As far as
my late husband is concerned, he has suffered
many heart breaks in the industry and I
have spoken about it before and people have
quoted my remarks out of context.
I just want to say this, how would you
feel if you were talented and gave it your
best, and were assisting a music director
and top singers showed up at the studio
and refused to sing if you were in charge
of music that day. How would any one feel
if the big stars came in from one door and
he or she is asked to leave from the other
door so the stars are not displeased. It
really hurt me. My husband was on tour with
Lataji when his father passed away suddenly.
Every one told him to go back midway, but
he knew since he was the only keyboard player,
it would affect Lataji's entire orchestra.
So he stayed back saying his going back
was not going to change anything and he
was needed on the tour. That is how selfless
he was, and to see someone of his talent
and sincerity shabbily treated in the industry
really hurt me a lot. He never said anything,
but I know how deeply it wounded him.
Still by a strange coincidence on the 13th
day ceremony of my father-in-law his prophecy
came true-I sang a duet with Asha Bhosle,
much against my wishes, and only because
he wanted it so much when he was alive.
I think his blessings have taken my career
to the heights it has. I have always felt
the presence of divine grace in my life
and not being trained in music, I became
successful only because I was destined to
be in this line, according to my spiritual
guru.
You joined hands with T-series tycoon Gulshan
Kumar and never looked back. Gulshan Kumar
started in a little garage and took over
the entire music industry by storm. T-series
became a household name and a megabucks
venture. You belted out one hit after the
other winning 3 Filmfare awards when people
wait years for one. Yet your walking away
from the mainstream opened doors for people
like the current success story Alka Yagnik.
Some feel it was a bad career move, especially
when Gulshan Kumar met an untimely and tragic
death.
Well, I met Gulshan Kumar at a point where
I had been singing for 12 years and still
struggling. I was not getting the kind of
top quality songs that I felt I should be
singing and the top recording labels were
still loyal to Lataji and Ashaji.
I was asked to sing for T-series around
that same time and I chose to start with
a devotional album. I recorded a couple
of cassettes for T-series and at that time
Gulshanji said to me, we will promote you
with top notch publicity and you will be
our star singer, but if we are to do so
much for you, we need to be given exclusivity.
I agreed. Contrary to what people think
there was no written agreement between us.
Gulshan Kumar knew the pulse of the people,
but it was after we joined hands that I
helped him focus on good quality music.
He started out with songs that had double
meaning, and version covers. I said to him
you are fortunate enough to have the blessings
of God to do this well, why don't you produce
good wholesome music. He said, but this
sells, and what do you call quality music?
I said if you will give me a free hand
with the music directors I will show you
what can be done.
When we started the musicians started asking,
what is the situation we are composing music
for? I said how many emotions do you portray
in a film, there will be a sad song, a love
song, a song where people act impish with
each other and a lullaby.
We started work on the film Lal Dupatta
and Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote such beautiful
lyrics for a love song. Though I was dead
against it Gulshanji used my face for the
promos of the songs. He was so ahead of
his times. Today it has become a norm, and
people may forget other songs, but the ones
that had me in the promos, are the ones
etched in people's psyche.
Otherwise I have to remind them even when
the songs have been hits. Lal Dupatta was
the beginning. Then came films like Dil
Hai ke Manta Nahin, Aashiqui, Jeena Teri
Gali Mein and Meera ka Mohan to name a few.
You both also filled a niche in the
market for devotional songs. That venture
was a huge success. However it phased you
out of the film industry. People think that
was the worst case of axing one's own feet
that the film music industry had seen. He
died suddenly and you were left without
a contract or any clout in the company as
well.
It really was a conscious decision on Gulshanji's
part to stop doing film songs when the devotional
albums started doing so well and since he
had been so loyal and supportive I couldn't
say well I am leaving and I want to sing
for films elsewhere. Also I was going through
a lot of personal problems. Arunji wasn't
well and being of a religious nature I was
quite happy doing devotional albums.
His sudden death hit every one hard. He
and I had the same focus, same vision and
I have not met anyone to date who had Gulshanji's
sense of loyalty and commitment. However,
the fact was that it had been weighing on
his mind that he may have done me a disservice
by asking me to stick to the T-series. He
wanted me to continue being the main artist
for T-series, but also sing for others.
Two days before he died he accompanied me
to a recording for a song with the musicians
Jatin Lalit and he was really happy when
the session wrapped up. He said he finally
felt as if a burden had lifted from his
heart.
With his death T-series lost his focus
and his vision. I felt there was nothing
left for me and I left too. T-series is
now being run like a business. I feel sad
when I see devotional music being released
along with item songs like Kaanta Laga.
Today it is all about survival and musicians
or singers are not considered competent
enough to get a whole film to themselves.
You will see so many singers and more than
one music director in a film and quality
lyrics are seldom seen. Every one is busy
trying to grab whatever comes their way.
You have done pretty well with some
great film songs and avoided numbers like
Kambaqht Ishq and Ishq Kamina.You have also
dabbled in ghazals.
I try my hardest not to compromise on quality.
Maybe it's my voice, that no one has come
to me with songs like the ones you mentioned
above! When I was with T-series, I didn't
do any stage shows for 8 years. I have started
doing them recently and they have done very
well. I have also given a lot of hits and
some of the films I have sung for are slated
for release.
I like ghazals, but we need good female
lyricists. Ghazal is a male domain because
most ghazals have lyrics dealing with liquor
and lyrics that seem inappropriate for a
lady to sing. Only Begum Akhtar could sing
of intoxication and still sound graceful.
I still love singing devotional songs. For
me music is a holistic experience with the
divine and a blessing from above, otherwise
someone like me who is not technically trained,
could not have reached the heights I have.
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