When better things waited for me

A page from the personal diary of Monali Thakur It is a good exercise for everyone to look back at their careers. I started very early as a child artist in a Bengali soap. I played the lead role of Indu in the serial Aalokito Ek Indu. Now when I am judging the Bengali Sa Re Ga Ma Pa along with singer Kumar Sanu and veteran singer Haimanti Shukla, it does seem like a long way. When I was asked to become a judge, I was very reluctant. The Bengali music industry is very conservative and most people may think how I could judge at such a young age. But I accepted the challenge and most viewers accepted me wholeheartedly, which is great. Judging kids is very difficult, especially during elimination. I am a very emotional person but I always try to be warm to them and also correct their faults. I do not want them to make the mistakes I have made. I come from a musical family. My father, Shakti Thakur is a famous Bengali singer and actor. I have always performed in my school, college and then in local functions during the Durga Puja. However, only after I participated in Indian Idol 2 and came to Mumbai did I realise how different the professional scenario is here. I started liking the city so it was a real setback when I was eliminated from the show. But anyways, I decided to shift base in Mumbai. That was not a very good time for me. I was upset, was having some financial problems and wanted to relocate! There were people who wanted to pull me down and there were people who wanted to help me grow. In hindsight, I want to think of people who have helped me in achieving what I have till date. Sonu Nigam. once shared a very inspiring thought with me after I was eliminated from Indian Idol. He said, ‘Monali, you have been eliminated because there is something better waiting for you. You have to go a long way and name, fame, money and everything else you achieve in life will come with lots of responsibility. Don't forget that’. He helped me a lot. After Indian Idol, I went to England with Sonu Nigam's troupe and we performed at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall. This was my first ever show abroad. After the show, Ben Thomas who used to handle Sonuji's work told me that I was very talented and within five years I will make it to the top. His words were a great source of encouragement for me. If it weren't for his support, it would have been difficult for me. The other person who helped me was music director Pritam da. I owe a lot of my success to him. He was the one who gave me ‘Zara Zara Touch Me Touch Me’ and ‘Khwab Dekhe’, my songs from Race. Not only did he introduce me to other people in the industry, he also asked me to stay back in his recording studio even when I was not singing. That helped me a lot. I got to see and know how a song is composed, how other singers record and how the perfect song is mixed. After singing in films like Race, Golmal Returns, Billu and Dulha Mil Gaya, I have lent my voice for Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor's Anjana Anjani. I have also recorded one song with Rajeev Khandelwal for his next film.