Mumbai: Odisha's Rituraj Mohanty was named the first "India's Raw Star" Sunday here after receiving votes from audiences across India.
Known for his soulful voice, Rituraj's consistent performance throughout the season of the singing reality show led him to victory.
Going home with a Maruti Suzuki Swift, a contract with STAR Plus and a whopping Rs.50 lakh as cash prize, he defeated Darshan Raval from Ahmedabad and Mohit Gaur from Jaipur.
"It is very difficult for me to sink in the feeling that I have won this show. Firstly, I would like to thank Yo Yo Honey Singh and STAR Plus for getting me on the show and for giving me such a huge platform to perform on.
"Himesh Reshammiya has been such a great mentor and a huge support. I would like to extend my love filled thank you to all my fans as they are responsible for my win! I dedicate this win to all my fans," Rituraj said in a statement.
Reshammiya, who took over as the mentor from Honey Singh, added power to the evening with his performance on his song "Ice cream khaungi" from the film "The Xpose".
The composer, who had promised a song to the budding singer, said: "He has a brilliant voice and a great talent. The show was not just about singing but about outstanding performances and this is the reason why the audience have gone all out to vote for him".
The grand finale had some foot tapping performances by the artistes.
Popular singer Kailash Kher and Rituraj gave a heartwarming Sufi performance whereas Shaan teamed up with Mohit Gaur. Darshan, who performed with Mohit Chauhan, transported the audience to a romantic zone with their performance.
The voted out artistes like Dipti Sharma and Rimi Nique also came back on the show for the last time to give their fans a treat and to give them company was the popular rapper Badshah.
Hosted by Gauahar Khan, the show's finale episode also saw actor and dancer Rithvik Dhanjani doing gags that made the audience laugh out loud.
The finale also saw "Tevar" star Arjun Kapoor and music director duo Sajid-Wajid entertaining the viewers.
All the artistes and the celebrity singers came together to sing a special song on Swachh Bharat that was written and composed by talented duo Sachin and Jigar.
