MUMBAI : In 2005, Mumbai-based singer Abhijeet Sawant became an overnight sensation as he won the inaugural season of reality show Indian Idol, based on the Pop Idol format. Although there had been talent hunt shows before, Indian Idol set the template for countless shows to follow.
In that regard, Abhijeet Sawant’s popularity was way higher than what many of today’s reality show winners manage. He was called the next big thing and poised to take the music world by storm. But it did not quite pan out like that.
In early 2005, Abhijeet Sawant won Indian Idol season 1, beating Amit Sana and Rahul Vaidya in the finale. As winner, he was given Rs 1 crore and a contract with Sony Music for his own album, which resulted in Aapka Abhijeet, his debut album.
His songs like Mohabbatein Lutaunga and Lafzon Mein became chartbusters later that year. The same year, he made his Bollywood playback debut with the song Mar Jaavan Mit Jaavan for the film Aashiq Banaya Aapne.
Abhijeet released his second album Junoon in 2007, which was a success but not as big as his debut. In 2008, he finished as the first runner-up in the reality show Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar, this time losing to Rahul Vaidya.
In 2009, he made his acting debut with the film Lottery. He made small appearances in the 2010 film Tees Maar Khan and played himself in cameos in CID and Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai. However, his singing career was on a decline now.
His third studio album Farida (2013) was not a great success. Abhijeet continued to do playback in films but none of the songs were huge successes.
In 2010, Abhijeet Sawant found himself embroiled in a hit and run case after he and his friend were involved in an accident. News reports stated that he was assaulted by the crowd gathered there too.
Abhijeet was in the passenger seat of the car being driven by fellow singer and Idol contestant Prajakta Shukre, which hit and seriously injured two teenagers on a two-wheeler in Mumbai.
Witnesses claimed that Abhijeet and Prajakta were drunk and got into an argument with onlookers, following which Abhijeet was beaten up. Abhijeet later denied that he or his friends were drunk.
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Abhijeet later joined politics, becoming a member of the Shiv Sena. The singer continues to perform in stage shows across India and also occasionally records songs. His last track was part of Himesh Reshammiya’s latest album Moods With Melodies. He also released an album called Fakira in 2018.
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Credits - DNA
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