Showing posts with label Sumit Kumar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sumit Kumar. Show all posts
Decoding can't-live-with-or-without-you equation of cinema stars and paparazzi
9:11 AM
Are star photographers biting the hand that feeds them? Showbiz’s frenemies slug it out in a bid to draw boundaries and gain respect in a dog-eats-dog entertainment world
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 23, 2023)
In February this year, Alia Bhatt slammed photographers who had from a structure opposite her apartment taken photographs of her inside, scrolling through her phone and spending private time with family. The A-lister took to Instagram to call out the “invasion of privacy” and tagged the Mumbai police.
“Are you kidding me? I was at my house, having a perfectly normal afternoon, sitting in my living room when I felt something watching over me. I looked up and saw two men on the terrace of the neighbouring building with a camera right at me. In what world is this okay and is this allowed? This is a gross invasion of someone’s privacy. There’s a line that you must not cross, and it is safe to say that all lines were crossed today (sic),” the 30-year-old said in the post.
Soon, several other celebrities shared similar experiences. The situation alluded to the cant-live-with-or-without-you equation that cinema stars share with photographers. While the big names may not like to admit the publicity that paparazzi or photographers’ social media accounts generate for them, for the smaller faces, being clicked could prove make or break. It is a symbiotic relationship.
Without the stars, the photographers would not only be jobless, they’d be robbed of the following they enjoy and the reactions that pictures of the famous garner for them. And in this mix is the star’s publicist or manager, often the key to a celebrity presence tip off.
If you thought that the surprised expression that heroine sported when she walked out of a Bandra cafe right into an assembly of photographers, was spontaneous, you’ve been living under a rock. It’s often the manager’s job to alert the paparazzi about the star’s whereabouts, whether it’s a Saturday afternoon blow dry at the salon, a dinner with friends in the neigbourhood or a flight to the next shoot. It changes the headline of the “spotted” picture to “arranged-to-be-spotted”, but that’s hardly of concern to the fans and public, as long as they get to see their favourite star in ‘candid’ mode.
Mumbai’s top freelance celebrity photographers have a following that rivals the actors’. Viral Bhayani leads with 7.5 million followers; Manav Manglani has 2.8 million, and Yogen Shah has two million. It has made them powerful enough to decide who will be in conversation today, circulation tomorrow. And it’s a power that the stars and their agents have played a critical role in handing to them.
Three days ago, leading film publicist Alpa Turakhia who is co-founder of Communique PR, shared a screenshot on her Insta account of a conversation between a well-known pap and her colleague. The pap wrote, “Even prostitutes want a post for airport spotting. So all these celeb managers are pimps indirectly.”
Fed up, she says, of enduring this behaviour, Turakhia called him out. When this writer, in a moment of solidarity for women professionals, reposted, we received a flurry of messages from celebrity publicists and artiste managers, each with their own version of what they called a pap horror story.
One of them, on condition of anonymity, told mid-day, “Once he [pap] put up a picture of Dharmendra and Waheeda Rahman on his page; it was not a tasteful picture. We requested him to take it down. He ranted, threatened, vomited venomous words. Most of them [paparazzi] are arrogant and have no understanding of how disgraceful their tone can be.”
Another female publicist, who runs a boutique agency, told us, “They give us maa-behen gaalis; blackmail is common. We have sometimes had to keep proof of text message exchanges so that when our clients [stars] ask us why we aren’t dealing with certain senior paps, we can show them why. In our firm, if an artiste wants a post put up by a pap who has behaved badly with us in the past, we ask the agency to reach out to the photographer directly.”
Turakhia didn’t name the photographer, but she may have been referring to Bhayani, who identifies himself as a digital creator. The independent photographer who has gone from working solo to hiring a team of 12, reached out to mid-day after our post, saying he is often misunderstood. He admitted to being under overwhelming pressure.
“I start my work day at 7 am. It’s non-stop until 1 am. I have a team, yes, but the work becomes too much. I take 200 to 300 calls a day. I admit that I might have spoken rudely or misbehaved with some; I think I should now hire a manager to streamline the communication,” he said.
Bhayani, like most other top paps, gets paid for each post. If he won’t deliver, the publicists and stars are sure to come after him. “Say, I schedule a photographer for celebrity spotting at the airport at 8 am. The publicist to a star will call me at 7.50 am, saying s/he is exiting in 10 minutes. I call my guy, he may not answer. He calls me back after 15 minutes. By then, I have had an argument with the publicist. When the pressure mounts and tempers flare, we become negative and end up saying what we shouldn’t. I am fighting for respect, too. No matter how far I go in life, I will always be seen as the man who chases celebrities. I have once had a call from an actor, threatening, ‘Photo nahin dalega tu? Chal, utha leta hoon tujhe’. I am frequently at the police station handling defamation threats. Having said this, I do want to work on my misbehaviour. I have no vices, no hobbies. I work. I don’t want to hurt with my words,” he says philosophically, mirroring his mood from an Instagram story that quotes Buddha: Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.
Bhatt is not the only one to have taken a stand. Taapsee Pannu’s altercation with the paps during the promotions of her film Dobaaraa is now infamous. When Pannu didn’t like the way they spoke to her, she had a heated exchange. mid-day reached out to Pannu this time to understand where her relationship with the paps stands.
“Honestly, at that point, it was a reflex action. At times, I have felt that they have crossed the line. They have shouted at me. We are extra-courteous to them because we acknowledge that they spend their days filming us and building us up. That said, sometimes when our personal space is violated, it elicits a reaction. I can’t generalize because like every industry, there are good ones too. Someone sitting at a desk across the country doesn’t realize that paps don’t capture the moments when they misbehave because the camera is on us, not on them. The videos of us reacting are used as clickbait later, because negativity sells on social media. After the Dobaaraa incident, I thought a lot about this—is this a healthy part of my profession? Of course not. I am okay if I don’t get clicked often. People notice me because of my work, not how often they see me in fancy clothes. I don’t want to fear what the paps might do if I don’t go out of my way to entertain them. The power we gave them is biting us back. We have overindulged. The boundaries must be drawn. I am happy to meet them at work and entertain them, but not at the cost of my respect.”
Parag Desai, CEO of Universal Communications, a leading entertainment PR firm that represents Ajay Devgan and Amitabh Bachchan, explains how the paparazzi in India became all important. “Social media platforms have become an easy access point for fans to get their news and content on-the-go. Many freelance photographers caught on to this trend and began offering the audience insights into the daily routine of their favourite stars. Their pages soon gained popularity, and the public began interacting with their content. We have come to a point where a top pap’s social media is the essential medium for us to reach audiences directly. For young actors, this is crucial to gain recognition, reach a wider audience, and maintain regular visibility. We work on mutual trust and respect. We can’t do without the other. But, dignity and decorum has space,” he says.
Fan clubs in the city and those who run them understand the angst of agents. They say, they too have been at the receiving end of arrogance. Sumit Kumar, who runs a popular Sidharth Malhotra fan club with 110k followers on Instagram, spoke of paps expecting revenue sharing. “Fan clubs share content taken from the paparazzi, and credit it to them. What is on social media is out there for everyone to pick up. I was threatened by a pap to not pick up his content. He said I had to become a ‘50 per cent partner’, if I wanted to use his content. He wanted a stake in my revenues and followers. I had to delete his posts from my page and stopped using his content.”
Independent photographers charge for every post they put up. Some of them enjoy a remuneration in the range of three to five lakh. An industry insider says, “The top paps charge in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per post. If they are given a non-industry person to post about, they hike their fee by another Rs. 10,000. For instance, a businessman who wants to be featured will end up paying more than a celebrity.”
Not everyone, though, is making a killing. A senior photographer with a leading newspaper offers an insight into the freelance photographers’ game. “Most paps make twice the salary of someone like me, a full-timer with a publication, in just a day. Despite this income flow, they choose to hire stringers for as little as Rs 10,000 a month. They don’t ask for hikes, holidays, benefits, food. Most paps you now see hanging outside say, a Bandra cafe waiting for a celebrity, are fans themselves, who want to be close to their stars. They are handed a camera by a top pap and do a bit of his work for him. There is a well-known stringer called Sneh Zala. He was a huge Deepika Padukone fan and would track her every move. He was soon hired by a senior pap. That’s how fans who hang around with their camera phones become ‘content creators’. So many paps have a previous life as delivery boys or drivers. They are not trained or professional. You’ll see them crack cheap comments or catcall the actors.”
He speaks of success having brought along hubris. “Some of them have made fake press cards,” he says. “It gives them access to places where they ordinarily couldn’t go,” he says. But he adds that it’s a juggernaut with multiple players, and all have contributed to this mess: production houses, publicists, and even the stars.
“There are stars who have multiple paps on their retainer payroll. You won’t find them posting a bad picture of these actors. Every snap and video that goes up has their approval. So, the world is seeing exactly what they want to show—how relatable, s/he is when s/he eats pani puri on the road just like an average Joe.”
When celebrities are involved in major celebrations, like a marriage, iftar party or a house get together, leading paps are paid anywhere between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 30 lakh to cover it. Interestingly, not much of this reaches the foot soldiers, who are often jabra fans, too star-struck to ask for more or better. “They are also unaware of the problem they are becoming.”
Discussing what an important cog in the wheel the paparazzi have become in India, Varun Gupta of Max Marketing, tells mid-day, “Before pap culture, only keen fans would know about a certain star’s arrival in say, Delhi to promote a film. Now, everybody knows. If Kartik [Aaryan] and Kiara [Advani] are at a launch in Jaipur, we can reach out to the entire country simultaneously through paps. They are instrumental in allowing us to reach the right target group across the country. Paps started spotting where celebrities frequented— gyms, salons, cafes, etc. It was organic and gradually, the masses followed. Now, of course, authenticity is out of the window. Anyone can pay and earn a post. They have the power to make a nobody a sensation. Take Uorfi Javed,” he says of the television actor with an outrageous fashion sense.
“We all know her, but we have no idea what she does. Ranveer Singh mentions her on Koffee with Karan!”
Gupta cites a marketing campaign they did for Oscar-winning film, RRR. They called it RRR march. “We were in different cities on the same day and did interviews against the most famous landmark of the said city... Varanasi Ghat, Howrah Bridge, Statue of Unity. We took four posts a day with the pap pages in a bid to showcase that we were everywhere promoting the film. RRR was a pan-India movie and we had to reflect this in the campaign. It is a marketer’s job to use the paps right. What you put out there and how you use them is in your control.”
Shrenik Gandhi, social media strategist and founder of White Rivers Media explains that enigma is no longer in fashion. The stars want to be accessible, and relatable. Aura doesn’t sell.
It wasn’t like this 20 years ago, says veteran photographer and curator, Piramal Gallery, NCPA, Mukesh Parpiani. He remembers a time when they landed a photograph through what they heard and dug out. “When I was photo editor at mid-day, senior photographer Pradeep Dhivar got a tip off about Amitabh Bachchan walking to Siddhivinayak mandir at night. It wasn’t routine for stars to do this back then. We got the shot in 2007 in the wee hours of the morning. When we learnt that Mandira Bedi would run on the beach early morning, we clicked her exclusively. Even when we did a shoot in conjunction with someone famous, it was more about executing an editorial call, it wasn’t staging a picture. I remember that when Rakhi Sawant was becoming famous, we realised that a middle-class girl was making it big. We shot her on a local from Andheri to Vile Parle. It was part of telling her story.”
Marcellus Baptista, who has been covering Mumbai’s party circuit for decades, recalls a time when celebrity invites were sent in hard copy. “There was no PR agency to speak of,” says Baptista who started his career with Free Press Bulletin in 1981. “It was friendly. I once went to an art event and met Amitabh Bachchan there. I didn’t even know he was going to come. It was wonderful. Perhaps publicists should stop encouraging the paparazzi. They are creating a vicious cycle.”
With inputs from Aastha Atray Banan
Sumit Kumar, Viral Bhayani and Marcellus Baptista
Alpa Turakhia, Parag Desai and Varun Gupta
Kishore Kumar came home and sang till my parents agreed to our marriage-Leena Chandavarkar
7:57 AM
The legendary singer’s wife, Leena Chandavarkar, speaks up while attending his 90th birth anniversary celebration
Debolina Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; August 7, 2019)
The pretty face of the Hindi film industry of the ’70s still glows warmly. The soft countenance and the innocent smile are still in place. Leena Chandavarkar, who also made headlines for her marriage to Kishore Kumar — a man 21 years older than her — amazes you with her childlike simplicity. We caught up with the former actress when she was in Kolkata recently, to attend Tomay Poreche Mone — Kishore Kumar’s 90th birth anniversary celebration. She spoke about her life, films, Kishore Kumar and more. Excerpts:How did Kishore Kumar influence your personal and professional lives?
I have innumerable memories of him. He was like a pillar of strength who taught me to accept the good and bad in life. He looked at life as a whole and understood that you win some and lose some. He would show his funny side to the world, but never his sad face. He also taught me to do that. I went through a lot in life and it was only because of him that I could come out of depression. So, I have written this song for him now — Kaun tha woh kya tha, Jadugar ya farishta tha, Athwa woh ajooba tha. Even he always wanted me to write songs. After he passed away, Amit (Kumar) asked me to fill in some dummy words, to which he gave the tunes and it got approved. So, I think it’s Kishore da who has again guided me from heaven. His song, Hamein Aur Jeene Ki Chaahat Na Hoti, is one of my favourites because it resembles my relationship with him. He would also mention that he always came across talented people as life partners. True, you see Ruma didi was there. Amit received a letter from the President of India after Ruma didi passed away. That’s a great honour. Both of Amit’s parents were extremely talented people. He has also carved a niche for himself. It’s extremely difficult to match up to a father like Kishore Kumar, but he has done well for himself.
You live with your son Sumit Ganguly and stepson Amit Kumar Ganguly. It is a rare sight in Indian households today where sons take care of their ageing parents.
I wouldn’t know what triggered this bond, but it feels like the expression, Sago se zyada apna. Amit respects his father a lot. He would always ask for his advice when taking an important decision. Sumit was only five years old when Kishore da passed away, but he scolds me and tries to guide me now (laughs). Amit and Sumit have a beautiful bond between them. In fact, Amit brought up Sumit. If I would ever forget to pick up Sumit from school on time, Amit would leave his recordings and rush to his school. Then he would scold me. Amit was also responsible for getting Sumit married. Now, the family is complete.
You have dealt with deep personal losses. What would you have to say to people who are unable to deal with the ups and downs of life?
Kishore da was the reason why I could successfully deal with all the pain in life. He could give strength to anyone. He would also say, ‘Hum log travellers hain duniya mein. Kisiko first class milti hain, kisiko third class. Par free mein duniya dekhne ko saab ko milti hain na?’ (laughs). I went through a lot in life. My brother committed suicide and my mother passed away just after Sumit was born. After Kishore da passed away, I would depend a lot on tablets and injections to deal with depression. Then one day, Amit said he would be busy with shows abroad and that so, I’d have get out of my depression and take care of Sumit. So, a supportive family is extremely important. But to stay out of depression, you have to accept life the way it is.
Tell us about your marriage with Kishore Kumar.
Kishore da and I had many funny memories together. I had told him that he marries whoever he works with, so I wouldn’t do a film with him. He then cancelled the proposal because according to him, two August-born people shouldn’t marry each other. He was born on August 4 and I, on August 29. Then, when my father hurt me by saying ‘Yeh phirse mere ghar wapas aa gayi’, I called Kishore da to get married then and there because I wanted to leave my father’s house. I even called him up to say that I would ask the drivers of every car that passes me that night if they would marry me. He said, had he thought that only he was eccentric, but I had joined that list. My parents were apprehensive about me marrying him. My mother said he had married thrice, but wanted to know his ancestral origin. I told her he must be Christian since I had seen many statues of Christ and other biblical things at his house. Until our wedding, I never knew he was a Bengali Brahmin (laughs).
He told me that he couldn’t marry me unless he got divorced from Yogeeta Bali, his third wife. He had stopped doing playback for Mithun (Chakraborty) at that time. Mithun did gauge the situation, but still came home to ask him why he wasn’t singing for him. After all, every hero wanted his voice in their songs. He told him about the divorce clause. Mithun saw to it that the divorce was through in no time. Then, I said, ‘Let’s get married now’, but he said he wanted to get my parents’ approval. He came home and sang till every member of the family agreed to our union, even my father. He sang Nafrat karne walo ke seene mein pyar bhar du, Arey mein woh parwana hu, Pathar ko moum kar du (laughs)!
You belong to an era that saw some of the biggest superstars in Hindi cinema. How difficult or easy was it making your presence felt when working with them?
For some people like me, dreams do come true. If you want to pursue something with all your heart, you don’t find the effort too difficult. I had learnt a lot from the superstars who were my costars. They were like family. Dilip Kumar would be so natural while acting that his voice would sound muffled at times like it does when we speak in our normal tone. I would often miss his dialogue cues (laughs). Shammi Kapoor would make me laugh a lot.
After all these years, Kishore Kumar is still number one-Amit Kumar
7:58 AM
With the fervour for Kishore Kumar songs still going strong on the legend's 88th birth anniversary, singer Amit Kumar Ganguly gets candid about life with his iconic father
Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; August 5, 2017)
The best of men have been
struck by the fickleness of time and relegated to obliv ion, not Kishore
Kumar. He just gets stronger. You can hear him everywhere - films,
radios, music reality shows, remixes, speculations (personal life or a
potential biopic), theatrics (Jhumroo) and even politics (his stand
during Emergency). It makes you wonder if it's really been 30 years
since he passed away in 1987. “He is still the number one!“ beams the
legendary entertainer's son, noted singer Amit Kumar Ganguly. In an
exclusive interview with Bombay Times, on the celebrated entertainer's
88th birth anniversary (August 4) week, Amit gets candid about life as
Kishore Kumar's son. Excerpts...
Kishore Kumar's presence is as
all-encompassing in the world of entertainment and music even now, as it
was 30 years ago. What gives him an edge considering he wasn't trained
like his contemporaries?
I am his son and I am not going to be defensive, but the fact is that trained or untrained, this man has been an institution. He made his way from scratch to the very top. He succeeded in all the departments of his field without any so-called training. R D Burman (a great music director who was with my father from the beginning) and his father S D Burman (my father's guru) were once discussing various singers. When my father's name cropped up, R D said, 'Kishore da ke saamne jitney bhi bade ustad ko rakh do, during the actual take of any song, woh un sab ko utha ke phek sakte hain'. Pancham da used to say that 'syncopation' like tatada-ta-tada tadarum - would never sound as good when done by others. Who says he didn't know classical? I think he knew everything about music. He used to sing straight from his heart. He used to say, 'Main seedha gaata hoon, nakkashi (harkatein) kum karke, dil ko choona chahta hoon, so that even the street boys, the paan wala can relate to my song - unke mann ko lagna chahiye'. He was a technical man, he wouldn't take chances, but that didn't mean he did not know it. Unke samne bade bado ki chutti ho jati. I don't want to take names, but big singers would get nervous before him. He was one-of-a-kind. After all these years, he is still the number one. Aaj bhi sabse zyada gana unka hi bajta hai.
What are your memories of your father?
This bungalow (Gauri Kunj) was built by him. It may sound filmy, but we feel his presence here; we feel that his soul is still here. That's why we are blessed and have been staying here for so many years.
How does your brother Sumit relate to his memories? Or your daughter Muktika?
When my father left us, Sumit was only five and he does not have many memories of him. He tells me that I am the father-figure for him. My father always wanted Sumit to learn the piano. He used to dream of him being on a stage in Vienna, wearing a bow-tie and playing the piano, while we clapped in the audience. I made sure Sumit learnt the piano for four years. He's a brilliant musician. When it comes to singing, he's an original and does not sound like his father. We have a music company together and he looks after our offices here. Muktika is only 12. She's got a shundor voice, but we are not forcing her to learn singing. Her tribute song to her grandfather 'Mere Baba', two years back, went viral.
You sang Kishoreda's Himmatwala song, while Sumit reprised Bachna Ae Haseeno for a film - was it easy?
Singing the Himmatwala song (and another of his songs) was the biggest mistake. It's fine to sing his songs on stage. As a son, yeh mera haq banta hai. But I am not as great a singer as him, and singing his song on record was a blunder. Aaj bhi main apne aap ko kosta hoon. As for the Bachna Ae Haseeno song, Sumit just sang a few lines, which was okay.
When you do Kishore Kumar tribute shows, what are the responses abroad vis-a-vis back home?
I have been singing for more than 50 years now and have seen several ups and downs - success and more failures. Sab dekh liya hai maine in this whimsical industry. I have travelled all over India gully gully ghuma hoon doing tribute shows. We generally do 25 per cent Amit Kumar and 75 per cent Kishore Kumar songs. Main jitna bhi chahoon ki main pitaji ka gaana nahi gaaunga to avoid comparisons, I still get requests for his songs. People want to hear him. We always get full houses - be it in Mumbai (brilliant cosmopolitan audience), Pune (superb), Punjab (terrific) and even abroad, especially in England and America.
Songs in recent times that you feel should have been sung by Kishoreda?
I don't really listen to today's Hindi film music as they all sound similar. But I think the song sung by Arijit Singh, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil - woh agar Pitaji gaate toh accha hee gaate, he would have sung it beautifully. Hala ki Arijit has sung this song very nicely. Mujhe pasand bhi hai yeh gaana.
You share anecdotes from his life on your stage shows and radio shows. Do you ever plan to write a book on him?
Kitab toh mujhe likhna hi hai. My father told me to write a book on him when he is not around. Naam bhi soch liya tha - 'My Father As I Knew Him'. So, I will write a book as I've seen him up close for 35 years of my life.
I am his son and I am not going to be defensive, but the fact is that trained or untrained, this man has been an institution. He made his way from scratch to the very top. He succeeded in all the departments of his field without any so-called training. R D Burman (a great music director who was with my father from the beginning) and his father S D Burman (my father's guru) were once discussing various singers. When my father's name cropped up, R D said, 'Kishore da ke saamne jitney bhi bade ustad ko rakh do, during the actual take of any song, woh un sab ko utha ke phek sakte hain'. Pancham da used to say that 'syncopation' like tatada-ta-tada tadarum - would never sound as good when done by others. Who says he didn't know classical? I think he knew everything about music. He used to sing straight from his heart. He used to say, 'Main seedha gaata hoon, nakkashi (harkatein) kum karke, dil ko choona chahta hoon, so that even the street boys, the paan wala can relate to my song - unke mann ko lagna chahiye'. He was a technical man, he wouldn't take chances, but that didn't mean he did not know it. Unke samne bade bado ki chutti ho jati. I don't want to take names, but big singers would get nervous before him. He was one-of-a-kind. After all these years, he is still the number one. Aaj bhi sabse zyada gana unka hi bajta hai.
What are your memories of your father?
This bungalow (Gauri Kunj) was built by him. It may sound filmy, but we feel his presence here; we feel that his soul is still here. That's why we are blessed and have been staying here for so many years.
How does your brother Sumit relate to his memories? Or your daughter Muktika?
When my father left us, Sumit was only five and he does not have many memories of him. He tells me that I am the father-figure for him. My father always wanted Sumit to learn the piano. He used to dream of him being on a stage in Vienna, wearing a bow-tie and playing the piano, while we clapped in the audience. I made sure Sumit learnt the piano for four years. He's a brilliant musician. When it comes to singing, he's an original and does not sound like his father. We have a music company together and he looks after our offices here. Muktika is only 12. She's got a shundor voice, but we are not forcing her to learn singing. Her tribute song to her grandfather 'Mere Baba', two years back, went viral.
You sang Kishoreda's Himmatwala song, while Sumit reprised Bachna Ae Haseeno for a film - was it easy?
Singing the Himmatwala song (and another of his songs) was the biggest mistake. It's fine to sing his songs on stage. As a son, yeh mera haq banta hai. But I am not as great a singer as him, and singing his song on record was a blunder. Aaj bhi main apne aap ko kosta hoon. As for the Bachna Ae Haseeno song, Sumit just sang a few lines, which was okay.
When you do Kishore Kumar tribute shows, what are the responses abroad vis-a-vis back home?
I have been singing for more than 50 years now and have seen several ups and downs - success and more failures. Sab dekh liya hai maine in this whimsical industry. I have travelled all over India gully gully ghuma hoon doing tribute shows. We generally do 25 per cent Amit Kumar and 75 per cent Kishore Kumar songs. Main jitna bhi chahoon ki main pitaji ka gaana nahi gaaunga to avoid comparisons, I still get requests for his songs. People want to hear him. We always get full houses - be it in Mumbai (brilliant cosmopolitan audience), Pune (superb), Punjab (terrific) and even abroad, especially in England and America.
Songs in recent times that you feel should have been sung by Kishoreda?
I don't really listen to today's Hindi film music as they all sound similar. But I think the song sung by Arijit Singh, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil - woh agar Pitaji gaate toh accha hee gaate, he would have sung it beautifully. Hala ki Arijit has sung this song very nicely. Mujhe pasand bhi hai yeh gaana.
You share anecdotes from his life on your stage shows and radio shows. Do you ever plan to write a book on him?
Kitab toh mujhe likhna hi hai. My father told me to write a book on him when he is not around. Naam bhi soch liya tha - 'My Father As I Knew Him'. So, I will write a book as I've seen him up close for 35 years of my life.
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