How did you two meet?
Mitali: I have always been Bhupiji's fan. I belong to a family of musicians from Bangladesh, and I grew up listening to Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd. Rafi and Asha Bhosle. The first song I had heard of Bhupiji's was a Bengali song, which mesmerised me. When I came to India to do my Masters in Music at the MS University in Baroda, I happened to see Parichay with my friends. The film had Bhupiji's song Meethe bol bole, and after listening to it, I became his die-hard fan. In my heart, I hoped to meet him someday.
When was it that you eventually meet?
Mitali: Even while I was studying in Baroda, I would sing ghazals at private performances. One such performance in Mumbai was attended by Ashok Kumar and some people from Doordarshan. The DD people later approached me to sing for Aarohi, which was a popular music programme on DD then. Bhupiji happened to see me on TV and liked my voice. Through a common friend, he sent a note saying that he wanted to meet me. I couldn't believe that my wish had come true. I met him during the recording of another Arohi show at Famous Studio, in Mumbai, and I was dumbfounded.
The second time we met at composer Jaidevji's house, when Bhupiji was singing for him for Dooriyan. This time we opened up and got talking. We discovered that besides music, we shared other similar interests. Gradually we fell in love and got married. I now believe that destiny does bring people together.
Bhupinder: It was music which brought us together. When I first saw Mitali singing on a TV programme, I felt she had a good singing style. As we came to know each other well, I found that she had a great understanding of music. Her talent is God-gifted. She can convey the mood of a song very well.
Who proposed first?
Mitali: To date, we keep arguing as to who proposed first. But neither of us proposed. It was a mutual decision. Even when we would be in a group, we could gauge our feelings for each other. As our friendship grew, we realised that we cherished each other's company. Yes, there was this one moment which may have led to the ultimate decision to get married. That was when Bhupiji specially composed a song for me on my birthday, Yaadon ko sare shaam bhulaya nahin karte/ Har roz to yeh aag lagaya nahin karte. This wooing gesture of his touched me. Bhupiji has said that I should never sing this song at the concerts.
Bhupinder:(Laughing). She's right. There was no wooing as such. We realised we were made for each other. And mutually came to the decision of getting married. It was smooth progression.
Were you both inspired by other ghazal-singing couples like Jagjit-Chitra Singh for performing together?
Mitali: Not really. We never planned that we would be singing as a team. We had our individual identities, and after we got married, we continued with our solo careers. I had my solo ghazal performances, while Bhupiji was busy with with his recordings and his albums. You know he is a guitar-player also, and was assistant to R.D. Burman. Then as people came to know that we were married, they wanted us to perform together. We paid heed to the demand and started singing as a husband-wife team, and clicked. Today we are invited all over the world for concerts.
Was the response to a team better than both of you as solo performers?
Mitali: Definitely yes. People prefer couples. We are known today better as a team. Like they say Ek se bhale do. Just as we enjoy singing together, people like listening to us together. Whenever we are singing a romantic ghazal or reciting a sher of chhed-chhad the audience just loves it.
I remember an incident during a performance in Canada. After we finished our concert, a couple, who said they had had a big fight, came up to us and said that looking at our interaction while singing, they forgot all about their fight and made up. That made us feel nice. It was a compliment which spoke a lot about us together. (Smiles happily).
How do you prepare for a concert?
Mitali: We never prepare for a concert because the audience is different at different places. And you can't go on stage with a pre-conceived notion that the crowd is going to like what we have planned. When we sing our first song, and see the audience reaction, we can gauge the taste of the gathering and then deliver accordingly. In some mehfils, the patrons are typical ghazal-listeners who are into heavy Urdu, while in others, people want to listen to light songs. So we sing accordingly. But there are some of our ghazals and geets which are always in demand, like Shama jalaye rakhna or Aao aise mohabbat karen, mar bhi jaayen to zinda rahen or Sach kehte hain tum roother to hum mar jayenge, and we sing them at all our shows.
Can you recall any one romantic incident in your life?
Mitali: There was this incident, which I am not sure fits the description of romantic, but it was a touching incident. We always end our concert with the song Shama jalaye rakhna... since its words are just apt to bid adeiu. While performing in Toronto, we came to the end of the concert and were about to sing Shama jalaye rakhna when the organiser announced that he would be switching off the lighths in the auditorium. Then the stage was lit only by candles and in that perfect ambeince we sang the song, and as we came to the last line Hum tum milenge aise ki jaise juda nahin the..., the entire audience was in tears. That moment was touching and recalling that moment still brings goose-p***les.
What would you attribute the success of your marriage to?
Mitali: We give a lot of space to each other and understand each other too well. The question of ego never crops up because we both complement each other. Bhupiji has always inspired me. While singing together, whenever I improvised, he would praise me and ask me to take up composing. Thanks to him, I garnered enough confidence to compose a whole album in Bengali. It was titled Keno Asha Bendhe Rakhi and had romantic compositions, and did quite well in Bengal.
Bhupinder: Yes, she has it in her to compose. She has composed a song in our new album Kuch Intezaar Hai.
Mitali: At the same time Bhupiji also corrects me if I am wrong. Which is why I don't do my riyaaz with him. It's only when I get the song perfect that I sing it before him (Smiles).
Bhupinder: The mantra to a successful marriage is to follow this advice of the buzurg (elders) - Kabhi mat kaho ki dal mein namak kam hai (Don't complain). I adhere to this advice.
Besides singing and making music, what do you enjoy doing together?
Mitali: We share a passion for poetry and are always looking out for good sher-o-shairi because it helps in our work too. And we enjoy watching films together. Another thing we love doing is indulging in our eight-year-old son Amandeep. His pet name is Nihal. We even have our good share of fights over him because I am a disciplinarian and a strict mother, while Bhupiji doesn't believe in discipline at all. He pampers him a lot.
Bhupinder: (Laughs heartily)...
What are the qualities you like and dislike in each other?
Mitali: The best quality about him is that he is a simple man and very honest. What I don't like about him is that he is too honest, which makes him sound blunt, and that hurts people.
Bhupinder: I hate it when she gets angry for very minor reasons. But it feels nice when she makes up. It's usually our son Nihal who brings about the patch-up.
By concentrating on private albums and concerts, did you neglect playback singing?
Mitali: I started singing ghazals at private performances, and for private albums. So music directors were under the impression that I wasn't interested in playback singing. And maybe my PR was bad or I didn't go around asking for work. But I was quite keen on playback and I still want to sing for films. I'll go for it again now.
Bhupinder:Well, I have been lucky to have worked with some intelligent composers like Jaidev, Madan Mohan, R.D. Burman. I have seen the best of film music. I have had my share of good songs and I am satisfied with what I have done. The fact that my songs like Dil dhoondta hai, Naam goom jayega, Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahin milta... are still remembered speaks for itself. When I get requets to sing these songs from today's generetaion I know I have achieved my place in the sun.
Mitali:Yes, Bhupiji has been lucky to work with some of the best composers. I love his Dil dhoondta hai (Aandhi), Ek akela ek shaher mein, Do deewane shaher mein (both from Gharonda) and Ek hi khwaab hai (Kinaara). His recent song Baadlon se kaat kaat ke for Satya was so good. He is open to playback offers still, but then he should get a song which suits his style, like the Satya song.
How many albums have you cut together, and which have done well?
Mitali:We have done about 15 albums together. The ones which did well are Aap Ke Naam, Aapas Ki Baat, Sharmate Sharmate, Arz Kiya Hai, Mohabbat, Saahil, Nasheman and Gulmohar. Our just-released album Kuch Intezar Hai has also got a good initial response. We are quite particular about the content of our album and the quality. After deciding the theme, we select the lyrics. There is a lot of tu tu main main but the outcome is good. (Smiles).
Bhupinder: Mitali is a great help while working on a song because she is very particular about the lyrics. She insists that words do matter, while I tend to get carried away by my tune, and usually neglect the lyrics. So thanks to her the end result is always good. We are now working on an album with Naushad Sahab for HMV.
What's the one gift you have given each other which you'll cherish?
Bhupinder: She's given me my son Nihal, who's the apple of our eyes. He's in third standard. I'm not so well-versed with his activities in school but his teachers tell me he sings my songs and English songs in school. One day he suprrised us by getting a merit certificate in English music. We are not forcing music on him but he has a sense of rhythm.
Mitali: (smiles happily).
How do you celebrate your wedding anniversary?
Bhupinder: I always end up forgetting our wedding anniversary. (Smiles apologetically). Mitali gets very angry at me for this. The celebration is a homely affair. Only on rare occasions do we go out and eat. Usually Mitali cooks some special fare at home.
Mitali: Yes Bhupiji is very fond of the food I cook. He relishes my Sarsonwala fish and chicken in mustard oil. On our wedding anniversary Bhupiji brings flowers, and I see to it that he gives me a nice gift. He is basically a shy person and not very overt with his emotions.
Can each of you tell me one song which best conveys the feeling of togetherness?
Mitali: Mere ghar aana zindagi from Dooriyan.
Bhupinder:Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hai... from Guide.
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