ADVERTISEMENT3 / 8 Before becoming one of India's most successful playback singers, Arijit Singh competed on the same season of Fame Gurukul.
Arijit went on to build a major career in film music, while Qazi gradually moved away from the mainstream spotlight.
Although the show gave him a lot of recognition, sustaining that popularity outside reality television proved difficult.
Qazi's appearance offered him a connection to a mainstream Bollywood production after his initial reality television fame.
ADVERTISEMENT7 / 8 Arijit Singh and Qazi Touqeer have been friends since they competed on the singing reality show Fame Gurukul in 2005.
Last Updated: October 12, 2026, 08:52 IST
1 / 8 Qazi Touqeer became a household name in 2005 after winning Sony TV’s singing reality show Fame Gurukul alongside Ruprekha Banerjee. The competition brought together aspiring singers who were judged on their performances as well as their ability to connect with viewers. Qazi stood out for his energetic stage presence and popularity with audiences, becoming one of the show's most talked-about contestants. His win made him a familiar face across India, although his career later took a different path from that of some of his fellow contestants.
2 / 8 Qazi’s win was driven by strong audience support. He received more than 2.5 crore votes despite entering the danger zone 10 times during the competition. The report also said fans had reportedly spent more than Rs 11 crore on SMS voting to save him.
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3 / 8 Before becoming one of India's most successful playback singers, Arijit Singh competed on the same season of Fame Gurukul. He finished sixth, while Qazi and Ruprekha emerged as the joint winners on October 20, 2005. Arijit went on to build a major career in film music, while Qazi gradually moved away from the mainstream spotlight. However, the two singers maintained a friendship after the show.
4 / 8 Winning Fame Gurukul gave Qazi a chance to pursue music professionally. He joined Ruprekha Banerjee for the album Yeh Pal, released after their victory, as the two attempted to build on their television success. Ruprekha continued recording songs in several languages, including Hindi, Bengali and Bhojpuri. Qazi, meanwhile, explored opportunities in music and acting. Although the show gave him a lot of recognition, sustaining that popularity outside reality television proved difficult.
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5 / 8 Despite the attention he received after Fame Gurukul, Qazi did not go on to enjoy the same level of mainstream visibility as some other singers who emerged from reality television. He continued exploring work opportunities, but his career did not develop into a prominent playback-singing journey. His story later attracted renewed interest because of the contrast between his huge audience support in 2005 and his relatively low profile in the years that followed.
6 / 8 Qazi also made an appearance in the music video for “Afghan Jalebi”, one of the songs from the 2015 film Phantom. The track featured Katrina Kaif and became a recognisable part of the film's music album. The film starred Saif Ali Khan and Katrina, and was directed by Kabir Khan. Qazi's appearance offered him a connection to a mainstream Bollywood production after his initial reality television fame. However, it did not lead to a sustained run of major film roles, and he remained largely outside the mainstream spotlight in the years that followed.
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7 / 8 Arijit Singh and Qazi Touqeer have been friends since they competed on the singing reality show Fame Gurukul in 2005. Nearly 21 years later, when Qazi entered Bigg Boss 20, Arijit publicly showed his support for his old friend. In a post on X in September 2026, he wrote, “I will have to watch BIG BOSS for the first time in my life cz Apna Rockstar QAZI hai udhar.”
