Salman Ali was declared the winner of singing reality show Indian Idol Season 10 on Sunday night. Zero stars Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif graced the final to cheer on the finalists. Apart from Salman, the other finalists were Nitin Kumar, Ankush Bharadwaj, Neelanjana Ray and Vibhor Parashar.

“I am overwhelmed and speechless right now. The feeling of winning the 10th season of Indian Idol is yet to sink in. Indian Idol and Sony Entertainment Television have given me a platform to realize my dreams and I will always be thankful. I haven’t just learned a lot but I have had the opportunity to perform with and in front of legends from this industry. And more than anything else, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude towards the audience who voted for all of us wholeheartedly,” Salman Ali said.

A favourite among the audience, Salman seemed the most obvious choice to win the Indian Idol 10 title. Hailing from Mewat in Haryana, Salman impressed the masses with his powerful performances throughout the season. Even celebrities gracing the show couldn’t stop heaping praise on him. Shah Rukh even got Salman to sing “Sajda” for him in the finale, while he danced and lip-synched on the same. The young singer was left emotional recently when a cancer-stricken fan visited him on the sets. Salman garnered close to 2 crore votes to win the show.

Hosted by Maniesh Paul, Indian Idol 10 was launched in July. It was judged by Neha Kakkar, Anu Malik and Vishal Dadlani. Post the MeToo allegations against Anu Malik, the music maestro stepped down as the judge. While various musicians appeared on the show as a guest judge, Javed Ali stuck to the series in the later stage of the season.

The star-studded grand finale also saw the presence of the Super Dancer 3 team. While Shilpa Shetty and Geeta Kapur promoted their upcoming show, TRP Mama Paritosh Tripathi interacted with the audience, leaving everyone present in splits. Kiku Sharda graced the stage to promote the upcoming season of The Kapil Sharma Show. The night also became special for host Maniesh Paul, as a special video was showcased lauding his journey in the industry.

The contestants created magic on stage with their musical acts. The top five were given a chance to perform along with renowned musicians Javed Ali, Suresh Wadkar, Bappi Lahiri and Alka Yagnik.

Along with the winner’s trophy, Salman Ali also won the prize money of IRs 25 Lakh.

Courtesy: The Indian Express