MUMBAI:  Former Indian Idol contestant Kunal Pandit has been touring with singer Neha Kakkar, an ex-judge on the reality music show. Kunal says Neha is an inspiration for budding music artistes like him.

"Neha Kakkar is an inspiration not only for me but for all the budding singers. 'Indian Idol' gave me a chance to sing in front of her as well as Javed Ali ji and Vishal Dadlani ji. I feel privileged to be a part of her international tours. She's not only a person who gives me excellent singing tips but also who wants to make my future better," Kunal told IANS.

He feels that reality shows have helped him grow a lot. "In the year 2012, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa gave me a kickstart a push which made me explore Bollywood music industry pretty closely. Later, I did a lot of live shows in India and globally," he said.

Meanwhile, Kunal has released his third single Tu Yahi Toh Chahe. Its audio was unveiled in June but its video came out last month only.

Asked about the delay, he said: "I continue advancing and working on my singles and there are many more in the pipeline. I had no plan of shooting a video for this particular song. Few days after releasing the song, me and my crew gave a thought about it and made a video."

"A few of my upcoming releases on my YouTube channel Kunal Pandit (KP) are 'Bombay', 'Aawara' and Parchhai'."

It's not just singles, but also movies that keep him busy. He has worked on filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films Padmaavat and Bajirao Mastani.

"Sanjay Sir wanted a few classical singers for his track Albela Sajan from Bajirao Mastani. One of my friends and a composer Shreyas Puranik pitched me in for the track and Bhansali Sir liked my voice," he recalled about getting the project.

"The same thing worked for my second track Ek Dil Ek Jaan in which I have sung one of the parts of the song. It's an honour to watch the genius at work, there's boundless scope for knowledge if you are in SLB's project," he added and hopes to sing a standalone song in a SLB's movie.

(Source: IANS)