Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
It’s that time of the year again when Fremantle’s India’s Got Talent (IGT) has the audience glued to their television set as they are wowed every week by some of India’s most talented performers. The show, that is currently in its 10th Season, has a legacy of showcasing some of India’s most gifted singers and dancers, uniquely-skilled artistes and edge-of-the-seat daredevil stunts. It is the only reality talent show in India that has consistenly, for over a decade now, welcomed people of any age, any talent, any number to its stage, making it truly diverse and inclusive in nature.
IGT Season 10, which went live on July 29th this year, has already been a game changer for some of the star performers who got the opportunity to not only showcase their talent but also set a new Guinness World Record. Amongst the contestants who gave this a shot and succeeded are 8-year-old Arshia Goswami who set a record for the most clean-and-jerk repetitions in a 30-second period and 95-year-old Bhagwani Devi from Haryana became the oldest woman to throw a shot put. This range of achievement is proof of one of IGT’s founding principles – when it comes to talent, age is just a number.
Today India’s talented performers are so impressive, they are being invited to showcase their skills on international platforms across the world. Here are some IGT acts that have taken the world by storm with their talent:
Divyansh Kacholia & Manuraj Singh Rajput
Fate brought this beatboxing and flautist duo together when their respective partners failed to turn up for the India’s Got Talent auditions. Belonging to two different realms of the music world, this duo from Jaipur bonded due to their common love for music and went on to win Season 9 of India’s Got Talent with their perfectly tuned acts. They were then selected to perform at America’s Got Talent: All-Stars 2023 where they got a standing ovation. Heidi Klum described their performance as ‘Bollywood meets Brooklyn’.
Warrior Squad
This dance-acrobat group from Haryana led by Rahul Yadav were one of the finalists in India’s Got Talent season 9. Yadav mastered the art of acrobatics educating himself through online sources such as YouTube. Though his troupe had limited resources, their dedication and passion propelled them to attain widespread acclaim and they eventually got an opportunity to perform on America’s Got Talent. Their edge-of-the-seat acrobatic feats, agility and core strength impressed the judges and won them a standing ovation. The group is was the front runner at the current season of AGT – season 18. Still in the race.
Bad Salsa
The Bad Salso duo, Sonali Majumdar and Maraju Sumanth from Kolkata, were crowned winners of India’s Got Talent Season 4. They subsequently joined America’s Got Talent season 15. Though they finished in the lower half of the Top 10, they were a fan-favourite. The dynamic duo was also a part of Romanii Au Talent where they impressed the judges with their energy packed acrobatic-salsa routine and even won a Golden Buzzer.
V Unbeatable
V Unbeatable is a Mumbai-based acrobatic dance troupe with members aged between 12 to 28. Despite hailing from the slums of the city and living with limited resources, they went on to win America’s Got Talent season 15 – The Champions. Their finale performance featuring punk rock act Blink 182’s drummer Travis Barker, was nothing short of incredible! Lauding their performance, one of the judges Howie Andel said that it was one the most exciting, dangerous and thrilling act in the history of AGT.
Akshat Singh
This young ‘dance dhamaka‘ of a boy appeared on India’s Got Talent Season 5 and instantly rose to fame with his splits, back flips and frisky dance moves. He achieved celeb status when he was invited as a guest to the ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ that has hosted the who’s who of the international entertainment circuit, from Nicole Kidman to Barack Obama.
Bringing these hidden singing, dancing and variety talents into the limelight is no easy task for production houses like Fremantle. Their crews spend months on meticulous research, sending out their trained, sharp-eyed teams to different parts of India to scout for the best talent before packaging and sharing them with the whole world.
India’s Got Talent has been scouting talent from every nook and cranny of India for over a decade now, giving a platform to thousands of aspirants from across India to showcase their skills. If not for these production houses, many people with special talents would never have the opportunity to share their gifts with the world and bring joy to thousands of people who watch them and love them and also change their lives for the better, forever!
