'I would love to recreate my his songs': Actor and singer Namit Das on his father, ghazal singer Chandan Dass

'I would love to recreate my his songs': Actor and singer Namit Das on his father, ghazal singer Chandan Dass

'As far as music is concerned, I feel I am overshadowed by his presence,' he says

Natalia NingthoujamUpdated: Sunday, August 29, 2021, 12:00 AM IST
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Namit Das may have an illustrious list of films (Ghanchakkar, Ankon Dekhi, Wake Up Sid, to name a few) and shows (Aarya, A Suitable Boy, among others) to his credit, but he is more than just an actor. Namit, who has predominantly done theatre, is actually a singer by heart. And, it would have been a surprise if he didn’t take to music, for his father is veteran ghazal singer Chandan Dass. He is known for songs like Uski Gali Mein Phir Ik Baar Le Chalo, Apna Gham Leke Kahin, Na Jee Bharke Dekha, among several others.

Music is in his genes

Namit discovered his inclination towards music during his college days. However, he was apprehensive — the fear of being overshadowed by his father took over him. “I wondered if my father would like it or not. There was also the pressure of not being as good as my father. As far as music is concerned, I feel I am overshadowed by his presence. It is difficult for me to sing in front of him,” the actor shares. But didn’t his father encourage him? “He appreciates my singing skills, but there are times when he acts cold. I think that’s because he wants me to be perfect, which is tough,” clarifies the Pataakha actor.

Many might not know, but Namit has taken singing lessons from his father. However, the student-teacher relation wasn’t comfortable for both of them. “I wanted him to teach me music and do riyaz together, but that didn’t work out. When you are too close, you have certain expectations — I expected him to be a little mellow. As a teacher, he is was strict. Our approach to music is also different,” confesses the actor, who shares that his acting is also influenced by music. “When I approach a scene, it’s all about the rhythm that my body and brain tell me at that moment. It comes naturally to me. I might not be on par with a lot of people, but I think the understanding is still musical for everything that I do,” he reveals. 

Family of artistes

Although the passion for music came naturally to Namit, his expertise is attributed to hours of riyaz. He enjoys re-composing existing classical and Bollywood songs, but isn’t too keen to reinvent his father’s songs. “I would love to recreate my father’s songs, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do justice or not,” Namit shares.

During the lockdown, Namit kept his fans engaged on social media with his singing abilities. He recently paid tribute to the evergreen Bollywood actor Shammi Kapoor by giving a modern twist to his iconic song, Badan Pe Sitare, from his 1969 film, Prince. But his love for music is not limited to social media, as some of his songs have made it to the screen as well, including three for Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy. Interestingly, one of the tracks, The boatman song, in the series was penned by his mother, Yamini Dass, who made her acting debut in the 2018 Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan-starrer Sui Dhaaga.

“Mira loved the composition, but didn’t find the right lyricist to write the song. One day, I was sitting with my mom and struggling with the lyrics and she offered to help. She penned some lines, which I passed them to Mira and she liked them,” recalls the actor, adding that he always knew his mother had an artistic side. “I kept telling people she has been an artiste all her life, but was not discovered. She has been a homemaker for over 35 years and I feel happy when people talk to me about my mom. At some point, we would like to publish a book of her poems,” he enthuses.

Searching the soul

While the ongoing pandemic and the simultaneous lockdowns have brought everything to a standstill and put our lives in virtual spaces, Namit took it as an opportunity to be with his family. “There was a lot of soul searching. I value my friends more. The conflicts that you used to have with family are not that big anymore. The bigger picture is to stay together and take care of each other,” the Aarya actor says.

Meanwhile, besides music, Namit’s acting career is also shaping up well with a host of OTT projects in his kitty. Currently, he is working on a web series titled Choona, which stars Jimmy Sheirgill, and Dunali with Chunky Panday and Yashpal Sharma.

“I have finished my Lucknow schedule and we will start the Mumbai one soon. Choona is an exciting show — it has a rustic vibe and is funny. When asked if he has any biases towards OTT and TV, since he had a successful outing with Sumit Sambhal Lega, the actor opines that both the mediums have something unique to offer. Calling the OTT platform “more personal”, Namit adds, “But I don’t think television will die. It will exist for the drawing-room audience. I see television existing as a background music. People start watching TV from morning; films will have vintage love. Every medium has its own space and satisfies a different need in individuals.”

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