Remember Fame Gurukul? It was an incredibly popular reality television show back in 2005 when reality TV shows were just getting big. And I’ve gotta say, I was totally obsessed with it. In fact, when I started thinking of Fame Gurukul again today, I was pretty surprised by how much I could remember of it off-hand, even though it was a decade ago. There are things that happened last week that I can’t recall, but this stuff my brain has space for. Sigh.
Here are some of the most popular contestants from Fame Gurukul! Remember them?
Ruprekha Banerjee
She was probably the quietest of the lot, wasn’t known to be much of a ‘stage performer’, but had a lovely, sweet voice. She ended up being one-half of the Fame Jodi.
After Fame Gurukul…
She, of course, got the deal with Sony Music that was promised. She later moved to Mumbai, won several awards for her singing, was a guest on Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar and recorded songs for a few Bengali and Hindi albums.
Qazi Touqeer
Remember him? He couldn’t sing to save his life – he actually harboured dreams of becoming an actor – and was the worst contestant on the show. He was also insanely popular, got the most number of votes every week, and was probably the secretly most hated one since better contestants kept getting eliminated while he remained. (You better bet, though, that people liked to pretend to be his friend for the cameras, to get on the public’s good side.) He got better as the show went on, though, and his performance of Jab Kisi Ki Taraf Dil was his ‘standout’ performance. He ended up being the other half of the Fame Jodi.
After Fame Gurukul…
He did bag a role in a film called Take Off, but it seems like that movie didn’t quite, er, take off – it never released. He also apparently seriously injured himself while shooting for the film. But you know the song Afghan Jalebi, right? Well, know the guy dancing in the video is? Yup, our man right here!
Rex D’Souza
He and Ruprekha were often “teased” by the judges and contestants, but they weren’t ever a couple. They also made the most sense as the Fame Jodi, both because of their coupling and the fact that they were good singers. But then there was, of course, Qazi.
After Fame Gurukul…
He’s done a ton of shows both in India and the US and has sung for regional films and Hindi films (apparently Thank You and Blue are on that list, but I can’t seem to figure out which tracks). He also got married to his girlfriend from the US.
Arpita Mukherjee
I don’t seem to remember much about her from the show except that she was in the top four and had a great voice!
After Fame Gurukul…
She’s actually done a lot of work! She won SaReGaMaPa’s Golden Voice Hunt, sang for serials like Balika Vadhu and Tere Sheher Mein, recorded her own songs and shot for her own music video.
Arijit Singh
He was the ‘baby’ of the show (only 18 years old when it aired if memory serves me right) and had a fabulous, fabulous voice. He was also known to be very close to Shamit Tyagi and used to call him an elder brother. However, things went sour there – more on that soon!
After Fame Gurukul…
Do you really need me to tell you? Tum Hi Ho, Raabta, Kabira, Mast Magan, Samjhawan, Phir Le Aaya Dil… the list is endless. He’s one of the top singers in the country today. Funny how things work out!
Shamit Tyagi
He was one of the better singers but was constantly called ‘over confident’ by the judges. He was also very close to Arijit Singh but was basically booted from the show because of Arijit. The contestants had to ‘vote’ to pick who stays every week between the two contestants who got the least number of votes. The other would be eliminated. Everyone expected Arijit to vote for Shamit, but he instead voted for the other person (Monica) – who was a weaker singer. Most people thought it was because Arijit considered Shamit major competition and wanted him out, but Arijit insisted it was because he thought Monica should get a chance. The production team was aghast, Shamit said he was backstabbed, and principal Ila Arun called it an “act of betrayal.”
After Fame Gurukul…
He did Sony’s Dus Ke Dus Le Gaye Dil after Fame Gurukul. He has done a bunch of shows, started a band (not sure what happened to it, though) and apparently got married in 2008 to his college sweetheart. He also sang for Marathi movie Natrang‘s Hindi version. There’s also this song written, composed and sung by him from 2011:
Who was your favourite contestant from Fame Gurukul?