The rise and rise of Pawan Singh, Bhojpuri star forced by trolls to opt out of LS polls

Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh, who was named in the BJP's first list as the party's candidate from Asansol, West Bengal, has "humbly" declined the opportunity under relentless pressure from social media trolls. But who is Pawan Singh and what makes him so special?

Born in 1986 at Jokahri village near Arrah in Bihar (the same Arrah that featured in the 2017 Swara Bhasker film, "Anaarkali of Aarah"), Bhojpuri cinema's 'Power Star' learnt singing from his uncle, Ajit Singh.

He started doing stage shows when he was still a child, and his first album, "Odhaniya Wali", was out when he was still in his teens. In 2004, he turned to acting and made his debut with "Rangli Chunariya Tohre Naam".

He kept doing supporting roles until he played the lead in "Rangli Chunariya Tohre Naam", which was released in 2007. In the next year, he released the album "Lollypop Lagelu"; its titular song turned out to be a breakout success across the nation and helped Pawan Singh rise to prominence.

And then in the same year, "Saniya Mirza Cut Nathuniya" became a big hit from the album, "Dont Touch My Body".

In 2020, he collaborated with American dancer and actress (and "Jhalak Dikhla Jaa" regular), Lauren Gottlieb, for the Hindi single "Kamariya Hila Rahi Hai". His second Bollywood single was "Babuni Tere Rang Me", which was a Holi song featuring Tridha Choudhury.

This was followed by the track "Current" featuring composer-singer Payal Dev of "Genda Phool" fame. The next year, he teamed up with veteran singer Sonu Nigam for a Chhath song. He also released Bhojpuri cover versions of popular Bollywood songs, notably 'Lut gaye', originally sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Closer home, in Bhojpuri cinema, he has delivered some of the biggest hits, namely, "Satya", "Crack Fighter", "Raja", "Sher Singh", and "Mera Bharat Mahaan".

Pawan Singh is also a huge sensation on social media owing to the viral video of his dance with fellow Bhojpuri actor Khesari Lal Yadav. The two danced to the song "Saj Ke Sawar Ke" at an event.

The viral video from the event shows them vibing to the beats of the song and it has set Instagram on fire with countless memes and Reels.

On Monday, Pawan took to X, addressed BJP President J.P. Nadda, and said that "due to some reason"", he won't be able to contest the elections from Asansol. He expressed his "heartfelt gratitude to the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party" for trusting him.