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'I was unaware of Indian Idol'

Nineteen-year-old Rajastani folk singer Swaroop Khan was voted out of Indian Idol 5 on Tuesday.

Swaroop, who was used to singing only folk songs, got into the groove of singing all kinds of songs on Idol.

He impressed the judges with his range, but was inconsistent in his performance. His exit means that Bhoomi Trivedi, Sreeram and Rakish Maini will continue on in their journey to win the title.

Over to Swaroop Khan.

You must have been disappointed...

Yes. Now I have to struggle a little more because I have lost the chance of winning the cash prize and the car. But I have no regrets as I got to learn a lot from this show.

Initially it was very difficult for me to perform Bollywood numbers but I really worked hard to reach the Top 4 with the support of the judges and viewers. Now I have to work really hard to become a playback singer. I think my journey has already started as I have sung for music director Bappi Lahiri for an upcoming movie Emotional Attyachar.

How was recording for Bappi Lahiri like?

I was very nervous when I went to record the song at his studio. The song is a mix of rock and folk. But I was made comfortable and finished my recording in 4-5 hours. I am grateful to the channel and the judges for giving me this platform to showcase my talent which enabled this big break.

'My vote would go to Rakesh'

How did you come to know about the Indian Idol 5 auditions?  

I was performing with my troupe at some shows in Jodhpur when one of the organisers suggested we try out for it.

Why did you audition as a group?

[Smiles] Our group had participated in the India's Got Talent show. We were unaware of the Idol show format so we entered as a group. After our performance we were informed that Indian Idol is about individual singing. So everyone in the group decided to send me.

That means you hadn't watched Indian Idol before?

No. I had no clue about the earlier winners too [smiles].

Who do think will win the title?

All the three finalists deserve to win the title. But my vote would go to Rakesh because he is a versatile singer and also because he hails from a small town like me.

'Shivam Pathak and I pushed Sunidhiji into the pool'

Have you played any pranks on the others or vice versa?

We had gone on a picnic to Lonavala. Shivam Pathak and I pushed Sunidhiji (Chauhan) into the pool. She took it sportingly though and splashed water on us.

Which was your memorable moment on Idol?

It had to be the time when music composer Preetamji (Chakraborti) came over to the stage and lifted me up after my rendition of Jee Karda.

Tell us little about your background.

I started singing at the age of four. I learnt it by listening to my father and paternal uncles. It's a family tradition that we start singing folk songs at an early age. I have studied only up to the 5th standard. I didn't study much because I was more interested in singing than studying. Now I am planning to continue my studies and also learn English [smiles].

Have you ever performed abroad?

Yes, I have performed on stage shows in Spain, Norway and Italy. I received the best acting award for a documentary film Milk and Opium in an international film festival. I got this film offer through one of the foreign directors whom we met at the US embassy. I had to be myself in the film so it was not tough acting.

Later I concentrated on singing because music is my first love. I am also a trained Khadtal and Morchang player (instrument used for folk music).