Small town girl Sumedha not only left the mahagurus of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 awestruck with her performance on June 1, but even managed to win over the Bhatt camp. The singer from Rajnandgaon finally signed a contract with Mahesh Bhatt last Friday for singing in his forthcoming venture. Here's what she has to say about her newfound success and those responsible for it.

Q: Did it come as a surprise to you, when Mr. Bhatt signed you last week for his next film?
A: Yes, it did. Aditya Narayan called me on stage and told me that he had a surprise letter for me. It turned out to be from none other than Mahesh Bhatt. The letter said that he was impressed with my performance and wanted to sign me for his next venture. I was so delighted, I don't have words to express it.

Q: Were you confident that you will make it to Agniparikhsha?
A: Yes, I was pretty sure before coming here, but after seeing the immense talent here, my confidence level had come down a bit.

Q: Now that Mr. Bhatt has signed you, how does it feel? Was this the dream you were chasing or are you waiting for something else?
A: Well frankly, this wasn't my dream, because I belong to a very small town in Chattisgarh. I didn't expect this will happen so soon.

Q: What was your family's reaction to the Bhatt offer?
A: Everyone was extremely glad; my sister was there with me in the studio that day and she was so happy.

Q: How instrumental is your family in your success?
A: If it wasn't for family support, I wouldn't have been here. Actually, I am a very lazy person and it's my family that takes all the decisions for me, even the songs I sing are selected by my sister.

Q: Was your performance your lone effort or do you think there was someone else who helped you with it?
A: No, its not just me, the credit goes to Mukesh Parmar, the music director of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. He helped me a lot with my songs and was a source of inspiration.

Q: What are your future plans?
A: Concentrating on the competition, and shifting to Mumbai. Mumbai is my dream city.

Q: You are a star now, and it's not easy to take the pressure. Do you think you will be able to handle it?
A: Yeah!

Q: What's your passion apart from singing?
A: I have no other passion. Music is my only passion. -Jayant Mishra