Abhijeet’s comments surely drew attention to this all over again. Also, over the years, it is not just dance and singing reality shows that rely heavily on drama, the trend is often seen in a game show (like Kaun Banega Crorepati) or celeb reality shows (like Nach Baliye).

In 2018, Nishant Kaushik, an aspirant on a singing reality show, tweeted, “I met two interesting aspirants: one med rep from an Indian village I don’t remember the name of, who dragged his right foot in a broken slipper. And another, who was blind in both eyes. And then I saw the crew make a merciless meal of both of these kind souls. First the vultures came with their mic and cameras to the blind man, who said he had a scene’s role in Slumdog Millionaire. They first asked him to give a little speech about the history and status of his blindness, how does it feel to be blind, and what have you. Then they asked about his family. He said he had a mother who was now dead, leaving him orphaned and all by himself. Sudden twinkle in crew’s eyes because they now had meaty content for a camera shot. They probed him in several ways on ‘what brings you here’. When none of his responses flew, they drafted a ‘response’ on his behalf and read it out. Roughly, ‘I miss my mother and I wish she were here to see me, but I hope that when I sing tonight she can hear me up there’. They made him repeat this even as his voice trembled (sic).”

Among those who commented on the thread was former singing reality show host Mini Mathur. “This sucks. I wasn’t part of the 2012 season but I know most of what he has articulated is known to happen on reality tv. One of the reasons I bowed out. This incessant need to create false emotion. RIP Organic, pure TV (sic),” she tweeted.

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In a recent interview with us (above), when Sonu Nigam — who’s been a judge in singing reality shows like Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa — was asked about his take on shows often dramatising sob stories to move the audience to tears, he told us, “If they (sob stories) weren’t working, it would not be happening so often on reality shows. It is a marketing thing, and people are not fools.”

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Abhijeet Sawant says, “Even when I did Indian Idol, there would be times when a contestant would be given preference and gain the audience’s vote, because he/she had a story that was ‘more emotional’ than the rest. It does affect your morale and confidence, but you have to keep telling yourself that at the end of the day it is talent that matters and you have no option but to focus on your talent.” He adds, “Reality shows are the best platform for fresh talent, and at no point should the focus shift from performances and talent to the background of the contestant. I am sure there are other ways to add more drama to reality shows.”

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On the Facebook page of Humans of Bombay, a post by actress Sanya Malhotra read, “So I applied for the dance (Dance India Dance) reality show and got to the top 100. But before I could move beyond that stage, I got rejected because my backstory wasn’t strong enough. That’s when I started doubting myself — I thought maybe I wasn’t meant to perform at all.”

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Those who work on some of these reality shows blame the change in reality show formats and excessive focus on drama on the TRP race. “Earlier, they’d primarily focus on the contestants’ talent, but over the years, as more reality shows started coming up, these shows needed something extra to gain the audience attention. To make the show more relatable, the contestants’ background was featured. However, when the drama began to fetch TRPs, some shows began adding more of it — be it through contestants or even judges — and that’s how the focus shifted from talent to drama in these reality shows,” says a source from a production house on condition of anonymity.

However, producers argue that the focus has always been, and still is, on talent. “I think the audience is smart enough to choose the right talent. No amount of sob stories can make a contestant win a reality show. If somebody is emerging as a winner from these shows, it is purely because of talent and not because of their background or how many sympathy votes they got on the show,” says producer Ranjeet Thakur, who has been associated with the production of different TV reality shows like Dance Plus and Dil Hai Hindustani.

On condition of anonymity,a member from a production house of a leading singing reality show tells us, “Sob stories or drama through judges are an essential part of any reality show, therefore it is incorporated, but as makers we also try to make sure that genuine talent wins.”