Meet the Indian Shakira of the Film Industry - Neha Kakkar
She grew up with a dream to sing someday like her sister. Having such talent at home, she never felt the need to get any formal training in singing.
By Punita Sabharwal •
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They are the 35 boldest entrepreneurs of India who are changing the game in various industries and together they represent the optimism, inventiveness, and boldness of India's millennial entrepreneurs. They have not just questioned the conventional wisdom but answered it with their fiery and risky business undertakings. They have inspired every young Indian to not shy away from breaking the status quo, rewriting the rules and transforming the world.
Entrepreneur Magazine is glad to present Neha Kakkar, Singer who made it to our 35 under 35 special.
From a contestant on a reality television show to now being a judge for future singers, life has come full circle for this vivacious singer. 2016 was a year that belonged to Neha Kakkar with some chartbuster hits like Kala Chashma and Kar gayi chull. 2017 looks much more promising for this young talent.
Neha Kakkar started singing at the tender age of four. Being a sibling to Sonu Kakkar and Tony Kakkar, music was an everyday phenomenon at home. She grew up with a dream to sing someday like her sister. Having such talent at home, she never felt the need to get any formal training in singing. This further led to her aim to participate in Indian Idol 2. "Istarted with Bhajan-Sandhyas, Mata-ki-Chowki from the age of four until 16 when I auditioned for Indian Idol 2," shares Neha.
Not making it to the finals left her devastated. "People appreciated my voice saying that you sing well but nobody ever told me that I am a great singer and I wanted to prove that. So I polished my voice a lot from that time onwards so that people actually appreciate my voice," says Neha. Talking about life afterwards, Neha says, "I got my first blockbuster break for the movie Cocktail, where I sang "Second Hand Jawani'. She went on to deliver hits like "Dhating-Naach', "Sunny- Sunny', "Aao Raja', "Manali Trance' and many more.
On judging the reality show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs, she says, "Having shot three episodes till now, every time I audition somebody, I actually feel their emotions. I go into the flashback when I was a
contestant myself." When asked if she would get into business anytime soon, she shares, "If ever, it has to be a clothing line."
(This article was first published in the February issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)
