Living life in the public eye is not easy, something that singer Sonu Nigam took cognisance of very early on when he decided to send his son Neevan out of India.

“My son became a sensation in 2012 itself,” notes Nigam hinting at the time when a four-year-old Nevaan captured hearts of many when he recorded his own version of Dhanush’s popular track Kolaveri Di.

The singer further adds, “But if you make a big deal out of it then that is the problem. If I wanted to show my child around in every party and if I wanted my son to come out with new songs, then he would have been pressurized. As parents, we didn’t want to ruin and taint his childhood. I wanted him to have a normal childhood with friends; one where he doesn’t have to go for appearances, shoots and parties.”

Nigam, 48, says that was why he and his wife Madhurima decided to send him to Dubai to live and study there. “I wanted him to study and live in a country outside of India, which is not too far. Initially, we were planning to move to USA in 2009 as me and my wife are green card holders and my son is a USA citizen. But commuting from Los Angeles to Mumbai is very difficult. So I decided to give up the idea of living in LA. Dubai is closer to Mumbai,” he shares.

While he shuttles between his two homes, he is happy to have given a normal childhood to his son.

“We made sure to give him a normal childhood. Now his friends are Brazilians, Germans… something that I never got to experience in my childhood,” he concludes.

Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; July 12, 2018)

The earliest memory of Mumbai that Bollywood singer-musician Sonu Nigam holds close to his heart is that of walking to school in his gumboots. And the rains always conjure up those images from his schooling years, which were spent partly in Mumbai, besides Delhi. He says, “We could never wear gumboots in Delhi because it never rained so heavily. But here, we used to walk to school in our gumboots and I quite cherish those childhood memories. It was fun turning them upside down and laughing over the water that came pouring out!”

The singer, who’s also known to be a terrific entertainer on stage, tells us how Mumbai became home, ever since he came to the city in 1991. Says Sonu, “At that time, Mumbai was called Bombay. From early on in childhood, I had decided I wanted to do something fruitful in life, so when I came here, I was focused about work.”

“There was no time time left to explore the city. I saw the iconic Gateway of India only after four years of being here. Woh kehte hai na, mullah ki daud masjid tak, which is how my schedule went — it was always about going to studios and recording my songs. Also, I did not have a friend circle as such at that time, so I never went to beaches or discos. But I do remember spending late nights at Nariman Point. Madhurima and I used to sit there and have tea for a couple of hours and chat; Babul Supriyo and his wife would also be there with us. Those were some fun times that we spent in South Mumbai,” reminisces Sonu.

Since he mentioned his wife, is there any particular place, beach or restaurant in Mumbai they used to frequent before tying the knot? “Romancing Madhurima was never about walking by the sea because by that time I had come in the public eye and people would recognise me. Even when I was dating my wife, we always chose to sit at one place and converse than go out and eat at restaurants."

It’s not surprising when he says that today, Mumbai is synonymous with his house. “Relaxing at home in Mumbai, is how I love to flirt with the city. My house in Versova, gives me the comfort and peace of mind, like no other place. I always feel that it was my destiny to make a house in Mumbai and there is a supreme power who makes us do all these things. Even the name, Namah was given by my manager, so I can’t take credit for it,” says Sonu.

Making an exception this time, the singer steps outside his bungalow to take a stroll in the lane to soak in its beauty with its glistening green and lush trees. “I used to record 11 songs in a day, but instead of staying back in the studio to have lunch I preferred to go home. Had I stayed in Bandra or SoBo, I would never have had the luxury of spending time at home or be with my loved ones while I was working hard. Besides, Versova is where the whole industry is based, so I feel my house is ideally located,” he says.

The city has always been home for the singer, except during the years he relocated to Los Angeles in 2009. “I was trying to do something different then," he recalls, adding, “We also found a nice place to stay in LA, but then my mother fell ill and I felt it was important to return to Mumbai.”

Sonu, who has many chart-busters to his credit, believes that Mumbai does not belong to lazy people. “A lazy person cannot survive in Mumbai,” he states, elaborating, “The city is all about hard work and even more hard work. You need to be on your toes to achieve your dreams. No other city has that buzz, which Mumbai has. A certain energy seeps into you the minute you are in Mumbai. Despite the traffic and the madness, I have a lot of respect for the city, its work culture and the people here.”

RJ, costume designer, now stage actor - Madhurima Nigam on finally finding herself.
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 24, 2014) 

Madhurima Nigam is currently a confused, self-obsessed know-it-all. Or at least, she is trying to be. Bimola, the character she plays in Three Women, an English play by Isheeta Ganguly that's set to make its Mumbai debut this weekend, isn't close to her own reality, thankfully, she 'phews!'

But that's not the only challenge. Being on stage before hundreds isn't easy either.

The first time Nigam, who is married to playback singer, Sonu Nigam, held stage was last year at a local Durga Puja celebration in Kolkata. "They were staring at me excitedly, although they had no idea who I was," she laughs. If the husband could do it every day with poise, she could to, she told herself.

And since that one went well, when Ganguly (her son is Nigam's son Nivaan's classmate at a Mumbai school), came to her with the part in April, she accepted.

A theatre workshop she had attended with veteran Nadira Babbar and daughter Juhi a few years ago helped her slip into Bimola's skin. "Remembering my lines isn't difficult. I just have to remember who I am at the time. How will Bimola react to the given situation is all I need to know," she says, admitting she is an introvert. The workshop, she says, made it easier for her to approach strangers and overcome inhibitions. "The only time I did approach someone, was at a night club in Kolkata on December 24, 1995. It was a Christmas party, and I had been given permission to attend. My friends were crazy about Sonu. Since I was to feature in one of his music videos, I walked up to him. To my surprise, he greeted me with a blank expression. I felt like such a fool!"

She followed Sonu to Mumbai, although her father didn't think pursuing a career in entertainment was wise. Despite being trained in textile design, her first job was as director Kunal Kohli's assistant on television shows. "I learnt a bit of everything then, exploring editing machines like Avid and Smoke which had just been introduced," says Nigam, who was the one to edit Nivaan's kiddy version of Kolaveri Di in 2011.

But her career hit a wall with her wedding to Sonu. "When you live with a celebrity, you forget who you are. But as you grow older, you feel the need to find yourself," she says.

Stardom brought with it what it always does — constant media scrutiny. "I had to choose my career carefully too. If I did well, good. But if I didn't, people would go, 'what is Sonu Nigam's wife doing!' That Sonu left it to her to make every decision concerning herself was encouraging, she thinks. "He'd end those conversations with, 'It's your life, your decision and your burden'.

Finally, it was the role of costume designer that worked out. Returning to the craft she trained in, she was signed on as designer for the occasional TV show, and Sonu's public appearances.

A gig for a radio channel where she interviews film industry veterans has survived a year because it allows her the freedom to record at will. "I didn't want to take up anything that takes away from my role as wife and mother," says Madhurima. She is clearly enjoying being both, and that's a solace after the couple hit a rough patch a couple of years ago, with Sonu declaring before the press in 2005 that they have split.

The balm of time has brought with it maturity, and Madhurima says while she was warm in the sympathy women in torn relationships tend to receive, Sonu was hit hard by it. "He is way more emotional than I am," she says.

The open struggle she waged to save the relationship could be the reason she is quasi-counsellor on Facebook.

"People approach me with their issues, and I listen, empathise and counsel," she says, building a case for how she'll make the perfect tell-all talk show host. "I'd be as memorable as Oprah Winfrey and as classy as Simi Garewal," she declares.