KOCHI: In 2014, actor Shah Rukh Khan left thousands of his fans delirious when he literally lifted singer-turned-actor Rimi Tommy during a stage show in Kochi. Just three years on, a 15-year-old lad from Kodungallur has ‘paid back King Khan the compliment’ by lifting the latter in his arms!
Girish Vaishnav, a Class X student of St Joseph’s HSS, Mathilakam, who won the hearts of millions with his soulful rendition at the ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champ’ reality TV programme of Zee TV, had never dreamt he would be able to lift SRK in his fiefdom of Bollywood.
“I had not expected this to happen in my life. It was an unforgettable moment in my life,” said Vaishnav over phone from Mumbai, where he is taking part in the competition rounds of the reality programme.
SRK had reached the studio floor as part of promotion of his new film. Amazed by the talent of the child prodigy, SRK struck up a witty conversation with him and, at the end, Vaishnav lifted SRK in his arms.
Vaishnav, who won the ‘Kalaprathiba’ title twice in a row at the state CBSE school festival, is creating ripples on the social media with his video song ‘Bin Tere’ from the film ‘I Hate Love Stories’, receiving more than 1.6 crore hits in less than four days.
He has also received a handful of offers from the big screen, including an offer from Bollywood singer-actor Himesh Reshammiya who, along with everyone from the gallery of the studio floor, gave a standing ovation to him after the programme. He had also received several offers from various quarters, including a Marathi film, and we are checking the genuineness of the offers, said Gokul Menon, his relative who accompanies him.
Vaishnav, a foodie with a penchant for chicken dishes, is a great fan of music too. For the past 10 years, he had been observing 41-day fast during the Sabarimala season.He also takes Ramzan fast, proclaiming art has no boundary and religion. Vaishnav, who rose to fame by participating in the reality TV show ‘Indian Idol Junior’ telecast on Sony TV in 2015, was the winner of the Malayalam reality show “Surya Singer 2” conducted by Surya TV in 2014.
Vaishnav, who has been learning music for the past 10 years, wants to become a sound engineer-cum-singer and composer. “A R Rahman is my role model. The music composed by the master composer has stolen my heart,” he says.“I owe the feathers in my cap to my brother Krishnanunni Girish as he is the one who takes the lead in making me participate in such programmes,” he said.
All-round player
Son of A K Girish Kumar, a Canara Bank employee, and Mini V Menon, an advocate in Kerala High Court, Vaishnav was the runner-up in ‘Indian Idol Junior’ show of Sony TV and winner of ‘Surya Singer 2’. He had won the CBSE State ‘Kalaprathibha’ title for two times in a row. He has also received a handful of offers from big screen, including an offer from Bollywood singer-actor Himesh Reshammiya