Kathmandu, Sep 22 (IANS) He is not just an Indian Idol. Abhijit Sawant, who shot to fame by winning the nationwide singing contest organised by India's Sony TV channel, is a heartthrob in Nepal too.

And now viewers in the kingdom will be able to see their favourite performer in action here along with another budding star, the winner of Nepali Tara, the counterpart of the Indian reality TV show.

Sawant is flying to Kathmandu to perform Oct 2 and 3 when he will share the limelight with his Nepali counterpart.

The Nepali Tara contest, started on state-owned Nepal Television about seven months ago, has whittled down to two finalists from the original 9,000 applicants.

On Oct 1, the winner will be decided by a panel of judges as well as public votes. And it will be a rags-to-riches story for whoever lifts the title.

Dharmendra Sewan, who comes from the central city of Pokhara, is striving to become a star from a small-time singer crooning in the tourist city's bars and restaurants.

His rival, Dipak Limbu, is from the southeastern Sunsari district from where he came to the capital in search of a break. The winner gets Nepali Rs.50,000 in cash, a motorcycle from Bajaj, one of the sponsors, and a contract to make a solo music album as well as two music videos.

"Of course, we were partly influenced by 'Indian Idol'," says Rajendra Salabh, an independent programme director for Nepali TV channels. "But, then, 'Indian Idol' too was influenced by 'American Idol'."

But Salabh originally had the idea of putting together a singing contest to launch Njl Barahi Films, a company offering digital recording, online editing and other services for TV channels.

"We wanted an inaugural programme that would make us well-known in the entertainment world and considering how popular reality shows have become, I thought why not a 'Nepali Idol'?" Salabh says.

With the show becoming a hit, Nepali Tara introduced a new concept in the world of entertainment. "When we had come down to 20 finalists, we started grooming them in earnest," says Salabh.

"From being taught how to use the microphone they learnt etiquette, how to dress and even smile in the most attractive way. We have a dental surgeon, Sushil Koirala, to produce that dazzling smile."

While readying for the final, Salabh heard Abhijit Sawant was going to be in town.

"What a wonderful synergy it would be if the Indian idol and Nepali Tara were to sing together," Salabh thought and approached the organisers of Sawant's concert with his proposal.

They agreed and come October, a sweet India-Nepal duet it will be.