Abhijeet Sawant on Indian Idol Return: ‘I Deliberately Tried to Stay Away From TV’

Abhijeet Sawant is back on the Indian Idol stage, 22 years after winning its first season in 2004. The singer is currently appearing as a participant on Indian Idol: Legends Return, revisiting the platform that changed his life. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, he spoke about his return, his experience with television reality shows and how the music industry has changed since his debut.

Abhijeet Sawant on winning Indian Idol

Recalling his return to the stage, Abhijeet said, “It feels very nostalgic. My journey started from this platform. So I was very excited to come back and remember that whole aura of the old days. It was something different to experience. Many people will think this is kind of a competition. But I’m beyond this situation right now. For me, it’s about collecting old memories and creating new ones. So this is kind of a fun roller-coaster ride for me.”

The singer also spoke about sharing the stage with younger contestants and adjusting to a different generation of performers. Looking back at his win, he said, “My life changed completely after winning the first Indian Idol. Earlier I was just a normal boy, learning music, trying to get a chance to perform on stage. And after that, in six months, we all became the heartthrobs of the Indian audience.”

He added that the show helped him dream beyond the limited ambitions he had before participating.

Abhijeet Sawant on playback singing and independent music

Abhijeet believes singers today have more freedom to build their careers independently. While he continues to value playback singing, he pointed to social media and independent releases as new opportunities for artists. He said, “The good thing about today’s music is that an individual artist can work on his own craft and he doesn’t need any other support.”

Why Abhijeet Sawant returned to television

The singer has also appeared on Bigg Boss Marathi and Celebrity MasterChef. Explaining his decision to return to television after taking a break, he said, “I’m a television baby; I was born on television as a singer and as a performer. So for me, staying away from television is a little difficult. I deliberately tried to stay away from television, but that was a wrong decision.”

He added that audiences continued to recognise him as a familiar television face, making his return a natural step in his career.