Abhijeet Sawant was the winner of India’s first Indian Idol, a show very similar to American Idol, on March 9, 2005.
Originally from Mumbai, Abhijeet beat Amit Sana for the title. He won a contract worth Rs 10 million (or 1 crore) from Sony and a luxury car. Both the finalists also won a weeklong trip to Switzerland with their families.
His most famous song, Muhabbatein Luttaunga, is the song he sang on the final episode. His first solo album, Aapka Abhijeet Sawant, was released on April 7, 2005. The album contains songs sung by Abhijeet, Amit Sana and Prajakta Shukre.
The first Indian Idol was considered to be even bigger and more extravagant than the original American version, in terms of the votes cast and the people watching it on television. Sawant was used to promote many other shows and products related to Sony in the following months. He even released an album for another Sony show Jassi jaissi Koi nahin in June 2005. Sawant was also seen singing and sometimes acting in many other Sony-produced shows, including CID.
His first grand concert after winning Indian Idol was the Yaaron Concert in Delhi. The show was broadcast on television on 17 July 2005. He was accompanied by the 11 Gala Round finalists of the TV show.