Abhijeet Sawant on Arijit Singh: 'I was very popular, but he wasn't'

Abhijeet Sawant says Arijit Singh's rise to fame was pure destiny: 'If you compare him and me at that time, I was very popular, but he wasn't'

Abhijeet Sawant continues to hold a special place, as he had won the first season of 'Indian Idol'. He clinched the title in the show's debut season back in 2005, and even though several winners have followed him over the years, the level of stardom and public affection he received remains hard to match.Interestingly, the same year saw the channel roll out another talent hunt, 'Fame Gurukul', which featured contestants including Arijit Singh and Qazi Touqueer. While Qazi went on to win that season and is now seen competing on 'Bigg Boss 20', Arijit has since become one of the most celebrated playback voices of his time. In a recent chat, Abhijeet was asked to compare his career graph with Arijit's, and he credited fate for shaping how things unfolded for both of them.

Arijit Singh stayed out of the spotlight for a decade, says Abhijeet Sawant

Speaking to Filmygyan, Abhijeet Sawant revealed that although he and Arijit Singh both found initial recognition in 2005, their career paths diverged sharply once their respective shows ended. Abhijeet walked away with a cash prize of Rs 1 crore courtesy of 'Indian Idol', along with a music album deal with the channel, quickly turning him into a household name. Arijit, on the other hand, did not land similar opportunities as a singer right away and had to restart his journey from scratch.

"After 2005, Arijit stayed away from the limelight. For at least 10 years, call it a blessing in disguise, he went to the music studios, and he worked with all the major music composers, not as a singer but as a producer, as a programmer," Abhijeet said, adding, "He went back to the basics, and he started his journey again, and no one knew him back then."Abhijeet also pointed out the stark difference in the kind of public pressure both of them faced during those years, given how much more recognisable he was at the time."If you compare him and me at that time, I was very popular, but he wasn't. So the kind of pressure that I faced was very different than the pressure that he was facing. He worked a lot for those 10 years and worked a lot with musicians, and then he got his first big song."

Abhijeet Sawant calls Arijit Singh landing 'Tum Hi Ho' pure destiny

While Arijit's debut track was 'Dil Sambhal Ja Zara' from 'Murder 2', it was 'Tum Hi Ho' from 'Aashiqui 2' that truly catapulted him into stardom. Abhijeet believes that bagging this particular song was simply meant to be."'Tum Hi Ho' made Arijit 'Arijit Singh', and that song landing in the lap of any singer… It was all about destiny," he said.

'Everyone has their own journey,' says Abhijeet Sawant

Wrapping up the conversation, Abhijeet Sawant made an observation about how audiences tend to judge artistes based on visible success, often being quick to criticise those who haven't achieved the same recognition."It is a flaw with the audience that we keep praising the one who is successful, but the ones we don't know much about, we keep finding flaws in them.

That's not all. Everyone has their own journey. Everyone is trying their best to work, live their life. Let them," he said.Arijit Singh had announced his retirement from playback singing earlier this year, though he continues to fulfil prior professional commitments, meaning fans can still expect new music from him in upcoming films. He is next set to be heard in Shah Rukh Khan's 'King'.