Showing posts with label Rabbi Shergill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rabbi Shergill. Show all posts
Maybe my next song will be inspired by Lucknow. It has kind of become my muse-Rabbi Shergill
10:38 AM
Manas Mishra (BOMBAY TIMES; April 4, 2026)
Singer-songwriter Rabbi Shergill, the voice behind Bullah Ki Jaana, Challa, and Tere Bin, recently performed in Lucknow, delivering a powerful set that left audiences inspired. In an exclusive conversation, the artist known for his uncompromising approach reflected on the city’s cultural depth, the evolving landscape for independent musicians and Bollywood’s shifting music industry.
“What I like about Lucknow is that it’s an ancient city. It has all the elements which can inspire an artist. It has authentic cuisine, rich authentic history and culture. Wajid Ali Shah was here. In Delhi as well, we had so many beautiful poets, and you guys have a glossary of literary giants here.”
He further revealed that Lucknow’s vibe might inspire a new song. “Maybe my next song will be inspired by Lucknow. It has kind of become my muse.”
Shergill sees promise in today’s music scene, with streaming, social media, and live concerts making it easier for independents to thrive.
“It’s definitely a good time to be an independent artist, much better than for us when we were starting out, breaking through,” he says. Yet he laments a key shortfall, “I don’t see that many people speaking the truth of the moment.”
He elaborated, “Because the economics of this thing have taken over so much, to the extent people just really want something quickly and do shows and earn fast.”
For Shergill, art’s true role runs deeper than virality. “The art’s job is to clear the path for a new politics to emerge, a politics that really has its ears to hear what the janta really wants.”
He hesitated to urge others to tackle tough issues, admitting self-reflection first. “I can’t really exhort others to say their piece. I find myself that I may have lagged behind a little bit myself. I don’t think I’ve really spoken my piece over the last few years. So I am in no place to tell anyone what to do.”
Still, he stresses, “There are a lot of inconvenient truths people are not talking about And I think it needs to be said in a way.”
His move from Mumbai back to Delhi spoke volumes. “I lived in Mumbai and I went away to live in Delhi. That should pretty much tell you where my heart was. I didn’t want to be a film artist.”
Lately, though, he’s nuanced that view. “Off late I think I’ve come to realize that films is the pop music of India. And if you really want to reach out to people, you have to balance it. But the thing is that I say some inconvenient truths and then Bollywood runs away in the other direction. So it’s very hard for me to say what I want to say and still be able to do some film work. I guess it’s up to the filmy janta. I’m here. If they want me to do something, great. But they gotta figure out what they want.”
He reminisced about a lost Indian originality: “There was a neat little Indian trick, it was very unique to India. You gave a guy and he created the songs and he created the background score. So there was a definite stamp of one person. Which is always nice to hear.”
Bollywood’s monopoly stifles fresh sounds
On Bollywood’s music today, Shergill stays detached but hears troubling trends from peers: “From what I gather when I talk to people, it’s like there are a few big monopolies like production houses. Earlier you’d have directors or production houses giving the entire film to one party and saying, ‘Okay, do it.’ Right now you have OST, so those people are just asking people to do one song or two songs and remixes. That means they’re pretty much trying to manipulate the IPR. If somebody has an IPR, it stays with them. So those are some logistical things that are happening, some issues around IPR which are dictating what kind of music, and what is the sound design for a film. But largely you don’t really have filmmakers giving new music directors free rein and saying, ‘Okay, this is the film.’”
Fearing backlash, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan bows out of singing a song for Gandhi: The Conspiracy?
8:00 AM
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 14, 2018)
Lakshmi Iyer, one of the producers of the international film, Gandhi: The Conspiracy, was overjoyed when Rahat Fateh Ali Khan agreed to render a track in the historical drama. What followed was a round of meetings in Dubai and drawing up of agreements last month. However, the producer claims that days before the final recording of the song — that is inspired by Shahid Kabir’s famous poem, Main Na Hindu, Na Musalman — Khan did a volte-face.
Stating that the Pakistani singer had even sung a scratch version in Dubai, Iyer tells mid-day, “Rahat sahab was excited to be part of the project. Unfortunately, when he returned to Pakistan, he was advised otherwise by his well-wishers. They felt that the movie, which deals with Partition and Gandhi’s assassination, might not be accepted in Pakistan, and he might face their wrath.”
She adds that Rabbi Shergill finally stepped in to croon for the Algerian director Karim Traidia’s film. Iyer insists there is no bad blood. “We are in touch with him for our future projects. The political relationship between India and Pakistan is turbulent. I hope there will be a day when political differences can be solved.”
The film that also features late Om Puri, delves into the incidents that led to Gandhi’s death. Khan remained unavailable for comment.
Meet the guitar doc who fixes guitar of prominent Bollywood musicians
8:38 AM
Saurabh Datar (MID-DAY; March 30, 2014)
In an unassuming workshop at Charkop, Kandivli, Sunil Shinde is surrounded by guitars — broken, bent, modified, or some new ones. He is India’s foremost guitar luthier (a term used to describe someone who makes a lute or other string instruments), and the biggest names in the music industry seek him out.
“My skill is god’s gift — I never attended classes to learn how to repair guitars,” says the 40-year-old.
It all began in 1989, when he joined Alberto Music, a Malad store. After picking up some chops from its owner Salvadore Dias, he started repairing and fixing guitars full- time. Working at Alberto also exposed him to several books on guitars. “I would repair a guitar and compare what I had done to the manuals; it matched.” Soon, Shinde began servicing legendary Bollywood musicians such as Kalyanji-Anandji, Pyarelal and guitarists Dilip Naik and Ramesh Iyer.
Going solo In i996, Shinde established his own workshop and his clients moved with him as well. Today, he serves Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa, bass guitarist Karl Peters, guitarist Kalyan Baruah, indie stars Papon and Rabbi Shergill, Sandeep Chowta and Clinton Cerejo. The list goes on to about 3,000 clients.
Ehsaan Noorani swears by Shinde. “I wouldn’t trust my guitars with anyone else. I send them to Sunil every month for maintenance.” During the 2006 deluge, Noorani’s guitar was damaged when Empire Studios was flooded. “ I thought it was gone. But he fixed it!” says Noorani. “I have a Parker Fly guitar, made of mahogany graphite. Once, to detect a problem, Sunil put the guitar in an X- ray machine,” he exclaims.
The Doc is also inventor Shinde also customises guitars according to client requirements. One such request came from singer-director Avdhoot Gupte. “Once, he wanted an intrument which combined western and Indian sounds. The protagonist in the film, Ek Tara, is a musician who undergoes a transformation,” explains Shinde. After about a year of research, creating designs, and working on prototypes, Shinde invented the ‘gitara’, a combination of the ektara and the guitar. “It has six strings and same number of frets as a guitar, but emits a more Indian sound. But, it can also be used in western tonality,” he explains.
The gitara will be patented. Ek Tara, will release in April. Shinde also invented another instrument, combination of a mandola and a mandolin, on the request of veteran Bollywood mandolin player Chandrakant Lakshpati.
Shinde says he never feels like composing music, though he is in touch with composers. ‘Ehsaan sir’, as Shinde calls him, got him imported tools and books.
The Guitar Doc now plans to set up a factory to produce guitars under his own name. He hopes his two boys will also learn the skill. “They’re young now. But, that’s all for the future. For now, I’m happy.”
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