Kolkata boy Manik Paul was declared the winner of the sixth season of "India's Got Talent" in a grand finale here.
Paul, 22, known for his breath-taking aerial acts on the show, bagged the position after beating five finalists -- shadow-artist Prahlad Acharya, Punjabi singers Harmanpreet Kaur and Parry G, Thane-based dance group XIX, Beat Breakers and Maharashtrian talent Yogeshwari Mistry.
"India's Got Talent has made my biggest dream come true. The journey has been an uphill task... It has given me the confidence that what we do is truly entertaining and I cannot wait to take my talent across the globe," Paul said after winning the show.
He was awarded a cash prize of Rs 50 Lakhs, car and especially crafted trophy engraved with the signatures of this season's jury members including Kirron Kher, Malaika Arora Khan and Karan Johar.
"I think all the three judges are very nice and encouraging. They are all frank and direct in their comments and give constructive criticism," he said.
With the aim of building a house for his single mother, Paul has dedicated his gymnastic passion to his mother.
Paul has received accolades from not only the judges on the Colors show but also his idol Remo D'Souza and Varun Dhawan, who attended the show to promote their last release "ABCD 2".
Asked what what was the most challenging part on the talent hunt, Paul said, "Solo performances don't get as much attention as dance groups. I think X1X groups were tough to beat."
The finale saw special performances from Faisal Khan, Raftaar and Elli Avram. The show's host and television actor Sidharth Shukla danced alongside Kher to evergreen songs from the black-and-white films era.
Malaika too set the stage on fire with her dancing prowess through a solo act highlighting three different dance forms while co-judge Johar presented a fun-filled gag.
