'Indian Idol' hunted by fathers with marriage proposals

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2005

BOMBAY (AFP) — Less than a fortnight after being crowned the first "Indian Idol", 23-year-old Abhijeet Sawant is a hunted man -- scores of parents are chasing after him with proposals to marry their daughters.

"My family is having a tough time controlling parents who have just kept pouring in with marriage proposals since the day I became the Indian Idol," Sawant told AFP in an interview.

The boyish-looking Sawant, an amateur singer with a local Bombay orchestra, was chosen as the first "Indian Idol" in a competition modelled on the popular American Idol format.

Sawant used to sing Bollywood songs in musical shows during religious festivals and at wedding ceremonies, where he was recognised as talented but not exceptional.

But his moment of glory...