Mitra is from Maslandapur, a small town in West Bengal, near Kolkata, India.[4] Mitra started doing stage singing performances since the age of 6. Mitra was very impressed by her aunt who sang on All India Radio broadcasts. In her early childhood, Antara also learned several traditional Bengalifolk songs.[3] She was accepted as a contestant at age 18 on a national TV show and in a successive similar show Junoon. At one time she considered studying medicine, but abandoned the idea in favour of pursuing a professional singing career.[5][3]
Mitra participated in the Indian Idol season 2. Though she reached the top five but got eliminated.[6][3]
When Mitra was eliminated from the contest, music director Anu Malik offered her playback singing work, but Mitra returned to her home town and soon afterward (April 2006) she relocated to Mumbai to pursue a vocal-performance-for-film soundtrack career.[citation needed] She then participated as part of the Bollywood team of vocalist contestants in another Indian TV reality show, Junoon – Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka.[6]
Antara Mitra's soulful track "Kishori", known for its charm and melodious beauty, is now being cleverly paired with the doodle of the Amul girl—a symbol of nostalgia, fun, and timelessness. The Amul girl represents an enduring Indian cultural icon, much like the essence of "Kishori", making this association both innovative and delightful.[7]
Music career
Mitra sings in multiple languages: Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and English and is active in the Bollywoodfilm soundtrack music industry.[5]
In an interview to the Times of India in 2010, Mitra thanked and expressed her gratitude to Music Director Pritam Chakraborty, as he was the first to show faith in her skills, and in that first decade, Pritam had composed nearly every film song in which her vocals were featured. Mitra received positive reviews for her song "Bheegi Bhaagi Si", a duet with Mohit Chauhan from the Hindi film Rajneeti.[6]
