Srishti Dasgupta (BOMBAY TIMES; November 4, 2019)

Carefree, candid and one who shoots from the hip — that’s Sukhwinder Singh for you. Ahead of his concert at Kolkata this week, the Bollywood singer spoke about music reality shows, the #MeToo movement and why he thinks RD Burman is the greatest composer of all times. Excerpts:

What do you have to say about the quality of reality shows?
Reality shows are a very good platform to hone talent. The best show I ever witnessed was the one I worked in as the chief guest. But in the last five years, I have noticed that 80% of the contestants’ growth as a singer coming from reality shows has drastically gone down. I don’t get time to watch reality shows regularly on TV because of my riyaaz, yoga or intense travelling for concerts. I also need to sleep for a minimum of nine hours, and amidst all this, when a friend or an associate asks me to watch some episodes of a particular show, I make it a point to watch them. Ten to 15 years back, reality shows produced better talent.

Why do you think so?
We lead a fast-paced life nowadays, there’s no patience in us. So, the contestants do not devote enough time for riyaaz or to learn the nuances of music. The aggression level has also increased a lot in us. There’s a lot of talent, but they have to be nurtured properly. The rural areas of Bengal too are a treasure trove of raw talent. We just need to find them.

You judged Voice Of India’s second season years back. After that, we have not seen you donning the judge’s hat for any reality show…
Many offers keep coming my way, but shooting till 4 or 5 in the morning is a bit tough for me. Having said that, I don’t mind being a reality show judge. A saint in Chennai once told me, whenever you learn any good thing, you must share it with others. So, I would definitely want to don the judge’s hat and share with everyone my knowledge of music.

Reality show judges openly engage in war of words. Is it part of the script to garner TRPs?
I have always told people, ‘agar aap chahte hai ki tamashe se TRPs bante hai, toh main apko music se TRP banake dikha dunga’. I bet if I get back on the judge’s seat, I will generate TRPs through music, glamour, style and fun. If you want me to get into a war of words with the rest, woh mujhse nahi hoga. Also, I am sure I will be the best looking judge in a reality show (laughs!). Many a times, judges say ‘wah wah’, ‘kya baat hai’ after a contestant’s performance. I wonder why they do so even if the performance is average. I guess, they want to continue their stint in the coming seasons as well, so they want to make the producers happy. But I can never do this.

People from the music industry were also called out during #MeToo controversy. Do you think the movement has created the impact it intended to?
It’s good that unhone awaz uthayi. In our entertainment industry, there are some people who are very cheap. But I cannot ever say that Nana Patekar is cheap. He is one of the best actors in the country. But somewhere this #MeToo campaign did work well. But usko bhi corrupt karne ki koshish ki gayi. When the campaign gained momentum, many said there were other cases too. The common complaint was ladki dikhi nahi ke mooh se laar tapakne laga. But the moment the campaign became a tamasha, it stopped. But some women, who raised their voices, were right. Nobody was saying it openly, but andar se sabko ek satisfaction mila tha ke yeh movement hua, and some people’s true colours came out. I get disturbed when I hear people using abusive language with junior artistes. You can’t do that just because she’s not Alia Bhatt or Deepika Padukone. I think after this #MeToo campaign, woh tameez thodi aayi hai industry mein.

Given a choice, will you ever enter the Big Boss house?
Main tamashe mein nahin jata. They have approached me two-three times, but as I said earlier, if I have to create TRPs, I will do it only through music. I didn’t say no directly, but I gave the makers my reasons for not going.

What do you think about Jasleen Matharu and Anup Jalota’s relationship that blossomed inside the Big Boss house? They initially claimed to share a guru-shishya bond…
Log tamasha karke publicity chahte hai, but what they don’t realise is that they are only tarnishing their own image. They will not gain anything out of this. Woh jaan bujhke badnaam hona chahte hai. For me, I can never tolerate people saying that this man, who has given hits like Chhaiyaan Chhaiyaan, Chak De! or Dard-E-Disco and others, does such things on a reality show. I am not saying Big Boss is bad. It’s a different kind of a show, but I feel I will not fit into the show’s pattern.

It’s believed that the era of melody is over in Bollywood. Do you agree with this?
Woh era aayega wapas. Sukhwinder Singh jumped in and how (laughs!)! Be it romantic songs or peppy numbers, I have done it all. From this year onwards, a new journey of mine will start — the journey of singing romantic songs. When S D Burman, R D Burman, Kishore saab, Mohd Rafi saab, Lataji, Ashaji, Mukesh ji were there, it was the golden era of music. There is no replacement for these legends. Today, you will not find another Kaushiki (Chakraborty) or a (Ustad) Rashid Khan. Melody has become a minor part of music these days, but then why do people love Arijit Singh so much? It’s also because of melody. When people want sukoon, they listen to Arijit.

You spoke about having a huge crush on renowned classical singer, Kaushiki Chakraborty…
I am a big fan of hers. I have a crush on her singing style and am sure everyone in the country loves her singing. Whenever I see her performance, be it on online platforms or on TV, I am amazed to see how can she sing such difficult classical compositions so effortlessly. Her father, Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty, too is one of the finest classical singers in our country. Kaushiki is an extremely down-to-earth person, there’s no iota of arrogance in her and that makes her even more admirable. Ek Kaushiki hai, aur ek hai Pt Jasrajji, dono ke mathe pe kabhi bhi koi shikan nahi hai jab woh gaate hai. They always smile and sing such difficult classical songs.

You have worked with several music directors in Bollywood. Whom are you most comfortable working with?
I have worked with almost all the music composers in the industry. I am comfortable working with everyone. All of them are very passionate about their craft. When they approached me for the song, Kar Har Maidan Fateh of Sanju, which was composed by newcomer Vikram Montrose and written by newcomer Shekhar Astitwa, I instantly loved it and recorded it. The song too turned out so well. When I find lack of experience in a new composer or songwriter, I share my experiences with them. But I do respect their work.

You have sung a lot of songs for SRK. Which actor suits your voice the most?
I have sung more songs for Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn than Shah Rukh Khan. Three to five songs I have recorded for Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor also. The actors play different characters, and I sing for their characters. In 2007, Shah Rukh was simultaneously shooting for Chak De! India and Om Shanti Om. I had sung two songs for him that year, one for each film. The title track of Chak De! India and Dard-E-Disco. I always go by the director’s brief. Shah Rukh zuban pe zyada aata hai kyun ki he has a lot of appreciation for other artistes and their work. He praises everyone very honestly. If he wants, he will tell the director, ‘Yaar, ek gaana toh Sukhi ka hona chahiye film mein.’

There are a lot of promising singers presently in Bollywood. Who are your favourites? Do you see them as competition?
Competition does work very well. I have been a sportsperson since childhood. Competition works well in sports, but not in music. So, I don’t see anyone as my competition. Arijit Singh is a lot better than many singers; even Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan are extremely talented and versatile singers. Today, most young and upcoming singers try to copy western artistes like Shakira, Lady Gaga and others. They see their style and stage presentation, but don’t notice their practice and hard work.

Who is your favourite music composer?
R D Burman — he was the best in the world. Agar R D Burman abhi hote toh unke paas kam se kam 20-30 Oscars hota. If he got the technical support that’s available now, he would have fetched us more than 100 awards by this time.