MUMBAI: Singer Neha Kakkar, who is currently seen as one of the judges on Indian Idol 12, began her journey with the same show. She participated in the second season of the music reality show but was eliminated early. Several years later, she rose to prominence with the popularity of her song, Second Hand Jawaani, from Cocktail.

A video of Neha’s Indian Idol audition has resurfaced online. In the clip, she sang Aisa Lagta Hai from Refugee, but failed to impress. In fact, composer Anu Malik (who was judging the show back then, along with singer Sonu Nigam and filmmaker Farah Khan), said that he felt like slapping himself after her performance. He also slapped himself to demonstrate his anguish.

“Neha Kakkar... Teri awaaz sun kar lagta hai main apne mooh par maaroon thappad, yaar! Kya ho gaya hai tere ko (I feel like slapping myself after hearing you sing. What happened to you)?” he asked her.

Currently, Neha is seen as a judge on Indian Idol 12, alongside singer-composers Vishal Dadlani and Himesh Reshammiya. She is one of the highest-paid singers in Bollywood, with a number of hits such as Kaala Chashma, Dilbar, Aankh Marey and O Saki Saki, to her credit. She is also popular on social media, with 55 million followers on Instagram.