Celebrity: Sonu Nigam (Sonu Niigaam)
Sonu Nigam, born on 30th July 1973, was a child prodigy. His passion and love for singing started reflecting at the tender age of 3! His father, Agam Kumar, who used to sing in stage shows, gave him a chance to sing the evergreen song "Kya Hua Tera Wada" which was praised by one and all.His proper musical journey began at the age of 19 when he moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in playback singing. Initially, he faced a lot of hardships where many music directors criticized his singing and some of them even labeling him as a Mohammad Rafi clone.
When he was busy struggling to make a place for himself in the playback industry, the then noted music director Gulshan Kumar, gave him a chance to record cover versions of some famous Rafi songs. Sonu got his first break as a playback singer in the movie Janam (1990) but unfortunately the song was never released.
Sonu was completely distressed and was on the verge of packing bags and going back, but destiny had something else in mind. Gulshan Kumar, gave Sonu a chance to sing for a film Bewafa Sanam (1995). The song "Accha Sila Diya Tune Mere Pyaar Ka" became an instant hit with the audience and finally Sonu started receiving all the attention he deserved.
Soon thereafter, he got an offer from Zee TV to host their singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma. Though Sonu's well wishers and noted Bollywood celebrities Anu Malik and Javed Akhtar had asked him to stay away from television as it may affect his flourishing singing career, Sonu accepted the offer to host the show. As luck would have it, the show became extremely popular as soon as it was launched and helped propel Sonu a little higher on the success ladder.
Sonu started receiving offers to sing for films but the song which can be considered a milestone in his career was "Sandese Aate Hai" from the movie Border (1997) . The same year another song of his, "Yeh Dil Deewana" from Pardes (1997) became a raging hit, effectively shooting down all the claims from individuals that he was nothing more than a Rafi clone. Sonu made his mark in the industry with numerous hit songs like "Saathiya" (Saathiya), "Tanhayee" (Dil Chahta Hai), "Khamoshiyan Gungunane Lagi" (One 2 ka 4), "Suraj Hua Maddham" (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham), "Kal Ho Na Ho" (Kal Ho Na Ho) and the recent number "Aal Ez Well" from 3 Idiots. Sonu has also released various hit solo albums like Deewana (1999), Yaad (2001), etc.
Sonu even tried his hand at acting but failed. He starred in films like Jaani Dushman:Ek Anokhi Kahaani, Kash Aap Humare Hote and Love in Nepal but unfortunately all of them bombed at the box office.
This talented singer, who has almost 40 awards to his credit has come a long way in his career. We hope that he keeps succeeding in life.
Did You Know Sonu?
- Completed his schooling from J. D. Tytler School in Rajinder Nagar, Delhi.
- Has 2 sisters, Meenal and Nikita, with Nikita being a trained singer as well.
- Had almost got a chance to sing "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh" from 1942 - A Love Story since R.D. Burman was miffed with Kumar Sanu for being late at the recording studios. But later Sanu himself sung the song.
- Is very active in the field of social service and has done charity for various organizations like Dignity Foundations, Crayons etc.
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