From reality show to Bollywood

After becoming famous for her vocal prowess in the music reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in 2009, Bollywood playback singer Pratibha Singh Baghel shares her decade-long journey in a world that she always aspired to live in.

Music is like meditation for Pratibha. She considers herself fortunate for having associated with the industry that helps her realise her dreams.

Hailing from a small town Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, Pratibha did strike a chord with the audience across the country and abroad with her mesmerising voice. Her popularity soared with her songs 'Rajaji' and 'Tak Taki' in the film 'Manikarnika: The Jhansi Ki Rani'.

"I made my debut with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy with these songs and hence it was an honour to sing for them. Shankar Mahadevan has been my mentor for ten years now and I hope to continue working with him along with other composers in future as well," the singer told Womenia when she came to Visakhapatnam to perform at a live concert.

With her soft vocals, Pratibha made her debut with 'Jheeni Re Jheeni' song in the Bolloywood film Issaq.

After its release, there was no looking back for her as offers began trickling in for the Mumbai-settled young singer.

Pratibha has lent her voice in films such as Shorgul, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya, Bollywood Diaries, Baazaar and Luckhnowi Ishq, among others. She has also done a theatrical play on Umrao Jaan.

Sharing her love for the City of Destiny, Pratibha said, "I have performed in Vizag for more than seven times including performances for open festivals and public concert. I love the audience as they are very energetic, which makes me feel connected to the city. Moreover, the hospitality of the Vizag people is amazing."

When asked about Telugu songs which she sings at concerts, she said, "I have sung numbers like 'Apdi Podu Podu' and 'A Ante Amlapuram' songs in my concerts exclusively for Telugu audience.

It is energising to see the audience all charged up when they listen to these foot-tapping Telugu tracks. I have also lent my voice to a few songs in Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi and Punjabi. Although I love singing all genres of music, I have a special place for Ghazals."

Pratibha said she started singing at the age of three and her father inspired her to enter the music world. A few songs with Shivam Mahadevan, the younger son of singer and music composer Shankar Mahadevan, and other composers are slated to be released this year.

Apart from a solo song with Purbayan Chatterjee, Pratibha's future projects also include songs composed by composer-singer duo Vishal-Shekhar, among a host of others.

With a bunch of interesting projects lined up next, Pratibha finds '2020' quite promising.