Shilpa Rao, who has some of the biggest chartbusters to her credit, including Besharam Rang, Tere Hawaale, and Khuda Jaane, among others, has recently dropped her latest song Kaavaalaa from the Rajinikanth, Tamannaah Bhatia-starrer Jailer. The song has already taken the nation by storm and Shilpa is on cloud nine owing to her back-to-back successes.
In a candid chat with the Free Press Journal, Shilpa opened up on the brief she received for 'Kaavaalaa', the ever-growing remix culture in Bollywood, controversies surrounding her song 'Besharam Rang', and more.
Giving an insight into what went behind the making of Kaavaalaa, Shilpa shares that music composer Anirudh Ravichander gave her complete freedom to choose her scale and style for the song.
“Anirudh called me and said it’s a full female song, so just go for it. When I heard the song, I was actually surprised because I have never sung something like this before. I had no idea how he could picture me in it, but it’s always the composer’s vision. I had a blast singing it, and I am overwhelmed with the response from people who are loving it,” she gushes.
Shilpa was all over the news as the year 2023 began, courtesy her song Besharam Rang featuring Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan in Pathaan. The song courted all kinds of controversies, and it even led to certain political parties and fringe groups calling for the film’s boycott.
However, Shilpa believes that she can do nothing about the controversies and can only send out more love. “More than anything, when fans send me the song and I see that they understood its meaning and celebrate themselves, it brings me joy. If our song can give hope and the push to believe, ‘You are the best in your version’, then I consider my job well done,” she asserts.
Shilpa also feels that nowadays, almost every song and film tends to attract some controversy as people now have a platform to voice their opinions without any restraint. “While this is a great opportunity, it also makes it easier for personal preferences to be mistaken for informed opinions. It’s important to differentiate between having preferences and expressing an opinion based on knowledge and expertise about a subject. We need to establish a distinction between what we like or dislike and what constitutes a well-informed opinion,” she explains.
Of late, almost every film has a remixed version of an old number, and while some have been really enjoying the trend, a section of movie lovers are of the opinion that old songs should not be tampered with.
Sharing her two cents on the remix culture, Shilpa says that there is so much talent in the country that there is a lot of scope for original music. “I am actually a believer and supporter of original music. Creating something new is always an enriching experience. I also believe that in the future, when people look at my work, I want them to see something that stands out. I wholeheartedly believe in and support that,” she concludes.
