Shalmali Kholgade may have built a discography of hits — Balam Pichkari (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani; 2013), Lat Lag Gayee (Race 2; 2013) and Kheench Te Nach (Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui; 2021), but the singer reveals that she does not really get choice of taking up songs in films. “As far as Bollywood is concerned, singers don’t choose the songs,” she says.

Elaborating, she adds, “We can turn down a song if we are not comfortable with the lyrics, but we can’t equate it to actors choosing to take up a role. When you get the call to sing a song for a film, you have to understand what the film and music is saying to you.”

Kholgade also adds that, more often than not, singers nowadays don’t even know who they are singing playback for. “For Beqaaboo (Gehraiyaan), I knew nothing about who is going to be in the song. I didn’t know that it would be picturized on actor Deepika Padukone. I just knew that I needed to have fun and sound sexy. For this song, I didn’t have to ask where it is going to be placed or who is going to be a part of it,” she reveals.

However, the singer says that for some tracks, it helps to know who the song would be picturised on. “For a more deeper song, you need to ask what is the context, who is going to be there, etc. For me, songs like Pareshaan (Ishaqzaade; 2012) or Tera Naam Doon (Entertainment; 2014), I had to be told why I had to sing a certain way, but a song like Lat Lag Gayee or Balam Pichkari, it is pretty much about me having fun,” she ends.