Qazi Touqeer’s appearance on Bigg Boss 20 has revived interest in the 2005 singing reality show Fame Gurukul, the programme that made him a household name almost overnight. Yet the renewed attention has also brought an old friendship back into focus — his enduring bond with Arijit Singh, who was among the contestants on the same show but did not make it to the top five.
Nearly two decades later, the two remain close. Arijit, known for keeping his personal life away from the public eye, recently showed his support for Qazi following his Bigg Boss debut. Qazi, meanwhile, has spoken warmly about the singer while interacting with fellow contestants on the reality show.
One of the most striking stories from their early friendship is Arijit’s prediction about Qazi’s future. Long before he became one of India’s most recognisable playback singers, Arijit reportedly told Qazi that he had the potential to become a major pop star — even comparing that potential with Michael Jackson.
Qazi stood by a young Arijit
Their friendship began during their days on Fame Gurukul. Arijit was only 17 at the time, and Qazi recalled an emotional episode in which the young singer broke down in front of the cameras.
Qazi had voted to save Arijit during the competition and also tried to reassure him when he was struggling emotionally. A video of that moment has resurfaced on social media years later, giving viewers a glimpse of the relationship the two developed at the beginning of their careers.
In the clip, Qazi can be heard encouraging Arijit not to lose confidence. He told the young singer to remain strong and not allow negative thoughts to overwhelm him. Qazi also explained that his voting decision would not be based solely on a contestant’s performance.
He said he would consider the wider picture before voting and acknowledged that Arijit could become a strong competitor. Yet, rather than avoiding that challenge, Qazi said he had chosen to vote for him because he liked challenges.
That moment appears to have laid the foundation for a friendship that survived the end of the programme and the very different career paths that followed.
Arijit’s next reality-show victory
Although Arijit did not reach the top five of Fame Gurukul, his journey in music continued. He later participated in Sony’s reality show Dus Ka Dus, a programme that brought together contestants associated with Indian Idol and Fame Gurukul.
Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Qazi recalled that the show did not achieve the same level of popularity as some other reality programmes of the period. Arijit nevertheless won the competition and received prize money of Rs 10 lakh.
For Arijit, the money was more than a prize. According to Qazi, he used it to purchase equipment for setting up a studio.
Qazi remembered that Arijit called him several times after winning the show and invited him to his home. Qazi was busy with shooting commitments at the time, so their meeting was delayed. When they eventually met, Arijit told him about his plans for the studio and, more significantly, about what he believed Qazi could achieve.
‘You can become a pop star’
At around 22, Arijit already had an unusually ambitious vision of Qazi’s future. Qazi recalled being surprised that someone younger than him could have such a clear and expansive idea of where his career might go.
Arijit told him that other countries had global pop stars and rock icons such as Michael Jackson, and that India could have a comparable figure. According to Qazi, Arijit believed he could become that kind of star.
At the time, however, Qazi was focused firmly on acting. Having already gained recognition through Fame Gurukul, he wanted to establish himself in films and did not take Arijit’s prediction particularly seriously.
Arijit apparently insisted that he was being sincere.
He told Qazi that he was not joking and that he genuinely believed he had the potential. He also offered him opportunities to perform in shows. Qazi, however, said he did not pay much attention to those offers because his priority was building a career in cinema.
Looking back, Qazi now sees those conversations differently. Arijit eventually went on to become one of India’s biggest musical stars, making the young singer’s early confidence in his friend’s potential seem remarkably prescient.
No jealousy over their contrasting careers
The different trajectories of the two friends have inevitably invited comparisons. Qazi won Fame Gurukul, while Arijit failed to reach its final stages. Years later, Arijit became a major name in Indian music, while Qazi pursued his own career in the entertainment industry.
Qazi said people sometimes point to that contrast and ask why the winner of the original competition did not achieve the same level of fame as the contestant who did not make the top five.
His response, he said, has always been straightforward: he is happy for Arijit and content with his own life and achievements.
Asked whether he had ever felt even slightly jealous of his friend’s success, Qazi’s answer was emphatic — “Not even 1%.”
‘Tum Hi Ho’ changed everything
Qazi also recalled the moment when he realised just how far Arijit’s career was about to go.
He heard Tum Hi Ho on MTV late one night and immediately recognised the voice. He called Arijit to confirm that it was him. According to Qazi, Arijit appeared almost unaware at first of just how significant the song could become.
Qazi told him that he was now a star and that his life was going to change. Arijit responded by suggesting that he would visit Qazi the following day.
That meeting never happened as planned. Arijit soon became occupied with interviews and promotional commitments, followed by one song after another. Qazi described the transformation simply: “And then Arijit became Arijit.”
More than a singer
Qazi has also highlighted Arijit’s willingness to learn beyond singing during the early stages of his career. He recalled that Arijit worked with composer Pritam without taking payment so that he could learn about music programming and its technical aspects.
For Qazi, that experience demonstrated that Arijit’s abilities extended beyond his voice. His understanding of the technical side of music, he suggested, was another factor behind the singer’s eventual success.
Despite that success, Qazi believes Arijit has remained remarkably unaffected by fame. He pointed to the singer’s simple lifestyle, recalling how he would ride a scooter, wear slippers and track trousers and show little concern for how others perceived him.
That simplicity, in Qazi’s view, has remained part of Arijit’s personality even as his professional standing has grown enormously.
Their friendship, meanwhile, has endured for around 20 years. When Qazi entered Bigg Boss 20, Arijit publicly cheered him on through his personal X account, WhoAmI.
“I will have to watch Bigg Boss for the first time because apna rockstar Qazi hai udhar,” he wrote.
From a tense reality-show competition in 2005 to two very different journeys through the entertainment industry, the story of Qazi and Arijit is as much about friendship as it is about fame. Qazi may not have believed Arijit’s extraordinary prediction at the time, but he has since watched that once-young contestant grow into one of India’s most prominent musical voices.
