Himesh Reshammiya is making news for all the wrong reasons. Recently found himself in the eye of a storm after he put out a full page advertisement in a national daily claiming he was the ‘First Global Rockstar' of India.

While the Hindi film fraternity is up in arms over this self-publicity Himesh himself was unfazed.

Talking to Starnews on Friday, the ‘Jhalak Dikhla Ja' star stated, "it is not me who is making this claim. I have only said what leading websites and fans in the US are saying about me." He says he will clear the air in October when he will unveil his US concert tour plans.

When asked if he is better and higher than all-time music greats like Lata Mangeshkar and A. R Rahman, the ‘Aap Kaa Surroor' star was quick to point out: "Lataji is my guru and I am not comparing myself to Rahman. If they did not claim to be stars, what can I do?" is his refrain.

Meanwhile, his peers and other musicians were critical of this blatant self promotion. Singer Abhijit, with his tongue firmly in his cheek, remarked. "Rockstars don't sing in Hindi. I consider Michael Jackson and Ricky Martin to be global rock stars. After this announcement, I think it is time the two greats packed their bags."

Caustic comments apart, Reshammiya has hit the big league. His strong sense of melody, coupled with his nasal twang make for a unique combo.

Youngsters and girls swoon over him and his trademark jeans, baseball cap and stubble has made him an endearing pop icon. His natural sense of rhythm and his knack for drama on stage has gone down very well among youth.

Son of well-known Gujarati music director Vipin Reshammiya, Himesh has been critically acclaimed for his musical scores, even though the movies were not popular at the box office. He came into his own as a composer in Bandhan (1998), in which he collaborated with Anand Raj Anand.

Reshammiya was first noticed in Bollywood for his work in ‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya' a song sung by Salman Khan in the film. Over the years, he has developed his own unique style, based on minimalist music and catchy techno beats.

His most popular albums can be said to be Tere Naam and Aashiq Banaya Aapne. Today, he is spoken of in the same league as A.R. Rahman and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

The year 2006 saw him zoom up the music charts and he is the top composer with more than 15 soundtracks to his credit -- all within 6 months.

His singing prowess won him the Filmfare Award in 2005 for Best Male Playback Singer (for the title song of Aashiq Banaya Aapne), and he became the first music composer to do so.