Finding his voice8230;

He's turning down acting offers and requests to sing for movies. Lucky Ali tells Simran Sodhi Garg that quot;hisquot; music is his only ...

He8217;s turning down acting offers and requests to sing for movies. Lucky Ali tells Simran Sodhi Garg that quot;hisquot; music is his only form of expression, and he8217;s glad to have found it after 36 years.

He recounts the recent burglary which took place at his house. quot;I have quite a fancy for gadgets.quot; He shows me a fancy mobile phone that has a tiny lap-top computer built inside. quot;I had collected about four differnt lap-tops at my place. And this thief who broke into our place took away all the electronic gadgets that I had collected, including the laptops,quot; he explains. quot;But my first reaction was of relief. Because I had just collected stuff which I don8217;t really need.quot;

quot;I don8217;t have any say in the videos that are made. I believe this is Mahesh8217;s director Mahesh Mathai job and I don8217;t think it would be correct to interfere. My job is to sing which I do,quot; he explains. quot;My favourite remains the first video, because all of us were involved in it with total commitment. Later, I guess, things got more commercialised,quot; he laments. His first video, O Sanam from Sunoh was created with Mike Mcleary producing the music, Syed Aslam setting Lucky8217;s tunes to poetry and Mathai weaving magic on the video. But the first video for Aks8217; lead song is a little disappointing. Could be that Ali is seeking a change in image but it definitely lacks the uniqueness of the earlier videos.

As far as formal training in music goes, Ali had a training of a different kind altogether. quot;I grew up in an environment of musicians and artists, so I guess that was my training,quot; he points out. Somewhere you can always feel the reluctance in him to let the star overshadow the person. And as we talk about his music, he keeps coming back to the essence of life and living which he tries to convey through his music. quot;I don8217;t sing love songs and stuff like that. My music is more about life and how each one of us is trying to come to terms with it. In music, I believe there is no time for mourning. Just as in life, you8217;ve got to move on,quot; he explains.

As for acting in movies, quot;I received a couple of offers but I don8217;t think I fit in any. I don8217;t really think I can act. If I ever have to do a role, it would just have to be an extension of myself,quot; he admits frankly.

quot;In the end it really doesn8217;t matter. What I am singing today will soon be forgotten. Music for me is a form of expression. At the end of the day we are all searching for only that. I found it after 36 years but I am glad I found it,quot; he says with a smile.