The 13th season of Sony Entertainment Television's prestigious singing reality show, Indian Idol came to an end on Sunday. From the auditions to reaching the finale, the Top 6 finalists – Rishi Singh, Bidipta Chakraborty, Chirag Kotwal, Sonakshi Kar, Shivam Singh and Debosmita Roy left no stone unturned to mesmerize audiences. Under the mentorship of Judges Himesh Reshammiya and Vishal Dadlani, the singers honed their skills on the show and gave it their all during the ‘The Dream Finale’. Rishi Singh from Ayodhya lifted the coveted Indian Idol 13 trophy as this season’s winner.
Rishi Singh was awarded a cheque of Rs. 25 lakhs from Sony Entertainment Television and commemorating his arduous journey, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., who is the Co-presenting Sponsor on the show also presented the brand new ‘Hot and Techy Brezza’ to the winner as the ‘Dream Prize’. From the Top 6 finalists, Debosmita Roy and Chirag Kotwal were declared as the first and second runners-up respectively and were bestowed with a trophy and a cheque of Rs. 5 lakhs each. The third and fourth runners-up, Bidipta Chakraborty and Shivam Singh were given a cheque of Rs. 3 Lakhs each. All 6 finalists also received a cheque of Rs. 1 Lakh from Elois Hair Removal Cream, followed by gift hampers from Colgate, Denver Deodorants and Patanjali Kesh Kanti respectively.
Rishi said in a statement, "I still can’t believe that I won the trophy of Indian Idol 13. The feeling is surreal! It was a dream come true moment for me when my name was announced as the winner of this season. It is a huge honour to be taking ahead the legacy of such a well-loved and prestigious show. I am grateful to the channel, the Judges, and the entire team of Indian Idol for giving us such a wonderful platform to showcase our talent. I would also like to extend my gratitude to all my fans and viewers who have always supported me and voted for me to win this coveted title. Thank you for making my dream turn into reality."
Himesh Reshammiya told, "One of the longest-running reality shows on Indian television, Indian Idol has produced some of the finest vocalists for the nation. This season was exciting; we discovered talent from all over the nation, and they were all excellent. I'm so happy to be a part of this journey with them. Each of these 6 competitors deserved to be there. However, I'm glad to see Rishi Singh win the competition because I think he has a lot of promise and versatility."
Vishal Dadlani shared, "India is home to a wealth of talent and Indian Idol offers aspiring singers a stage to bring alive their singing talent. I was overjoyed to witness these young boys and girls perform so extraordinarily and win our hearts with their music. I'm overjoyed to be a part of Indian Idol 13 and to play a small role in each contestant's journey. Seeing Rishi Singh hoist the trophy makes me feel incredibly proud. Since I first saw him perform, I saw a lot of potential in him. I also believe that each and every one of these competitors will succeed in the future and here’s wishing them all the very best."
Neha Kakkar expressed, "Without a doubt, this season of Indian Idol has been spectacular. All of the Top 6 finalists were incredible, and choosing our Indian Idol was a difficult decision for our viewers. I'm ecstatic for Rishi Singh. Throughout the season, his graph has been outstanding. I can only wish him and rest of the contestants the best of luck, love, and happiness in their future endeavours."