American Idol contestant Shubha has Bollywood dreams

Shubha Vedula, 17, the only Indian girl in the history of American Idol to have reached the top 20 slot, is looking for a stint in Bollywood.

"I would love to (go to Bollywood) if the opportunity came," Shubha told PTI in an interview, weeks after she lost out in the last 20 of the prestigious American Idol competition, where her singing was watched by millions of people in the country.

Shubha, who says she is ready to go to India if an opportunity came, lost out following her performance of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" in the last 20 round.

"It's a bit comical because you have a beautiful strong voice but it's a mash up between Christina Aguilera and that Gangnam Style guy," judge Nicki Manaj said after her powerful performance that left the audience spellbound.

"You are 17, you have unbelievable potential," another judge told Shubha, a trained Odissi dancer, who will graduate this year as valedictorian at Sacred Heart Academy.

"American Idol has opened a lot of doors for me. But I have worked very hard in studies. I am ready to go to college, but I also know that my passion lies in singing, so I am actually trying to decide which way I would be going. But it seems I am going towards singing," Shubha said.

A proud Indian Americans, Shubha's both parents, father Ramesh from Andhra Pradesh and mother Vandana from Lucknow, are physicians.

"As a child, she always used to ask 'Daddy and amma, why was not I born in India? I would have been more intelligent girl'. We have no answer," father Ramesh Vidula said.

"Despite living in America for most of my life, I do not believe that I am an Americanised Indian. I eat Indian food every day and do puja (prayaer) on a daily basis. I believe that it is the combination of Indian and American values that has shaped me into a very cultured person.

I live visiting all parts of India and seeing how my mother country thrives year after year," Shubha said.Shubha said she participated in American Idol because singing has always been an integral part of her life.

"I love touching others with my music and inspiring them to pursue their own dreams. After having watched the show for several years, I think that I could be a rewarding addition to the music industry as a girl who is able to understand the music of different cultures and genres," she said.

A versatile singer that she is, Shubha sings in several different languages. "I have sung songs in Telugu, Hindi, Italian, French, Spanish and English," she said.

Inspired by her grandmother, it was her elder sister Priya who pushed her to participate in the American Idol this year.

"I think it was lot about how diverse I was, not only as an Indian contestant but also as my musical style was very different from a lot of other contestants here. I like to include a lot of Indian hints in my songs. Also I made very good songs," she said.

Shubha said she was "very happy" to represent India. "But it (being an Indian American) was not the main reason why I was selected. It was definitely an aspect that made me very diverse. This year they had a very diverse group of people in the top 20 girls," she said.