Odisha singer Biswajit Mahapatra woos judges in new season of Indian Idol

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is raring to showcase its treasure trove of talent in the reality singing show Indian Idol which is all set to return to prime time television this weekend.

Local boy Biswajit Mohaptra is seen auditioning for the show in its tenth season in a promotional video released on social media. He croons to “I Love You” from the movie Bodyguard and the judges Bollywood music composer Anu Malik, singer Neha Kakkar and music director Vishal Dadlani seem to be enjoying the fresh rendition of the song.

Vishal Dadlani went on to laud the playback singer from Bhawanipatna and said, “Your voice is beautiful, brother. You are incredibly talented. I got goosebumps twice, during your performance, which is saying a lot. I want to congratulate you for that.”

In an exclusive to Odisha Sun Times, Biswajit said, “It was an out-of-the-world experience for me. A few of us were selected in the Bhubaneswar round but I am the only one to have made it to the preliminary auditions to be aired on television.”

This is the second time the Utkal University alumnus will be seen on Indian Idol, after reaching the Top 40 in its previous season in 2016. He sang the popular Odia song “Puchuki Gaali” that amazed Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam and Anu Malik to such an extent that they joined him in a chorus and even danced. He was also the runner-up of a noted singing reality show on a regional television channel in 2012.

So far this 26-year-old has lent his voice in about 12 Ollywood film and music solos. He is trained in Hindustani classical vocal music by his mother, Gurus Santosh Kumar Jha and Chittaranjan Pani. He is pursuing western music under the tutelage of Sharmi Chakraborty from Kolkata.