By: Entertainment DeskNew Delhi | November 17, 2025 07:20 PM IST 4 min readFolk singer Maithili Thakur has been making headlines for becoming the youngest MLA in the Bihar Assembly at just 25. Contesting on a BJP ticket from the Alinagar constituency, she not only won but also brought the party back to power in the region after 17 long years. But before her political and musical achievements, Maithili faced a series of rejections, challenges, and hurtful experiences—including being mocked by classmates who called her “stupid Bihari.”ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO‘Would get rejected, was ready to give up singing’In an old interview with Jai Madaan on her YouTube channel, Maithili opened up about her difficult journey through the world of singing reality shows. “I used to cry a lot,” she admitted. Her first attempt was on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs, where she was rejected for being “too inclined towards classical music.”“When I was rejected, I told myself that I would even sing Bollywood songs if that’s what it took,” she recalled. In 2015, she auditioned for Indian Idol, but once again her father encouraged her to stay true to classical music, and she was rejected for the same reason. “Sometimes they don’t even tell you why you are rejected. I used to feel extremely bad.” The constant failures took such a toll on her that she even considered giving up music entirely.ALSO READ | Humans in the Loop enters Oscar race, receives Film Independent’s Sloan Distribution Grant“I wanted to quit singing and prepare for UPSC. I was good at studies,” she revealed.‘Mocked in school as stupid Bihari’But her struggles were not limited to the stage. Maithili also found herself isolated at school. Her exceptional talent earned her free admission to a private school, but being surrounded by affluent classmates created a different set of challenges. “I had a phobia of girls my age. I feared their comments. They would simply say, ‘stupid Bihari’,” she said.She explained how being a Bihari had been turned into an insult. “It had become like a cuss word. If two girls from Haryana got into a fight, they would call each other ‘Bihari’ to put the other down. I became a first-bencher and never made friends.”Story continues below this adMaithili shared that she often felt out of place. “I couldn’t relate to their talks. They would discuss their next big trip or sleepovers. We were not financially sound, so I avoided getting involved.” She added another painful memory: “I used to stay in Najafgarh, which was quite far, and I was ashamed of telling this to the girls in my school.”‘Changed 17 houses in 10 years, neighbours would complain’In an earlier interview with Indian Express, Maithili’s mother Bharti revealed that the early years were not easy on the family. “We changed 17 houses in a decade. At the time, we could only afford one-room houses and they were mostly attached to someone else’s house. My husband’s riyaaz and that of my children would disturb people and we’d have to leave. These kids were never naughty or troubled anyone but we kept moving so that they could practice peacefully,” she had said. In 2017, the family bought a home in Delhi’s Dwarka, and in 2020, moved into a bigger apartment — which they got soundproofed. After Maithili won a music reality show, she got calls from the offices of filmmakers Karan Johar and Yash Chopra. The choice to put her videos on YouTube and social media wasHer popularity skyrocketed with the rise of social media. Today, she has a 5 million subscribers on YouTube, 6 million followers on Instagram and over 14 million on Facebook .Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Bihar Assembly