Akash Ramu Manphukani, a salesman at a cloth shop, has come from Nagpur to try his luck on Indian Idol.
The 30 year old has many inspirations.
For one, there's Abhijeet Sawant, the first Indian Idol.
He's also so inspired by Ranbir Kapoor's film Rockstar that he got himself a 'Rockstar' tattoo on his back.
Akash has already taken the first step towards being a singer by performing regularly at the Vidarbha Hindi Sanstha Ubharte Sitare in Vidarbha.
"Whatever God deems fit, he will do in my favour. There is no pressure on my mind. If it happens, it will be great. If it doesn't, that's okay," says Akash.
Watch Akash sing in this video:
Video: Afsar Dayatar/Rediff.com