Interview : Kailash Kher feeling elated

Excerpts from the Interview:

How did you start into Bollywood?

I've no idea who recommended my name in Bollywood. It may be so that somebody must have heard me performing somewhere and have liked my voice. One day I got an offer to sing an ad jingle. Although my first break was a jingle for Nakshatra diamonds, it did not give me much recognition. My first big break was a jingle for a Hero Cycles commercial, shot specially for the cricket World Cup. The jingle 'Ab udana hai aasan' was telecast almost every over during commercial breaks of the matches. It gave me a lot of recognition. My voice is different and it got instant recognition and I grew popular. Soon Bollywood happened to my career. I got my first big break in March 2002 with the song 'Allah ke bande'.

Has success changed you?

I'm still what I used to be. I only want to sing freely, nothing else matters.

Your association with Rehman has given some golden songs.

How do your parents feel that you're such a successful singer today?

My parents are very simple people. They feel very good about my success, but they are not at all excited. They don't even bother to know how popular I am. My mother still questions ' Beta aaj kal tu kya karta hai?'

You're doing a concert with Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. How do you feel about it?

I am very excited about my next project. I am going to be a part of the upcoming world concert with Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. I am very excited about the collaboration with Eddie Vedder. The live concert will be a tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan saheb who had teamed up with Vedder for the soundtrack of 'Dead Man Walking'. To me, music is devotion. Through music, people can realise the beauty around them.

How do you feel that your debut album 'Kailasa' has received such an enormous response?

What do you feel about Himesh Reshammiya?

I'm a fan of Himesh Reshammiya's abilities as a music director, but I find his singing monotonous. His abilities as a music director are excellent but his capabilities as a singer are not equally promising. Most of his songs sound the same.

What are your forthcoming film songs?

I have sung for several upcoming Hindi movies, including Ravi Chopra's 'Baabul', Nikhil Advani's 'Salaam-e-Ishq', Sachin Bajaj's 'Naksha' and Dibakar Banerjee's 'Khosla ka Ghosla'.