‘Pushpa Pushpa’ singer Nakash Aziz on DSP’s allegations against film’s makers: ‘South Indian music industry is the most ethical’

On DSP controversy

DSP recently addressed controversies surrounding delays in delivering the background score, stating that he had faced complaints from the producers and had to fight for “credit” and “payments”. When asked about this, Nakash said, “I actually don’t know anything about it. How would I know when I haven’t even heard that something like this happened? I find the South Indian music industry to be one of the most ethical and professional ones.”

When asked if he has ever faced issues with credit or payments, Nakash said, “Fortunately, I’ve worked with very respectable and ethical people. I do hear about such issues, but I’ve been lucky. In fact, there have been times when I forgot to send my bills, and music directors reminded me to do so. I feel blessed.”

On working with DSP and differences between music industries  

Calling DSP a “rockstar,” Nakash spoke about his collaboration with the National Award-winning composer. “DSP has incredible energy. Even at 4 AM, he is in the studio. He’s always making us laugh and is great with wordplay. He calls me ‘Lambu Aziz’ because of my height. There’s so much to learn from him,” he said.

The singer, who has sung several Bollywood tracks like “Naach Meri Jaan” (Tubelight) and “Cutiepie” (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil), noted the stark difference between Bollywood and South Indian music industries. “The South Indian industry works with a lot of clarity. In Bollywood, it’s more of a melting pot with so many people bringing different ideologies. While this can be enriching, the corporate-like culture often results in too many inputs, which can be confusing and, at times, annoying. Too many minds is not a good thing sometimes,” he said.

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Reflecting on the Pushpa Franchise

Having worked on the music for both Pushpa instalments, Nakash said, “The first film was tougher because we were experimenting so much. With the second one, everything was planned, making it more fun to work on. However, there was pressure to deliver, I won’t lie. When something works so well, you have to give it your best to see that magic again. You start craving to witness that magic,” he said.