 | |||
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The King of Hearts Radhika Sasankh From a youngster struggling to make a name in the film industry as a playback singer to being the most popular Ghazal singer now, Pankaj Udhas has come a long way. Today he has carved a niche of his own in the Indian music industry and has his own loyal and ever-increasing fan following. His ghazals, rendered in his honey-and-milk voice never fail to touch one’s heart with the emotion they are so full of. The star was in Chennai last week for the promotion of his latest album ‘Jaaneman’, his 37th. Satyamonline grabbed him for an exclusive interview. Why are there so few artistes singing Ghazals today compared to the deluge of performers in Indipop? Indipop is the easy way to fame today. Ghazal singing needs ‘saadhna’. You have to learn the language to get into this form of music. But today, if one is good looking and has a good voice, he gets an offer right away. “OK, you start working out in a Gym and cut an album, we’ll do a video and make you a star”. So its obvious that any youngster who does not have wise people around would jump into the race. And many of these youngsters have become stars. So, that has inspired a huge generation to get into this kind of pop singing. I have no objection to pop; in fact pop has its own positive areas. I am a big fan of Beatles and I feel Beatles were the people who really knew Pop. The present generation should try to sing something, which can help create an identity. But is there an effort being made to spot new Ghazal- singing talent? During my Television show, we spotted some very very talented people. I think these youngsters are waiting in the wings. It’s just a question of time, another six months or so, before you see many new faces in the field. There are youngsters who are working very hard. Why is that even very popular and well known stars like you are being sidelined in music videos and album covers, while models featuring in the video take centrestage? I agree. But as far as videos go, I’d rather not be shown as something that would clash with my personality. If I start wearing funny clothes and start dancing around, people will not accept it. I think my limited presence in videos is quite justified. Music companies these days sell models too, to attract customers or whatever. I don’t think it’s the right strategy. I have actually taken up this point with a couple of audio companies and in future albums you see a change for the better. What do you like doing best- singing live or in a studio? Why? Singing live is most satisfying. I’ve done that all my life. Please tell us about your new albums- ‘Humsafar’ and ‘Jaaneman’? Right from day one I’ve always been a very innovative person in the limited area of Ghazal singing. In this quest for finding something new, ‘Jaaneman’ came along. ‘Jaaneman’ is an album based on the philosophy of ‘Sufism’. There are a lot of songs about the rapport between a human being and God. We have stuck to quality poetry, quality melody, but given it a contemporary sound. Please tell us about your new music portal. It’s called ‘Musik 121’ and it is likely to be up in the first week of August. The idea behind the name is to be one to one with the people. It’s going to be a complete site - from International to Indian music covering every genre. I am devoting one whole section to Ghazals. Which one of your compositions is your personal favorite? It’s very difficult to say or name one. But I would say that ‘Deewaron se...achha lagta hai’ was one of my favorite compositions. Have you had a role model that you always looked up to? Well, in fact there were two people who initiated me to Ghazal music, the Maulvi who taught my brother Urdu and secondly Mehdi Hassan. I’ve been a great admirer of Mehdi Hassan and his style of singing. He has been a great inspiration and role model for me. Who do you think is the greatest Ghazal singer of all times? I consider two people- Begum Akthar and Mehdi Hassan. What do you do in your free time?(If you have any at all!) I unfortunately don’t have free time at all. I’ve always wanted to play Cricket, Tennis and Golf. I’ve always wanted to listen to loads and loads of music; wanted to read books. But I am not able to do any of these things. I satisfy myself with watching tennis and cricket on TV and listening to music. What are your future plans? I am working on a few projects. I have one plan of singing old classics; am going to start with some of the old poets and I’ve decided to make that as a permanent feature in the coming ten years. Apart from that I am looking at a very different kind of fusion album, my innovation. What is the future of Ghazals in India? Very bright, because Ghazals have tremendous content and melody. I think poetry and melody can never die. Finally, how do you like Chennai? The best thing about this place is that there is no hypocrisy here. I like Chennai as a city and I like the people of Chennai. I love South Indian food. - Satyamonline |
|
|
| |
| |
| Top |  |
| |
