MUMBAI: India’s Raw Star was an Indian singing competition series created by Gajendra Singh of Saibaba Telefilms which began airing on Star Plus from 24 August 2014. It was hosted by model-actress Gauahar Khan and mentored by singer-rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh. Rituraj Mohanty won the first season on 30 November 2014 with Darshan Raval and Mohit Gaur finishing second and third respectively. Arjun Kapoor and Himesh Reshammiya made guest appearances on the show. ‘India’s Raw Star’ witnessed singers like Kailash Kher, Mohit Chauhan, and Shaan perform in the final episode with finalists Rituraj, Mohit, and Darshan. The finalists sang the final face off song composed by Sachin and Jigar on the occasion, while Arjun Kapoor, promoted his film Tevar.
Mohit is the first one from India’s Raw Star, who has landed in the acting space, having bagged the lead role in Channel V’s new show ‘Ishq Unplugged’. The winner of the show Rituraj Mohanty crooned one of the songs in ‘Teraa Surroor 2’ and Darshan Raval is busy with numerous Bollywood projects.
In this interview, the newly minted actor shares his acting-singing harmony, how acting came to him and his love for singing.
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Tell us about your new show.
‘Ishq Unplugged’ is a show that brings together an unlikely singing pair that hails from completely different worlds. This show is a mix of singing and a great storyline that fans will love.
Does the city of dreams fulfill your dreams?
Yes. I am enjoying to the fullest. Up till now, my life was restricted to music. Ultimately, Channel [V] gave me a superb opportunity to act and if I tell you about my dreams, I feel blessed and fulfilled.
What led you to try your hand at acting?
Honestly, this is my learning phase. If we talk about acting, this is a brand new break for me. The first and last time I acted was in class eight and that too I delivered two or three lines! Thanks to my manager, Lata Shreedhar (Production head- Panorama Entertainment) – it was she who encouraged me to give acting a try. It is because of her; I got through the auditions and surprisingly cracked it. This was indeed shocking as there were so many talented actors considered for the role.
Describe your journey after India’s Raw Star.
Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had. Raw Star is that kind of a dream, a turning point in my life. You reach a stage you never thought of reaching and within a span of three to four months, you have millions of fans following your identity. Even after the show, people know me for my songs. I composed so many new songs, did loads of concerts all over the world and released two – three singles of my own.
How do you manage to act and sing together?
I ask this same question to my co-star. We have a 9-to-9 shift from where we directly go for recording. Acting requires loud and robust voices for dialogue delivery but we ought to save our voices for recording sessions too. This is a challenging task except when I come from a tiring shoot, studio recording banishes all my drowsiness, making me refreshed.
What would you like to say about your off-screen chemistry with co-star Shruti Prakash?
Awesome is the word. We both gel quite well together. I never thought we could ever become such good friends. Shruti is like me. She is a lively happy-go-lucky person. We have a lot of fun together on the sets.
What are your upcoming music projects for the year?
This year, I am going to follow my dreams of delivering all the songs I have lined up for my fans.
