In Farid’s Footsteps

His third album — after Aap ka Abhijeet Sawant (2004) and Junoon (2007) — Farida is an ode to Baba Farid,whose verses are included in the Guru Granth Sahib,the holy book of the Sikhs. The title song is a verse written in Punjabi by Baba Farid and it describes his love and devotion for God. “Baba Farid was a saint lost in his own world,someone who was a mast malang,and I really like that in him,” says Sawant,who has come out with an album after almost five years. “Well,I didn’t cut any album because of piracy and little market for independent music. So,there was acting,a film,Comedy Circus on Sony and a dance reality show that kept me busy,” he says.

With no one to guide him,Sawant says he took whatever came his way and enjoyed the process. “Comedy was fun and challenging,but music is my forte and we took two years to make this album,” he says. It was his music director,Harpreet Singh,who introduced him to Baba Farid’s verses in gurbani,and Sawant was instantly drawn to them.

The album has seven tracks and four music directors — Harpeet Singh,Rajeev Bhalla,Nakkash and Amit Sawant. “The music has a band-like feel. It’s very ’60s and ’80s rock genre,unlike Sufi music that is popular today,” says the singer. After learning lyrics in chaste Punjabi,Sawant is now keen on exploring further. “I used to listen to Bollywood and Hindi music,but for now,it’s Punjabi music on my mind and I am open to singing more of it,” he says.