Ranu Mondal: Became confident when I wore headphones for the first time

Himesh Reshammiya's protege and Internet sensation Ranu Mondal on her journey from the railway station to the studio

Her singing skill may have thrust her to overnight stardom, but Ranu Mondal seems at ease in the spotlight. Mondal — who became an Internet sensation after a video of her singing Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai, at the Ranaghat railway station went viral last month — has lent her voice to two songs in mentor Himesh Reshammiya's upcoming film, Happy Hardy And Heer.

"I never gave up hope. Even during the worst phase of my life, singing kept me going. I didn't imagine that I would get such a huge platform, but I had complete faith in my voice," she says. Ask her if recording the first number was an intimidating experience, and she says assuredly, "When I wore the headphones for the first time, it made me even more confident. I used to listen to songs of Lataji [Mangeshkar], Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar and keep learning."

Reports suggested that the singer, 58, had been abandoned by daughter Elizabeth Sathi Roy, which was subsequently denied by the latter. "I don't want to dwell in the past. God willing, we all can be together again someday." Proud to help her find a footing in Bollywood, Reshammiya says, "Salman bhai's [Khan] father, Salim uncle once advised me that whenever I come across a talented person, I should encourage him. Ranuji's singing was so mesmerising that I had to give her this platform."

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