Vidya Balan gets National award for TDP - Page 9

Now, I will quit smoking

Actor Roopa Ganguly, who's been chosen the Best Female Playback Singer, says she would have lost faith in the National Awards had Vidya Balan not been adjudged the Best Actress

Priyanka Dasgupta

Roopa Ganguly was busy helping with the geography lessons of her son when she first got to know that she had bagged the National Award as the Best Female Playback Singer. Even if she is excited, her voice doesn't quiver to suggest her feelings. Of course, she is happy that her rendition of two Tagore's songs in "Abosheshey" — "Dure kothao" and "Bijon ghore" — has bagged her the award but life still has a lot more for her.
Her citation reads that she was given the Award "for her husky and haunting voice that gives a gentle, nostalgic tone and tenor to the film, "Abosheshey". The languid raw sensuality of her singing is heightened by the absence of musical accompaniment." Says Roopa, "My first reaction when I heard the news is that I ought to quit smoking now. It is an old habit and now I realize that kicking the butt is important. I need to take care of my voice. I also thought about my music teacher, Kabita Banerjee, when I got the news. I would go to her irregularly to take music lessons. I am eternally indebted to her. I have had problems with my schedule. Sometimes, I had financial issues and couldn't offer the remuneration on time. She was so accommodating. She would adjust her schedule to suit my requirements. Today, when I have got this award, I feel it is an opportunity for me to thank her."
But how does she feel since she has won the award for playback singing and not for her acting skills? "Vidya is the most deserving candidate. I would have lost all hope had she not bagged the award," she says.
Her priorities on the professional front, however, will not change post the awards. "I am a very happy person and am glad that the jury has recognized my effort. But my priorities in life doesn't change because I've got an award. Hard work, sincerity, positive thinking are what make me the person that I am today. These are the keywords in my life and I know that if I adhere to these, some good will happen to me. It's a fact that the parameters of 'good' might vary from one person to another because every individual sets a different standard. Some can be happy with a certain achievement while others might not be so with the same degree of accomplishment."
Ask her to comment on the current music scene and she says she is literally sold on the music of Birsa Dasgupta's "Jani Dyakha Hawbe". "Shreya Ghoshal's voice, Srijato's lyrics and Neel Dutt and Indraadip Das Gupta's music from the film have rejuvenated me," she says.
Now that she has won the award as a playback singer, will she accept offers to sing in Bollywood? "Are you mad? Neil and Aditi Roy (director) had to coax me to sing in "Aboseshey". I can only sing Tagore. I have learnt to sing Tagore and can understand the meanings of each of the words when I sing. My personal favourite is the song, "Dure kothao dure dure" from the movie. A lot of credit goes to composer Prabuddha Banerjee too."
Finally, does she attach any special significance to International Women's Day today? "No day has any extra significance for me. A woman who isn't courageous enough on every day of the year can't be courageous for just one day."

Roopa Ganguly