Urmimala Banerjee (MID-DAY; March 25, 2014)

As Rekha Bhardwaj prepares for her performance with flautist Pandit Ronu Majumdar and Taufiq Qureshi on Thursday, she speaks to hitlist about music and more.

Do you enjoy instrumental music as much as film songs?
I love any music that pleases my heart. I am excited about performing with two senior artistes I have been listening to since years. I have been following Ronu’s works since my college days.

How different is singing for other composers apart from Vishal?
I have been working with different composers since 2007. I am fortunate that they come to me with songs that they feel only I can do justice to. I feel extremely comfortable working with Pritam, AR Rahman and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

How is it singing for Vishal?
He knows me too well! He listens to my riyaaz everyday ( laughs). He can create a song for me and challenge my limits as well.

What kind of songs will you never sing?
I can sing any song as long as it is aesthetic. One can be sensuous or flirtatious without being cheap. Prasoon Joshi and Amitabh Bhattacharya write unique lyrics without being crass.

What kind of music do you enjoy?
Jazz — Cassandra Wilson and Nina Simone are my favourites. I also love the Beatles, Bryan Adams, KD Lang and Sting. My son, Aasman, makes me listen to rap and hip- hop. Amongst ghazal singers, I like Mehdi Hassan, Jagjit Singh and Madhurani ji.

Do you feel your husband’s does not sing as often as he should?
Yes, Vishal should sing more often. He is shy about singing songs that he composes. There are certain songs that only he should sing. We are planning to work together on a few poems of Urdu poet, Dr. Bashir Badr.

Your views on the multi-composer trend?
It’s nice as it gives opportunities to youngsters. Nowadays, listeners have many choices; earlier this wasn’t the case. I liked Mithoon, Ankit Tiwari and Jeet Gannguli’s works in Aashiqui 2. I thought Arko Pravo Mukherjee is brilliant as well.