SONU NIIGAAM-THE MUSICAL MAESTRO-3 - Page 7

One of them is planning to make it big in pardes with his new English album. The other is riding high on his first foreign foray in Bride and Prejudice. Sonu Nigam and Anu Malik, two of the biggest idols of Indian music, chatted with Pratim D. Gupta during their visit to Calcutta for the new talent hunt show on Sony, Indian Idol.

SONUSPEAK

You are planning to go West with your new English album?

It is still at a very early stage. I am working on the album. But I feel what will be most important is how the album is marketed. See, I am nobody in a place like the US. I have to start from scratch and work really hard to make inroads in the industry there.

What is the latest on your acting front?

Due to my commitment to Indian Idol and my singing assignments, I can?t give bulk dates for the next six months. It?s not that I have stopped acting or something. But film-making being an entirely director?s medium, I am looking forward to acting in the right projects with the right directors. I am even open to Bengali cinema, if some director does select me.

Why Bengali?

I really don?t know the reason, but anything and everything with a Bengali feel somehow touches me in a big way. I recently recorded a song for Vidhu Vinod Chopra?s new production Parineeta being directed by Pradeep Sarkar. The songs are very Bengali in sound and structure. The songs have come out so well. I am really looking forward to that one album.

You also got to sing for the late Madan Mohan for Yash Chopra?s new film Veer-Zaara. How was the experience?

It was a blessing. To actually hear him sing the song or even giving instructions on how to render the song was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is another album I am really looking forward to.

Was it tough to balance acting and singing?

There was a lot of media speculation surrounding that. All I can say is that I have sung some of the best songs in my career in the past three years. And I was acting, too, during that period.

You had boycotted music awards but now you are accepting them again. Why?

Four years ago, I was offended with the kind of jury selecting the winners. At that time I thought who were they to decide who is the best playback singer? Of late I have realised that things are not going to change. So now I accept awards but treat them as gifts.

A couple of years ago you were ready to rule the playback scene. But now you have a lot of competition. How do you handle the pressure?

I keep changing my style. There was a time when my kind of singing was not being accepted. Then I had asked Anu to give me songs like What?s your mobile number? and Nadeem-Shravan for songs like Yeh dil deewana in Pardes. I just keep updating myself.

ANUSPEAK

You have been getting rave reviews in the West for Bride and Prejudice. Are we finally listening to the real Anu Malik?

Throughout my career, I have given everything from great music to average music to bad music depending largely on the time, directors and situations. When Gurinder (Chadha) called me to give music for her film, I asked: ?Why me?? All she said was: ?Be yourself?. And that?s what I have done. I have made songs showcasing Indian talent. The Miramax people have loved the music and what?s more I have got myself an agent in the UK to represent me there.

But here people are still slamming you for lifting tunes...

The great Shankar-Jaikishan drew inspiration from Abdul Wahab. RD Burman?s Chura liya was inspired by If it?s Tuesday, Naushad was inspired by a lot of folk music, a Salil Chowdhury song was an exact replica of a Mozart piece. Now, all these people are legends. So you put me in that category. I have always maintained that there are just seven notes in music and no one is original except God. What I try and do is give every song my trademark stamp.

So who are your inspirations?

I am a typical Scorpio ? I don?t know myself. Even before a song is recorded, I don?t know what I will do with it. I keep searching for myself. Then when I listen to a singer singing my tune, it touches me. My own tune affects my being. You can say, I am inspired by myself.

There was this huge fiasco about you copying the Miles number Phiriye dao for Jaane jaan in Murder...

You know what, I can sue Saregama and the makers for that. I haven?t recorded that song. That song was recorded in Pakistan. I can show you my passport ? I wasn?t in Pakistan at that time. But I kept quiet. Recently, I have sent them a notice through my lawyer.

So you feel you are the best thing to happen to Hindi film music?

I thank Saraswati Ma for the talent she has given me. See, I consider Panchamda to be god. He gave Teesri Manzil and Amar Prem at the same time. I have given Aks and Josh and also given Border and Refugee. I am not saying that I am as good as him, but I am surely as versatile.