Sunidhi Chauhan (Hindi: सुनिधि चौहान; born Nidhi Chauhan[1] on 14 August 1983) is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs inBollywood. She has also recorded songs for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Gujarati films and is credited with over 2000 songs.[2]
Chauhan began to sing at the age of four[3] and was discovered by a local TV anchor.[4] She won recognition through a televised singing contest, Meri Awaz Suno, which she won, and made her entrance into playback singing with the Hindi film Shastra.[4]
Her breakthrough was Ram Gopal Varma's film Mast, in which she sang the hit song, "Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi."[4] She has been nominated for fourteenFilmfare Awards, winning it on three occasions. She has won two Star Screen Awards, two IIFA Awards and one Zee Cine Award.
Chauhan was born in Delhi. Her father is a minor theatre personality who pushed her into the music industry from a young age. She has a younger sister, Suneha.[17]
She completed her schooling from Greenway Modern School, Dilshad Garden.
Chauhan, who believes herself to be "the most versatile singer today," attributes her success to her parents and Indian singer Sonu Nigam.[2] She has cited Sadma (1983) as her favourite film;gymnastics and cricket as her favourite sports; and Akshaye Khanna and Madhuri Dixit as her favourite actors.[18] Chauhan also loves western music and cites Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson as her inspirations. She has noted that one of her ambitions is to achieve global fame like they did.[4] She is known for her admiration of international divas Celine Dion and Whitney Houston.
After entering the film industry, Chauhan upgraded her wardrobe and lost twelve kilos by jogging and working out.[5] In an early interview, she revealed a "secret dream" of seeing herself as a Bollywoodactress, saying, "I have many acting offers too, but I don't want to rush it. Frankly, I would like to do just one or two films to fulfill that secret dream of seeing myself as an actress. But my life is singing and my aim is to keep singing better."[5]
In 2002, at the age of 18, Chauhan eloped with director and choreographer Bobby Khan, after working on the music video for "Pehla Nasha."[19] It was reported that the couple married in a secretly arranged ceremony, attended only by very close friends and vigilantly watched over by security.
Chauhan was initially happy with the marriage. In an interview, she said:
"My in-laws don't make me feel I am 'married'. I don't feel I have stepped into a new house. I am so comfortable. And Bobby is a darling. I am very, very happy."[5]
On the downside, the marriage caused a rift between the young singer and her parents, who considered the union unsuitable and consequently disowned her.[20] However, Chauhan and Khan separated a year later, bringing about a reconciliation between the estranged parents and daughter.[21] Chauhan, who lived with mentor, actor and TV anchor, Annu Kapoor and his wife Arunita during the separation, filed for divorce the same year, citing that she had realized she and Khan "wanted different things from life.
No comments:
Post a Comment