LIFE itself cannot be ART

But like my father and grandfather who are trained dancers as well as vocalists,I learnt singing as well. I also compose music and have unofficially contributed tunes to some of my film songs and album tracks. Officially,I sing my own creations on my shows,and I am now coming out with an album in which I have expressed myself freely and done what I always wanted as lyricist,as singer and as composer. It has original Indian melodies with an international sound and I have also sung romantic songs in it.

Your new album Krishna Sakha clearly exhibits your love for Lord Krishna.
I think that the album,sung by Malalakshmi Iyer,Shreya Ghoshal and the composer Abhijeet Arun is like a whiff of fresh air in today’s discordant non-film album scenario. I am happy that I have been able to write such an album and that it was released on the eve of Janmashthami,Lord Krishna’s birthday.

After Billu bhayankar from Billu and Munni ki hai baari from Welcome To Sajjanpur,are you concentrating more on singing rather than writing?
No,but I want to do good work. From Padma Shri Neerajji,who I worship as my literary guru,I have imbibed some values. I do not want to write cheap verse,which is different from the occasional fluffy song like O what a babe that I wrote in Rakht. A decade back,I wrote Sonu Niigaam’s Bijuria,which is still loved and heard. But I also wrote the songs for Sanskar and Classically Mild. A range is needed.

Coming to singing,my song in Aakrosh is now being aired all over. Priyadarshan and Pritam – who also got me to sing the title-track for Atithi…Tum Kab Jaoge? – really like me as a singer after Billu and now I hope to work with them as a lyricist one day! The song,Teri ishq se badhkar,is a superb duet with Kalpana,a trained jazz singer who is a top name,interestingly,in Bhojpuri cinema and has sung occasionally in Hindi films.

I have also just recorded a Commonwealth Games song for Ranjit Barot,The great Indian journey,which is a thematic song and a musical stringing of states,and I am the voice of Uttar Pradesh. I have also just sung a Gold Loan ad jingle for Rajat Dholakia.

Buzz is that you are also doing an album with Lata Mangeshkar.
(Smiles) Yes,there is an oral commitment. She has told me to write a devotional album on Lord Krishna that is being composed by Mayuresh Pai. Mayuresh recommended me and when I spoke to Lataji on the ‘phone and she asked me for some idea about what kind of songs I could write I dared to sing out some folk songs in Brijbhasha to her. She was also impressed by my voice and asked me,“Aap ko pataa hai ki aapke gale mein kitni murkiyaan (fine musical nuances) hain?” That was one of the greatest moments of my career. I am looking forward to this album,which will have very ebullient songs,for while Lord Ram is about manan or concentration,Lord Krishna is about bhajan and dance.

How satisfying a journey has your career been so far?
I would say that my biggest dream – doing shows – has been achieved apart from writing,singing and composing for films and albums,and working with names like Asha (Bhosle)ji,Jagjit Singhji,Daler Mehndiji,Sonu Niigaamji and many more eminent filmmakers,singers,lyricists and composers. I have reached where I am without any godfather,but Javed (Akhtar) saab has been a great support system and a mentor who introduced me to so many right people and is always very supportive.

How would you rate yourself as a singer?
That’s for others to say. One strong point is that I am a master of dialects – I know the intricate nuances and differences between Punjabi,Haryanvi,Khadi-boli,Garhwali,Bhojpuri,Marwari and Avadhi and can reproduce all very effortlessly.

And I realise the difference between a gaayak and playback singing. The former must have completely clean diction,but with the latter,the diction may take second place as it is all about enactment,or acting through vocals and re-living the mood of the character.

What do you have to say about the current concept of “real” cinema where the normal lip-synched song is losing steam?
I disagree completely. We must understand that a feature film is not a newspaper but a story that should be told in an interesting manner! Showing a reflected image of real life in a mirror is not what feature cinema is about,because life itself cannot be art! Art is under our control and by definition has to be both stylised and creative! Yes,there is a breed that does not want songs in Indian cinema because they are not “real”. But if they are such good filmmakers,I dare them to make a film without background music,which,if you think clearly,is the most unreal thing ever!! Do we have background sitars and violins playing behind us when we are interacting with someone or facing diverse emotions?

All this shows that such reasoning is because basically many such filmmakers are not blessed with talent to use songs well. But our older filmmakers have always proved that cinema is about art. And to create great or immortal cinema they need not be educated,but must have gyan,the inner knowledge,and the artistic bent. Cinema,poetry,dance and music – they should all be meaningful.

In India,in particular,we have so many dramatic forms and the navras – and aesthetics cannot be there without these shades. When we go to watch a film,we want to experience these nine shades of life,like beauty or shringar,dance or nritya and so on. Look at the mudras of Bharatanatyam – they represent artistic and stylised interpretations of common communication between human beings. Now where is the art when we communicate in our real,daily life?

What else are you doing now?
I am writing a Hindi song in a Marathi film for the first time! The music is by Mayuresh again.