How I became friends with my idol

Few people know that I had come to Mumbai not to become an actress but something else. I was in school when the first season of Indian Idol was being telecast and was a big fan of Abhijeet Sawant after he won the contest. In fact, to the extent that I used to follow all his actions regularly and read up everything and anything written on him in the papers and vote for him from my phone without telling anyone. So when I landed in Mumbai, one of my major aims was to meet him! All my school friends used to tease me for my Abhijeet Sawant craze. Since my childhood I was also interested in dancing and was very keen on learning how to dance from Farah Khan or Ganesh Acharya! As it happens with almost every other dreamy eyed teenager, I also wanted to become an actress in Bollywood. But finally when I landed in Mumbai, three years after Abhijeet Sawant became the Indian Idol, it was for a completely different reason – studying Mass Media in Ruia College in Matunga. More than studies what was more exciting for me was the fact that it was very close to Abhijeet Sawant’s house! I went to his house thrice after I started going to Ruia College. But not even once could I meet him! It was only towards the end of my first year in college that I started to play a small role in Kasauti Zindagi Kay. During that time Abhijeet played a single episode role in Kyun Ki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (a special song sequence). He came to sing a song with his co-contestant Antara Mitra. As luck would have it, I got to know that he was also shooting in the same studio! The moment I got my break, I ran to meet him. I saw a makeup van with his name pasted outside. I knocked and went inside and there he was my Indian Idol! I immediately started telling him all that I did for him, how crazy I was and why I came to Mumbai! We chatted for a long time that day and before it was time to go back to work, he passed on his number to me. He said, “Till now you were my fan, but today onwards you are my friend!” Since then we are in touch. I am also a very good friend of his wife Shilpa. We speak to each other very often and even visit each other. I have immense respect for Abhijeet – he is a great actor and a fantastic human being