Shubha Mudgal talks of films, songs of resistance and why she’s off pop music Bollywood makes singer Shubha Mudgal nervous and wary. “The film world has very specialised requirements of singers. It can never be my entire focus,” says Mudgal, who is considered a pioneer in the Indi-pop beat and sang such hit songs as Ali more angana and Ab ke sawan. Nevertheless, she recently sang for two films — Ramchand Pakistani and 1920, the experience of which left her amused and bewildered at once.“It’s strange that films use my kind of voice either for portraying banjaras or to sing the tragic alaaps,” she laughs. The shocker came when she got flooded with calls after one of her songs, in 1920, had Rakhi Sawant dancing to it. “I’m not exactly one of her fans but then we do live in a democracy,” she smiles wryly. But there are songs that she loves to sing, and Sawant might not dance to. Today Mudgal will be performing for The Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust, with a repertoire of songs, some set to Urdu poetry. “This concert is a space for artists like me to express ourselves to society. We’re doing our bit to spread messages against communalism,” says Mudgal, who has been associated with the organisation since 1991. Having sung everything from Bhakti music and Sufi poetry to the medieval texts of Mallik Mohammad Jaysi’s Padmavat, Mudgal will now sing Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Majrooh Sultanpuri and verses about the 1857 Revolt. Meanwhile, the singer, who has just returned from a US tour, is planning on recording some compositions of her own, but it’s not going to be another pop act.“I don’t feel compelled to record a pop album, given that the state of Indi-pop is dismal right now. But you’ll find out soon,” she says. One thing is for sure, her music video won’t have Rakhi Sawant in it.Catch Mudgal at Vithal Bhai Patel House lawns at 5.30 pm today
