“I feel we have Master Saleem 2 in the making,” says Shankar Mahadevan on hearing Li'l champ Harsh Sikandar sing!

Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is the longest-running singing reality show format that has been ruling the hearts of audiences for almost 3 decades. After having introduced the world to talent powerhouses like Shreya Ghoshal, Shekhar Ravijani, Kunal Ganjawala, Sugandha Mishra, Kamal Khan, Raja Hasan and Vaishali Mhade who have carved a name for themselves in the industry, in Season 9 of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs, viewers will see a fresh panel of judges including Shankar Mahadevan, Anu Malik and Neeti Mohan with Bharti Singh as the host. 

Since its launch viewers have been enjoying watching the young singing sensations perform wonderfully during the audition rounds. But this weekend, get ready to be blown away by the talented performances of the top 13 contestants in the upcoming Grand Premiere episode of the season! While all the contestants are putting their best foot forward, it was Harsh Sikandar’s amazing performance to ‘Mast Kalandar’ song that touched judge Shankar Mahadevan’s heart.  Mahadevan shared how he chose the singer of the song, Master Saleem, to sing this song after he heard him sing at a Jagrata on a Punjabi channel. That’s not it, after he shared this anecdote, he also complimented Harsh saying that he is the next Master Saleem of the industry.

Shankar mentioned, “A few years ago, one day I was watching a Punjabi channel and I heard a guy singing at a Jagrata. He was so good that the audience was literally enjoying his singing and I was just amazed by his voice that I wanted to find out who the singer is and make him sing my then upcoming song ‘Mast Kalandar’. Later, we got to know it was none other than the famous singer Master Saleem. We then flew him down from Punjab and that’s how we got this famous song ‘Mast Kalandar’. After listening to Harsh’s performance today, I feel that we have a Master Saleem 2 in the making.”

Well, that’s not it. After Harsh’s performance, there was another contestant who impressed our judges and that is a 10-year-old contestant, Atharva. Atharva gave a spectacular performance to the song ‘Mere Naam Tu’, and after listening to him judge Anu Malik mentioned how the industry has got a new playback singer. Not only Anu Malik but even Neeti Mohan was stunned by his performance and mentioned how she will personally tell the composers of the song - Ajay and Atul to watch his performance!

While the judges are having a gala time listening to all the contestants perform, wait till you watch the extraordinary performances by the Top 13 contestants in the upcoming Grand Premiere episode of the show!  

Stay tuned to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs, every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm, only on Zee TV!