India’s beloved singing reality show, Indian Idol, is back with Season 15 on Sony Entertainment Television, showcasing some of the finest voices from across the nation. The auditions saw a horde of contestants with incredible vocal talent and one such extraordinary contestant is 18-year-old Sneha Shankar.
Sneha Shankar is the daughter of Indian film Music Director and Singer, Ram Shankar, who has worked predominantly in Bollywood and continues to contribute to the Indian music industry. Born and brought up in a musical family in Mumbai, Sneha’s grandfather is the late Shree Shankarji, an acclaimed Sufi singer who sang as part of a duo with his brother, the late Shree Shambhuji, and together they carved a niche for themselves as “Shankar Shambhu Qawwal”. When Sneha entered the competition, the judges recognized her but Judge Vishal Dadlani didn’t agree with her song selection, and wished she would experiment with genres other than Sufi.
In contrast, Badshah was impressed by her overall performance and praised her saying, “I have never heard you before, but when you sang today and I got to know about your legacy, I would like to say you chose a really good song. You look like Ram Shankar Ji’s daughter, but it also feels like you will take his legacy forward. Honestly, when Vishal sir commented on your performance, I got scared thinking something was wrong with me because I was blown away! We need a performer who sings like this. But as Vishal sir said, it would be good for you if you learn this now: Imagine there is a line where on one side there is safety, comfort, and greatness. The closer you get to comfort, the further you get from greatness, and the closer you go to greatness, you will have to move away from comfort. This is your comfort zone, and you can do really good here, but you can be great, and you have everything to become great. I know this is Indian Idol and you come from the Shankar Legacy, but if not you, then who will do it?”