Sohini Mishra. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 6: Sohini Mishra is finally getting the guinea pigs she’s always wanted. And this time, she wouldn’t have to pester her father. The 23-year-old talented singer from Cuttack has met her part of the deal by making it to the top 10 of famed television reality show Indian Idol-6.

“I am thrilled, to say the least. It is like a dream come true,” said Sohini, who, not only has the judges on the television reality show floored by her soulful renditions, but has also given every Odia a reason to cheer about.

The final-year postgraduate student of biotechnology at Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, is also a B-high grade artiste of All India Radio. She has lent her voice to various Odia film songs. Sohini’s first teachers were her parents Ananta Charan and Pramila, both radio and television artistes themselves.

“Music has always been her passion. Classical music being her forte, she is being trained by Pandit Debendra Narayan Satpathy at present. Though I would have wanted her to pursue a career in academics, she has made up her mind to become a playback singer,” said her proud father Ananta Charan, a science teacher at Christ Collegiate School in Cuttack.

Sohini first auditioned for the Indian Idol-6 in Bhubaneswar where she impressed judges — music composer Anu Malik, singer Sunidhi Chauhan and singer-composer Salim Merchant — with her voice quality and intonation. After that, she was invited for the mega auditions in Mumbai. From there she made it to the final 16.

When she crooned More naina bahaye neer sakhi ka by Lata Mangeshkar from Bawarchi (1972) in the “piano round” last week, she did not elicit an encouraging response from Salim and Sunidhi, who said she was “a good finding but was capable of doing much better”.

However, Sohini has found her admirers in Anu Malik and Asha Bhosle, the fourth judge on the show. “You chose a very difficult song. I didn’t feel you were out of tune too much. During song recordings, singers make a lot of mistakes but you did very well in just one attempt. You have made me very happy,” said Bhosle of her performance.

The gala rounds of the show will begin tonight and since the show relies on SMS voting, Sohini’s parents have begun a “campaign” to garner as many votes as possible for her. “I am grateful to everyone who feel I have the talent to win the Indian Idol-6. I hope they will continue to support me through votes,” said Sohini.