Soujanya Bhagavathula from Visakhapatnam, the winner of Aha Telugu Indian Idol 2, is ecstatic. “I didn’t expect to win,” she says over the phone, still soaking in the win.

For more than 10 weeks, Soujanya’s world revolved around the show hosted by singer Hema Chandra and judges SS Thaman, Geetha Madhuri, and Karthik. A rigorous competition for weeks saw Soujanya emerge as the winner beating finalists Sruthi Nanduri (New Jersey), Jayaram Pyla (Hyderabad), Laasya Priya G (Siddipet), and Karthikeya Avasarala (Hyderabad).