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Sunidhi Chauhan (born Nidhi Chauhan on 14 August 1983) is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films.

Chauhan began to sing at the age of four and was discovered by a local TV anchor. 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.

Her breakthrough was Ram Gopal Varma's film Mast, in which she sang the hit song, "Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi." She has been nominated for fourteen Filmfare Awards, winning it on three occasions. She has won two Star Screen Awards, two IIFA Awards and one Zee Cine Award.

Early career

Sunidhi Chauhan family hail from Uttar Pradesh. She started her singing career as a child, giving her first performance at the age of four, in a local temple in Delhi. Thereafter, she began to participate in, and sing for, competitions and local gatherings. When local TV anchor, Tabassum, spotted her talent, her family shifted to Mumbai in a bid to further develop the young singer's skills, and Chauhan became the lead singer in Kalyanji's 'Little Wonders' troupe.

Recognition first met her in 1996, through the music show Meri Aawaz Suno — the first such televised contest in India — which was broadcast through the Indian national television channel, Doordarshan. She won the competition and bagged the top prize of recording an album, Aira Ghaira Nathu Khaira, with HMV.

Unluckily for Chauhan, Aira Ghaira Nathu Khaira was promoted as a children's album and failed to get the recognition it deserved. In 2002, Chauhan herself observed this in an interview:

"My first song and the contest did not help me much. Nothing happened for a while. But by then, I had made up my mind that I will pursue singing as a career."

Chauhan stepped into the world of playback singing with the 1996 Bollywood film, Shastra, after Aadesh Srivastava asked her to lend her voice to the song "Larki Deewaani Dekho, Ladka Deewaana." She followed it with work in films like Gang, Veergati, Dahek, Bade Dilwala, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and Samar. By the age of nineteen, Chauhan had already lent her voice to over 350 songs.

Breakthrough and later work

Chauhan's breakthrough was Ram Gopal Varma's Mast, in which she sang the hit song, "Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi" and three others, including the title song. In an interview, while speaking of Mast, she said:

"Whatever I am today, I owe to Mast. I met Sandeep Chowta through Sonu Nigam, and fifteen days later, Mast was in my lap. I was only sixteen then."

In February 2007, as part of its marketing campaign and launch of Windows Vista in India, Microsoft hired Sunidhi Chauhan to sing the "Windows Vista Song" titled "Wow is Now". This song features English and Hindi lyrics proclaiming the many 'glamorous' features of the Windows Vista operating system.

Chauhan sung for the Hindi-dubbed version of Disney's movie, High School Musical — songs which were sung by Vanessa Anne Hudgens in the English version. Moreover, she was the singer of the English language song "Reach Out" at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Asian Games at Doha, Qatar.

2008 was a highly successful year for the young singer, as she went on to deliver a huge number of superhit songs like "Chhaliya" (Tashan), "Rock Mahi," "Lucky Boy," "Desi Girl" (Dostana), "Dance Pe Chance" (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi), and "Race Saanson Ki" (Race), and which resulted in her winning the "Kelvinator GR8! FLO Women Award 2009" for her contribution to music.

In April 2010, Chauhan joined Anu Malik and Salim Merchant as a judge on the fifth season of the immensely popular singing talent show, Indian Idol 5.

Due to her high pitch voice and outstanding stage performances Sunidhi got "Chevrolet GIMA (Global Indian Music Awards) of Best Live Performer- Female"

Sunidhi Chauhan also joined Pitbull, John Ledend, K'Naan and Alicia Keys in the Western Union's World Of Betters to raise fund. Sunidhi sang too English songs, "Call me" and "Valentine". She moved the money to disadvantaged girls of Mumbai to help them discover their inner beauty

Collaborations

Chauhan has collaborated with Indian singers such as Alka Yagnik, Shaan, Udit Narayan, and is known for her popular pairing with Sukhwinder Singh (in films such as Omkara and Aaja Nachle). She is most often paired with singer Sonu Nigam, and with the successful female playback singer Shreya Ghoshal, whom many view as a stiff competition for Chauhan. She has also done a duet with Pakistani singer Faakhir Mehmood for his album Mantra.

She has also collaborated with Enrique Iglesias, on a song titled as "Heartbeat (India Mix)" which was included on Iglesias' album Euphoria (Special Indian Edition).

Lyricists she has worked with include Jaideep Sahni, Irshad Kamil, Gulzar, Sameer, Prasoon Joshi, Swanand Kirkire, the late Anand Bakshi and Javed Akhtar; music directors include Vandemataram Srinivas, Bappi Lahiri, A. R. Rahman, Ilaiyaraja, Yuvan, Himesh Reshammiya, Anu Malik, Jatin Lalit, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Pritam Chakraborty, Rajesh Roshan, Nadeem-Shravan, Anand-Milind, Vishal-Shekhar, M. M. Keeravani and others.

Chauhan is one of the few female singers of the present generation who have lent their voice for nearly every leading actress in the Hindi entertainment industry, including Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Konkona Sen Sharma and more. She has also sung for actresses of yesteryear cinema, such as Rekha. She was the main singer who lent her voice for the comebacks of two leading Bollywood actresses: Kajol, in the movie Fanaa, and Madhuri Dixit, in Aaja Nachle.

In 2011 Sunidhi got her breakthrough in international pop world by collaborating with international pop star Enrique for Hindi version of song Heartbeat & becomes first Indian female singer for an international collaboration.

Vocal ability

Chauhan's voice has been described as "powerful," "amazing," "husky ... sensuous". However, it has been noted that Chauhan can not hit high notes without losing some tonal quality,

In 2007, while discussing Chauhan's popular song "Beedi Jailaile," actress Bipasha Basu (on whom the song was picturised) said Her singing is so powerful. She added another dimension to my dancing."

Indian singer, Lata Mangeshkar has called Chauhan "one of the finest young singers." Ironically, Chauhan's item numbers have been said to mark the end of the "squeaky Lata era", a period when Mangeshkar's style of soft voice and classical music were preferred over racy or fast pop songs.

Special appearances

In October 2008, Chauhan appeared on a special episode of the singing contest, Star Voice of India, alongside composer Ashu Dhruv, to promote their film, Drona.

She was a guest RJ for India's Radio City 91.1 FM's new morning show, Musical-e-Azam where, over her week-long stint, she interviewed the likes of Kunal Ganjawala, Daler Mehendi, Sukhwindar, Adnan Sami and Gulzar.

She also appeared on the Femina Miss India 2011 contest and X-factor India to promote her song HEARTBEAT, a song in collaboration with the international pop star Enrique Engesia in his album Euphoria.

Personal life

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.

Chauhan, who believes herself to be "the most versatile singer today," attributes her success to her parents and Indian singer Sonu Nigam. 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. 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. 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. In an early interview, she revealed a "secret dream" of seeing herself as a Bollywood actress, 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."

In 2002, at the age of 18, Chauhan ran away with director and choreographer Bobby Khan, after working on the music video for "Pehla Nasha." 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."

On the downside, the marriage caused a rift between the young singer and her parents, who considered the union unsuitable and consequently disowned her. However, Chauhan and Khan separated a year later, bringing about a reconciliation between the estranged parents and daughter. 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."

Filmography

• Ehsaas - A Feeling (Released November 30, 2001) (Special Appearance)
• Bhoot (Special Appearance in Promotional Song Bhoot Hoon Main)
• Bas Ek Pal (Special Appearance in Promotional Song Dheeme Dheeme with singer K.K.)

Awards and honors

Other Awards and Honors

2009: Kelvinator GR8! FLO Women Award

2010: Chevrolet GIMA (Global Indian Music Awards) of Best Live Performer- Female

2010: Best Visualized Song Track (Female) - Udi - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan & Sunidhi Chauhan

2011: Massal Award for Best International Female Vocalist Award

Kannada Film

• Mungaru Male. Director Yograj Bhat

References

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2. "The Hindu : Sound of success". Hinduonnet.com. 2003-04-15. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
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4. ^ "' 'About Sunidhi Chauhan'". http://www.sunidhichauhan.com/. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help) Cite error: The named reference "aboutme" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
5. ^ "Bollywood News: Bollywood Movies Reviews, Hindi Movies in India, Music & Gossip". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hindustantimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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8. "8th Kelvinator Gr8! Women Awards 2009 - Picture 1 - Bollywood Hindi Tamil Telugu Indian Music Videos and News". Ww.smashits.com. 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
9. "Luck By Chance - music review by Atta Khan". Planet Bollywood. 2008-12-28. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
10. ^ "Luck By Chance – music review. « News You Can't Use!". Iyerdeepak.wordpress.com. 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
11. ^ Cite error: The named reference "buzz" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
12. ^ http://www.desifans.com/news/20071750 Cite error: The named reference "bipasha" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
13. "I want to thank Sunidhi Chauhan: Richa Sharma : Star Talk". Santabanta.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
14. "Shabd (*ing Sanjay Dutt, Aishwarya Rai, Zayed Khan)". Bollywhat-forum.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
15. ^ "The evolution of Sunidhi Chauhan - Aspi's Drift". Aspisdrift.com. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
16. "Sunidhi Chauhan, Dhruv promote 'Drona' on Star Voice Of India". News.sawf.org. 2008-10-03. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
17. "rediff.com: When Sunidhi Chauhan interviewed Kunal Ganjawala". Specials.rediff.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
18. "Sunidhi Chauhan - Going places". Screenindia.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
19. "Sunidhi Chauhan". Hindilyrics.net. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
20. "Bobby Khan - ZoomInfo Business Information". Zoominfo.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
21. "Sunidhi Chauhan (Bollywood Pop Singer) - Apni Photos.com - Bollywood , Indian & Pakistani Celebrities Hot images & Wallpapers". Apni Photos.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
22. "Sunidhi Chauhan and her parents reunite but". Bollyvista.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
23. Karishma Upadhyay, TNN, May 17, 2004, 01.08am IST (2004-05-17). "'I have become a strong woman' - City - The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
24. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0154298/awards

External links

• Official website
• Sunidhi Chauhan at IMDb

Template:Persondata

• 1983 births
• Living people
• Bollywood playback singers
• Kollywood playback singers
• Kannada playback singers
• Indian female singers
• Indian film singers
• Idol series judges
• People from Delhi
• People from Mumbai
• Indian pop singers
• Indian television personalities
• Indian voice actors