He sang for a few south Indian films before participating in reality show Indian Idol 5 and got his first big break to sing with Shreya Ghoshal in a film even before the show was over.

And Hyderabad guy Sreeram Chandra is still in shock even though he has actually won the show. The 24-year-old lad, who has completed his B-Tech, speaks about his future plans and more...

How does it feel after winning the show?
I have mixed feeling, and to be honest, I am still in shock. Every morning before the finale, I used to wake up with the conviction of working hard to win the title and that has paid off.

And who was your favourite judge?
I loved all three of them - Anu Malek, Sunidhi Chauhan and Salim Merchant. But, Salim sir was very kind to me by giving me my first big break in a Telugu film with singing diva Shreya Ghoshal. She was very sweet and helped me a lot. And I am happy that I lent my voice to southern star Siddharth.

So, how did you celebrate the win?
I partied till late night with my co-participants on the winning day and we danced a lot as the DJ played our fave tracks. Soon, I will be partying with my friends in Hyderabad.

How do you plan to spend your prize money?
I want to give something very special to my parents. And the whole money is for them because I have been working hard only for them.

Do you think winning this show will open the B-Town doors for you?
Initially, everybody has to struggle, but things might be easy for me now that I've won this show. It's an advantage for me because everybody knows how I sing.

Usually winners of such reality shows vanish into oblivion after a while...
I think I have the quality to be a good playback singer and I want to do everything - playback, stage performances and tours. That's my dream. And now that I've got this platform, I'm going to make the best use of it.

And whom do you wish to sing for?
I want to be a versatile singer and wish to sing for all the Khans.