K for Kishore, a reality show on Sony Entertainment Television, pays tribute to legendary singer Kishore Kumar. The rules of the game are simple: The contestants can only sing the maestro's songs. The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges consisting of singers Sudesh Bhosle and Asha Bhosle, composer Bappi Lahiri and Kishoreda's son Amit Kumar.

The winner will bag a contract with Sony BMG and HMV Sa Re Ga Ma. And one of the contestants will get to sing for Nagesh Kukunoor's biopic on Kishore Kumar.

The show, which kicked off in December, is now in the final stages. From 28 contestants, the number has been whittled down to five. We take a closer look at them:

K Shailendra, 32

Shailendra, who hails from Jhansi, a village in Uttar Pradesh, came to Mumbai seven years ago. A professional singer, Shailendra quit pursuing a degree in Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and opted for a career in singing. After knocking on several producers and music composers' doors for four years, he finally got to sing a song in Suniel Shetty's Khel. Since then, he has sung in a few films, music albums and regional songs.

He almost didn't make it to K For Kishore, as he missed the auditions. Unwilling to let this chance pass him by, he pestered the Sony office until they announced that they would be holding more auditions.

After weeks of performing consistenly, Shailendra's life has changed dramatically. Now, he says, producers, composers and event managers call him for assignments. He has also been offered roles in television serials.

Text: Patcy N

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