He’s at the peak of his career, releasing singles, singing for films, and dancing for a film after a long time. Sonu Nigam talks to Viraj Sawant about his latest song, Machli jaal ki rani hai.
How did santa banta pvt ltd happen for you?
Akashdeep is a very old friend of mine. He wanted me to act in some of his films. Since that never transpired so he wanted me to feature in this film. I have anyway sung most of the songs in the film. He came up with a song, Machli jaal ki rani hai, raat ke daru ke sang khani hai. So he asked me if I would be able to play a part in this song. I was actually not going through a good time because my mother had just passed away, a couple of months back. I had come back from Kruger Safari in Africa. So I was in the morbid and banjarowali phase. Then he convinced me and I agreed. It was pretty interesting because the song is pretty lively and I also sowed my dancing skill after a long time.
We are a little confused, it’s a children’s poem and in a movie like santa banta pvt ltd.
It’s actually not a kid’s song. The connotation is for a girl. The lyrics later on refer to the girl. The machli becomes a girl. So it’s just inspired from a kid’s song but in no way it is for kids. (Laughs) It’s basically a very naughty song. The poem has been distorted and converted into a flirtatious mischievous song.
After Bijuriaa, you danced for this song, how was it shooting after a long time?
I have worked with Remo, Saroj Khan but never with Chinni Prakash. So this was my first time with him and he was happy that I could pick up steps quickly. I was the last one to arrive on the set and the first one to catch the steps. I am relieved that I still haven’t lost the touch after Bijuriya.
Why haven’t you tried your hand at films after 2004?
After my debut or initial experience in films, I was not very confident about actingagain. I realised one thing, that it’s more about the project and not about the film. It’s more about the project in totality. You could be working with Raj Babbar, Nadira Babbar and their daughter, where everyone comes for the theatre background. It’s the movie is not meant to do well, it won’t. A movie comes a year after it’s announced. So I was not really sure if I know the business or not. I know singing but still it took me quiet sometime to understand the business of music. A film is just not about the film. It has to have a good packing. You have to be either as smart as Shah Rukh Khan to make sure you film does wonders. But even a genius like Aamir had to face failure in the start and then DIL gave him the push. He has always been the smart, intelligent man that he is now. Choosing the right project is equally important. I realised that I lack the sense of choosing the right project. I don’t understand what a good project is. So I had told Akash that I wanted to be sure of the project I was doing and not do it for the sake of it. It’s too much of disappointment when you put so much efforts in a film for its shooting, preparation, dubbing and so many other things and then it releases and no one even noticed it. Maybe in the future if santa banta clicks well, we’ll work together for sure. I am glad he was able to get me on screen.
Your son has also sung for the same song in the film, did you advice him anything before recording for the song?
Akash is family to us. My son and his son play together. So just during a casual chat he asked me if I could make Neevan sing the original poem. So I asked my son to sing and I recorded it on the phone. What you hear in the film was recorded on the phone. It definitely isn’t a debut of any sort. I don’t want my son to be in this industry at this point. I want him to choose his career. He is in the best phase of his life. He is studying in the best school in the country and enjoying his school life. Why should I push him into this at a very early age. He hasn’t even entered the studio.
He is a gifted boy. He is also directing films with his phone and laptop. He is making the house staff work in these films. I don’t want to confine his mind to become a singer just because his father is a singer. His head is more into direction. I was surprised when I saw him directing some short clips where in the actors are the staff. I am not suppose to decide his destiny.
You’ve been working on a few singles lately, can you tell us something about that?
I did a single Aa Bhi Jaa with in Amyra Dastur. Then I have done some more work in the independent music genre as well. I did a video with the first transgender band, it’s called Six Pack. The song is Sab rab de bandhe for Yash Raj films.Then I did one more song for a short film called first date, that did very well on YouTube and one more. And there is one more dhamaka coming soon.
Being a senior singer in India, what would you say about the independent music scene in India?
Until the radio and TV don’t pick up these songs and don’t play them or promote these songs, till then independent music will lack recognition. The only platform for them is the digital media. Radio and TV should get out of the Bollywood music zone and promote these songs also. There is some crazy music coming up. It’s so good that the people will like to. I heard this brilliant song by an Indian band and it made me think that it’s unfortunate that such good music does not get recognition as much as it should get. They totally deserve some recognition because it widens the hemisphere of music in India. People don’t really want just Bollywood. Unless you serve them all sort of music they will just stick to Bollywood. We need a fair amalgamation of Bollywood and rock and independent music.
