AUTO RICKSHAW DRIVER NOW A BOLLYWOOD SINGER- VISHAL SRIVASTAV

by Priya Jadhav

"I was disheartened with my elimination from X Factor" says Vishal Srivastav. Hailing from Delhi with dreams in  his eyes to become a singer, little did Vishal know that his talent & passion for singing would land him as one of the most famed Bollywood singers

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An auto rickshaw driver, Vishal Srivastav was raised in an under privileged family where education was considered luxury. Losing his mother at the age of 8 was a setback for the family. As a resultVishal was burdened with responsibilities at a very early age of his life but that didn't deter his ambition to become a singer "I used to sing while riding rickshaw. Infact almost every passenger used to praise me & suggest me to pursue singing as a profession but the financial conditions of my house were very poor. It was a dream to do playback"  

In 2011, Srivastav participated in X Factor, a singing reality show on Sony TV judged by Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal & Sanjay Leela Bhansali. During the auditions he expressed his desire to educate his wife so that she could become a teacher "Because of the financial condition of my house I could not complete my education & I suffered a lot. I didn't want that for my children, I wanted to educate them & give them every luxury in life. This was one of the prime reasons for me to audition in X Factor so that I could earn some money & educate my wife to become a teacher" 

His elimination came as a shock to both the audience & judges. Infact he was the only contestant who made a special place in Sonu Nigam's heart. Srivastav’s moving performance left three judges amazed and speechless with tears and an emotional Sonu Nigam said, '' If I had been in your place, I wouldn’t have been able to give a performance like you did. Your dream for your wife will get fulfilled''.

Ever since his elimination there was no looking back, Vishal did a song with T- Series in 2017 titled "Jogira" which was a chartbuster. In 2018, Vishal participated in Rising Star & impressed the judges Shankar Mahadevan, Monali Thakur & Diljit Dosanjh.

Vishal Srivastav says "I cannot thank them enough. Whatever I am it is for Amar Singh ji, Jaya Prada ji, Amitabh Bachchan ji, Sonu Nigam ji, Mukesh Parmar ji (Music Guru), Satish Dutt ji - (Creative Director) & Pawan Srivastav ji . It is for them & their support I am what I am today"

"Audience has been very kind to me to accept me & love me. I cannot thank them enough" adds Vishal.