Showing posts with label Spotless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spotless. Show all posts
If sob stories weren’t working on reality shows, we wouldn’t be seeing them so often-Sonu Nigam
8:14 AM
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; June 14, 2021)
Singer-composer Sonu Nigam, who had relocated to Dubai last year, came back to Mumbai around three months ago. In an exclusive chat with BT, he speaks about why he chose to come back to Mumbai during the pandemic, why sob stories work for reality shows and how the pandemic gave most of us a new perspective. Excerpts:
You had relocated to Dubai with your wife Madhurima and son Nevaan last year. Now, when Dubai has opened up to a large extent, you returned to Mumbai. What inspired the move?
This year, I spent the entire lock-down in Mumbai. I have been here for the past three months. When I relocated to Dubai last year, I did not know that the lockdown would last for so long back home. I felt guilty being there because I was far away from my father and sister, who were alone in Mumbai for six months. This year, though my wife and son are in Dubai, I am happy that I am spending quality time with my father and sister. My father (singer Agam Kumar Nigam) occasionally cooks for me, sometimes I cook for him, he watches my sister and me work out in the gym, we recall memories of my struggling days and talk about the present and future plans.
Have your wife Madhurima and son Nevaan adjusted to life in Dubai? It must be hard to divide your time between two bases…
Schools have opened up in Dubai, and my son is happy as he is not studying online anymore. We have many friends and Madhu’s sister is staying with them, so they are fine. There has to be a balance in the time I spend with my families. I can’t forget my first family to be with my wife and son. It is my duty to be with my father, too.
As for being in two cities, I have never depended on a place. Even if you keep me in the woods, I will be happy. But partly, my purpose of being in India was to contribute to society during the pandemic, but I don’t like to talk about how I am helping others.
Whatever I am doing in this pandemic is not some act of greatness. We are all doing our bit, because at the end of the day we are in the same boat.
You recently posted a video on the controversy that erupted after singer Amit Kumar said that he was asked to praise the contestants on Indian Idol. What’s your take on music reality shows that often dramatize sob stories to move the audience to tears?
If they weren’t working (sob stories), it would not be happening so often on reality shows. In the deepest corner of my heart, I feel sob stories are working. It is a marketing thing, and people are not fools. Their hearts are in the right place. I also feel that the contestants in reality shows are extremely talented. They are ‘dhurandhars’. Secondly, the definition of entertainment varies from person to person. Recently, I was watching a Korean film and I connected with it because it reminded me of my struggles, but it could be boring for someone else. Who am I to comment on the music reality shows? They are doing well, getting good viewership and the singers are phenomenal.
Would you judge a music reality show at this stage of your career?
I will go with my gut feeling. If I feel I can contribute to a show and they come with an offer, why not? If I feel I am a misfit, I won’t do it.
Remixes seem to be the order of the day, and many non- filmi tracks, too, have been reprised lately. Would you consider recreating any of your hits?
No, I don’t think so. I feel they aren’t working so well now. Many of my songs were sung by singers and they were trolled heavily. I am also scared of singing a song originally sung by someone else (laughs!). Anil Kapoor had requested me to sing a Mohammed Rafi song (Badan Pe Sitaare) in Fanney Khan, and it was only after he convinced me that it was about a stage singer who is a fan of Rafi saab singing it in the film, that I agreed to sing it.
Your son seems to have inherited your love for music and has been seen performing with you. Would you encourage him to become a singer?
I want my son to be a happy child and don’t want to advise him on his career. Zaroori nahi hai ki doctor ka child doctor aur singer ka child singer banne…Yesterday, he told me he wants to become a lawyer, a few years back he wanted to become a cricketer. I believe in happiness and not success. I feel that an enlightened man is successful and not otherwise.
Last year, you had expressed that the music industry needs to change and give a fair chance to young talented singers…
Not just the music industry, the entire universe got a break due to the pandemic. Things have changed a lot, post the pandemic. Sabko aate aur dal ke bhaav pataa lag gaya hai. So, many changes have taken place and there will be many corrections.
With the digital space opening up, do you want to give acting a shot seriously again?
I did the short film Spotless in 2019, which got good reviews in festivals abroad. After that, I got a few good offers. There are no major plans to act, but I will consider it if I am offered something interesting.
Even the powerful have a heart-Sonu Nigam
8:17 AM
Weighing in on the monopoly in the film music industry, Sonu Nigam says change can be brought about if top brass is made aware of youngsters' perils
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; June 22, 2020)
Albeit not entirely, a celebrated anecdote from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar seems to find resonance amid the current discussion of monopoly in the film industry. It reads: "I know he would not be a wolf but that he sees the Romans are but sheep." It alludes to a powerful man who derives strength owing to the commoners' weakness. And while it may be futile to expect the powerful to relinquish their authority when they are abundantly catered to, singer Sonu Nigam suggests that the industry's tide could turn only if the top brass wills
"Even the most powerful have hearts; they have kids. If you try to arm-wrestle [with them], it will never be nice. We just want to convey a message, and, I think, better sense will prevail," says the singer, who recently released a vlog calling out the monopoly in the Indian music industry that, he suggested, could lead to cases of frustration and suicide, like that of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Lamenting that two Indian music companies were running the show in Bollywood and deciding the fate of singers, Nigam had appealed that the careers of the young not be exploited. "I understand the anguish of those who understand Bollywood. If you knew there was another way [of working], would you not try to help? This is a humble attempt to awaken people, especially those in power. They may not be aware, or have perhaps turned a blind eye to artistes' sufferings. After I shared my vlog, seniors, as well as the young have told me that they cried. They must have because they have suffered as much," says Nigam, adding that should his children enter the industry, he'd want them to have a "free market".
Currently tucked away in Dubai for the last three months, the singer has been working on a version of the Hanuman Chalisa that he hopes to release for his fans, in the near future. "There is also a song for Tips that I am working on. I am enriching myself [by creating] independent songs."
He is also looking forward to the YouTube release of his short film, Spotless, which sees him take to acting yet again. "Early on in my career, an engineer, Anil Patil had told me that his daughter had been attacked with acid. This incident stayed with me, and made me wonder how a man could believe [he's entitled enough] to do something like that, only because a girl turns down his advances. Also, the [assailant] was moving around freely. Back then, laws [were not strong]. I don't know if that has changed. So, when this offer came to me, I had to say yes," he says of the film that earned several nods – including one for him for Best Actor — at award galas, after its initial release in December 2019.
Sonu Nigam returns to acting after 14 film with a short film titled Spotless
8:13 AM
Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; July 11, 2018)
Though he was initially apprehensive about giving his nod to Saurabh Pandey’s Spotless, Sonu Nigam says a sense of familiarity rushed in when he faced the camera. The short film marks his return to acting after 14 years since his last film, Love In Nepal (2004). Having mentioned on several occasions that acting is not his forte, the singer-actor says he geenlit the project owing to his faith in Pandey’s vision.
“Initially, I was apprehensive, because this [acting] is not one of my goals. But Saurabh pursued me for almost a month and convinced me with his vision for the film,” says Nigam. Refusing to divulge the social cause that the short film champions, he adds, “It is one of the reasons I decided to accept his offer.”
The drama sees him team up with Shweta Rohira (below). Heaping praise on his co-star, he says, “Shweta is a natural in front of the camera.”
Ask him if his turn as an actor signifies that he is open to doing full-length features and Nigam says, “I never plan my life; I take it as it comes.”
On the singing front, Nigam — who considers Mohammed Rafi his idol — is elated that he had the opportunity to recreate one of his classics for Anil Kapoor-starrer Fanney Khan. “I’ve been a big fan of Anil Kapoor. When he requested me to revisit a track originally sung by Mohammed Rafi saab, I immediately obliged. I wasn’t sure about touching the Rafi saab song, but Anil ji insisted that I render it.”
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