Rahul Sipligunj
Season WinnerRahul Sipligunj
Bio
Rahul Sipligunj is an Indian playback singer, songwriter, and independent musician born on 22 August 1989 in the Dhoolpet area of Hyderabad, Telangana, into a humble family - his father ran a hair salon. He attended Loyola High School in Hyderabad and pursued his intermediate studies at Narayana Junior College. His father noticed his raw musical talent when he caught him singing Hyderabadi folk songs and playing rhythm on kitchen utensils, and subsequently sent him to Pandit Vitthal Rao for professional training. He began his career by recording songs and uploading them on YouTube, building a strong fanbase through his raw, rustic folk style rooted in Telangana's musical traditions. His independent YouTube tracks - particularly 'Galli Ka Ganesh' (40+ million views), 'Maakkikirkiri' (32+ million views), and 'Mangamma' - became viral sensations. He made his playback debut in the Telugu film Josh (2009) and continued with notable tracks including the title song for Ram Charan's Rangasthalam (2018), for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer (Telugu). A career-defining moment came with the Oscar and Golden Globe Award-winning song 'Naatu Naatu' from S.S. Rajamouli's RRR (2022), composed by M.M. Keeravani - Rahul and Kaala Bhairava performed the song live at the 95th Academy Awards in March 2023. The Government of Telangana announced a cash reward of ₹1 crore for Rahul in recognition of the song's global achievement. He entered Bigg Boss Telugu Season 3 (hosted by Nagarjuna, premiered 21 July 2019, Star Maa) and was declared the winner on 3 November 2019, taking home the trophy and ₹50 lakh in prize money. He later made his acting debut in Rangamarthanda (2022).
Winning Zee Bangla Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and the national Zee TV Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 simultaneously; viral Hyderabadi folk songs on YouTube including 'Galli Ka Ganesh' (40M+ views), 'Maakkikirkiri' (32M+ views), and 'Mangamma'; singing 'Ranga Ranga Rangasthalana' from Rangasthalam (2018); performing the Oscar and Golden Globe Award-winning song 'Naatu Naatu' from RRR (2022) at the 95th Academy Awards; winning Bigg Boss Telugu Season 3 (2019).