New Delhi [India], October 24 (ANI): Returning to the stage of ‘Indian Idol Legends Return’ after 22 years, singer Amit Sana has reflected on his journey since the inaugural season of ‘Indian Idol’, opening up about the long-standing debate surrounding the show’s result, his equation with winner Abhijeet Sawant and the professional setbacks that kept him away from the limelight.
Sana, who finished as a finalist in the first season, said he considers himself equally deserving of the title but has moved on from the controversy and wants to approach his return with fresh energy. The singer also expressed a desire to work with Sawant again.
“I will not differ on the fact that I was equally deserving as a winner during the show, but then it’s all about voting and everything. So, at the end of the day, one person has to win,” Sana told ANI.
Asked about the questions raised over the first season’s result, including suggestions of possible influence or irregularities in voting, Sana declined to revisit the matter, saying it was something he had already moved on from.
“It’s something which happened 22 years back. So, it’s not relevant also now either,” he said, adding that music was a lifelong process and every voice was beautiful.
The singer said he and Sawant wanted to work together again, pointing to the audience’s interest in seeing them reunite. Their return to the franchise in ‘Indian Idol Legends Return’ brings together singers from previous editions in pairs for duet performances.
“Me and Abhijeet, we want to work with each other again because we are both good artists and people love us both. And they want to see us together. That’s what I feel. I feel we are like the Salman and Shah Rukh of the music industry,” Sana said.
The new season also reunites Sana with fellow contestant Prajakta Shukre, with whom he performed as part of the show’s duet format. Sana said returning to the same set after more than two decades had brought back memories of the first season, including the time he and his fellow contestants spent discussing songs and preparing for performances.
“Me, Prajakta and Abhijeet, all from the same season. We all have come together in this one after a big gap of 22 years. So, it’s like we are actually witnessing the same time as we were witnessing during 2005, during our own Indian Idol season 1,” he said.
However, Sana’s journey after the show was not without challenges. The singer, who grew up in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, said the transition from a relatively protected small-town upbringing to the demanding entertainment industry in Mumbai was overwhelming.
He recalled arriving in the city as a fan of Bollywood, excited about the opportunity to build a career in music. While ‘Indian Idol’ gave him a significant start and introduced him to the workings of the industry, Sana said the sudden fame and expectations of maintaining professional relationships proved difficult to navigate.
“After I achieved so much of fame, like in two to three months, it was like an overnight success,” he said.
Sana explained that he was an introvert and had not been accustomed to handling unfamiliar people and situations independently. He also found the cultural differences between Bhilai and Mumbai difficult to adjust to, particularly when it came to social interactions and professional networking.
“I come from a place, Bhilai, which has a very systematic lifestyle; it is very education-oriented and definitely many, many, many years behind Mumbai or any other metro city. So, the exposure in terms of fashion or whether it is knowing things about the world or, behaviour, everything is very small-townish over there. The relationships are different. People are very, very different from what I saw in Mumbai. I am not saying that the people are not good here, but culturally, there is a huge difference between the two places,” he shared.
The singer acknowledged that connections and personal equations play an important role in sustaining a career in the entertainment industry, but said he struggled to build them.
“After the first stint in the industry, which was Indian Idol 1, the initial years were good enough. But after that, it’s the connections, the personal equation, because at the end of the day, it’s the connections that actually make you work. So, I actually could not make such connections,” he said.
Post ‘Indian Idol’, he released his first album ‘Chal Diye’ composed by Vishal–Shekhar in 2005. followed by ‘Yaadein’ which was composed by Rajiv Bhatt in 2008.
The ace singer said he eventually took a step back, a decision that affected his career. He also spoke about the financial losses he incurred while producing his second album, an independent project that he wanted to use to showcase his musical influences.
“Again, I got duped by people during that journey. So, a lot of money got invested into that. And it was not needed as such. And because of that, I incurred some losses. Not because the album was not good,” he said.
He subsequently focused on live performances but later found himself struggling to adapt to changes in the music industry, particularly the rise of digital streaming platforms and algorithm-based music discovery.
Sana also acknowledged that his limited engagement with people in Bollywood affected his opportunities in playback singing. He said he had come to understand that working closely with music producers and directors, along with developing people skills, was important to building a career in films.
Looking back, the singer said he spent considerable time trying to understand his fears, identify his strengths and work on areas beyond singing. While he acknowledged that staying away from the industry was not necessarily the best decision, he believes the period helped him prepare for a new phase in his career.
“I think this whole time I was just getting ready,” he said, referring to his return to ‘Indian Idol Legends Return’.
Sana also revealed that he had composed original songs and planned to release them as singles over the next one to two months, rather than releasing an entire album at once.
“I also want to come up with my own songs, which I have taken time out this year. Yeah, I have composed some really nice songs, and they have been waiting for a long time,” he said.
Hosted by Aditya Narayan, ‘Indian Idol Legends Return’ features Himesh Reshammiya as a judge and brings together popular singers from previous seasons for a musical competition, including Salman Ali and Mohammad Danish, Devender Pal Singh and Mayuri Saha, Swaroopp Khan and Ritika Raj, Prajakta Shukre and Amit Sana, Senjuti Das and Nihal Tauro, Subhajit Chakraborty and Bidipta Chakraborty; Ashish Kulkarni and Sayli Kamble Patil; Tanishk Shukla and Myscmme Bosu, Anshika Chonkar and Rishi Singh, Manraj Veer and Manasi Ghosh; Ankush Bhardwaj and Sireesha Bhagavatula; and Abhijeet Sawant and Chetna Bhardwaj.
The season premiered on October 17 and airs on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV on Saturdays and Sundays at 8 pm. (ANI)
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