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Sister concern

Sonu Nigam's sister Neekita makes a mark in Bollywood, but not before crooning for three Telugu films

LOOKING AHEAD Neekita wants to cut her own album

"Sonu (Nigam) pampers me a lot but is strict at times. He's almost like my dad to me," laughs Neekita Nigam, Sonu's sister, who is younger to him by more than a decade.

Neekita looks up to Sonu as a singer. Having just made her singing debut in Hindi through Pyare Mohan, she says, "My brother reached this position with a lot of hard work. I am always in admiration of his work. As a brother, he's been very encouraging and has a lot of confidence in me."

Unlike Sonu who had to toil for a few years before cementing his position among the top brass singers, Neekita has had a relatively easy start. She used to accompany her brother for stage shows and recalls, "Five years ago, singing was just a hobby or perhaps a passion for me. I didn't start singing with an idea of taking it up as a career. But along the way, I knew I was cut out for it and gave playback singing a serious thought."

`Super'hit songs

Soon, she sent a demo CD to composer Sandeep Chowta, whom she now refers to as her mentor. "He liked my voice and was gracious enough to make me a part of whatever projects he was working on at that time." Those projects happened to be three Telugu films - Super, Sree and Political Rowdy. "It was a nice experience and the songs of Super became a hit. I got to even do a montage piece for one of the films," says Neekita.

The first Hindi film offer to come her way was Pyare Mohan. "I've been getting outstanding feedback for Rabba De Di Diwani, which I have sung along with Sunidhi (Chauhan). A newcomer doesn't get appreciated so easily," she exults. With this, her task seems to be cut out. "There are a lot of offers," she says.

Like most budding singers, she too wants to bring out her own private music album.

"I'm talking to a few people and working towards an album. Meanwhile, I've also been getting acting offers. But I guess I'm going to be picky because there are lot of aspiring singers and actors out there. You really need to make the right moves to make a mark," Neekita quips.

Ever since her singing career took off, Neekita has been finding lesser and lesser time for her studies.

"But thankfully, I'm studying B.Com through correspondence. So my schedule is rather flexible."

SANGEETHA DEVI. K

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