A Rock Band with a difference - Highway 61

A group of IT professionals and MBA students for a change form the Sufi rock band, 'Highway 61' which gives their best shot tonight in Sony's Entertainment Ke Kiye Kuch Bhi Karega.

Constituting of six members, the band was formed with a strong notion of coming up with entertaining and meaningful music which speaks for itself.

Talking about their experience in the Sony show, Arjun Mendhi, one of the lead guitars in the troupe says, "We were approached by Sony to be part of their show. Initially, we were apprehensive whether we being such a big team would fit into their reality scenario. But when the channel convinced us, we were ready to step in and give our best shot".

Ironically their lead vocalist Mohammed Muneem had auditioned years back for Indian Idol where Annu Malek had rejected him on the grounds of poor diction. "The truth of the story is that Muneem had auditioned in Indian Idol during his early days as a singer, but Annuji had rejected him as he found his dialect inappropriate. Muneem has a strong accent of Urdu as he is from Kashmir, and probably this did not convince Annuji. But we see that same quality in him as an asset to us, and not a disadvantage. He is our lead vocalist in the band, and since we deal with Sufi songs, he fits in the bill", quips Arjun.

The troupe has connected very well with the youth and is preparing to launch their first album. They have their own studio, own music school at Pune and believe in spreading music.

But their stint in Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega was not that fruitful. They sang a sufi rock song 'Mazhab' which had a social message. "Well, we were hoping for better results, but we were let down. I was seeing one of the episodes wherein a person comes and randomly sings and dances and gets selected for the finals. But even after delivering a good performance, we could not make it. It might be that the judgment depended mainly on the mood of the judges. But this has not demoralized us, and we plan to move on", concludes Arjun.

Stay tuned to Entertainment Ke Liye… Kuch Bhi Karega to watch the Sufi Band in action this Tuesday, June 2 at 10.00 pm only on Sony Entertainment Television

Reporter and Author: Srividya Rajesh