Amanat Ali from Pakistan, the contestant in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007, has been much appreciated since his very first performance in the talent hunt. And now in just a few months, the lad has already impressed Maharashtra chief minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh.

"I was surprised and excited. You tell me, will you not react the same way if such a big name says that he is your fan?" asks the soft-spoken singer.

But Amanat is not yet satisfied. Besides winning the competition, his aim is to win over singer Sonu Nigam and actor Shah Rukh Khan with his melody. "I do not have words to tell what these two people mean to me," he gushes.

However, compared to the response he has received so far, Amanat had higher hopes when he came to India. "I'm the winner of the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Middle East Championship held in Dubai.

Every time I sang there people would applaud and the judges would kiss my forehead. Alka Yagnik almost cried when I rendered a ghazal. I want to bring the same effect here."

Amanat hails from a musical background and is already well-known in Pakistan. He wants to win the contest in India as people back home have high hopes of him. The budding singer has sung for Bappi Lahiri in the film Junoon and has also recorded songs with Sameer Tandon and Sadhna Sargam.