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"Artistes Must Mould Themselves To the Changing Needs Of Listeners"
Ghazal
singers Roopkumar and Sonali Rathod are out with a new album: Sunn Zara.
A marked departure from their earlier renditions, the album, brought out
by Musicurruy records, features a variety of melody genres. India Today's
S. Sahaya Ranjit met the duo for an exclusive interview. Excerpts:
Q:
In this album you have not sung ghazals. Why is that so?
Roopkumar: This album contains music of the present generation.
We have experimented with western music and orchestration. The talented
composers Ahsan and Arun have tried to blend the east and the west. The
video of Sunn Zara has been shot in Panchgani and Mumbai. There are songs
based on raga hamir, rageshri, and puriya dhanashri. In fact, Lata Mangeshkar
called us on the phone and congratulated us on the project. A compliment
from her means much more that receiving a Padmashri or a Padmabhushan.
Q: You have sung with Lata Mangeshkar in Lal Salam and Meera, Sur,
Kabera. What was it like working with her?
Roopkumar: During the recording of the duet, Meera, Sur Kabera, I
sang my part of the duet first. When I was listening to her sing her part
later, I felt I had not done justice at all. I wanted a retake. All along,
as she stood listening to me, I was very nervous and uncomfortable. She
is Ma Saraswati herself.
Q: You have also worked with Anu Malik in Filhaal and Harris
Jeyraj in Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein?
Roopkumar: Yes, Malik and Jeyraj are two talented music composers
of today. Going by their compositions, I feel melody is coming back. Earlier,
rhythm dominated film music but now slow songs have a magical effect.
Q: You were a tabla player earlier. When and how did you switch roles?
Roopkumar: My father Chaturbhuj Rathod is a dhrupad singer. I
learnt tabla at the age of six. I have played tabla with leading
singers of varied styles. In fact, I was so popular that the
organisers would book me first and then book the singers. I had
everything from money to fame. During a concert, my father's
tanpura player failed to turn up. I offered to fill in. When the
concert was in progress, my father took a note and then asked me to continue.
I was stunned because I was not able to do it and was very embarrassed.
It was an emotional moment because I had failed to give him vocal support.
Sonali happened to hear me sing and had come along for a concert at Surat.
With her support, I took singing seriously. This was in 1984. There has
been no looking back since.
Q: Now that you have succeeded, is there any sense of competition where
your wife Sonali is concerned?
Sonali: We have a very healthy co-artist relationship. We are
always working at improving each other. I enjoy singing with her
... the romance of our relationship is still alive. We have a
great understanding and respect for our talent and music. If I am
laidback he pulls me up. And vice-versa.
Q: How important is the video in popularising music?
Sonali: Video plays an important role because it reaches a larger
audience. In today's music world, it is more important to be seen
and heard. There's nothing wrong in that. We have to create a
brand for ourselves. We are also constantly trying to expand our
horizons.
Q: Do
you think the quality of the ghazal has changed because of the inclusion
of western instruments like drums and keyboards?
Sonali: I agree that the ghazal is a simplistic style of rendition
where one needs only a harmonium, tabla and sarangi. It is now
competing with the louder pop genre which has a wider appeal.
Artistes must mould themselves to the changing needs of listeners.
Changes in the traditional ghazal style began, to a certain
extent, with Begum Akhtar but it was still very classical. Then
came the phase when the likes of Mehdi Hassan and Ghulam Ali
introduced them in films. Jagjit Singh brought in the guitar and
so on.
Q: Do
you prefer live concerts to studio recordings?
Sonali: We prefer playback singing to recordings. The instant
reaction of the listener is intoxicating. In recordings, one can
do takes and retakes.
Q: How do you compose?
Roopkumar: We read poetry again and again. Sometimes I struggle.
Many times I am inspired at 1.30 a.m. and I wake up Sonali and ask her
to hum the tune.
Q: How do you deal with a bad rendition?
Sonali: We don't talk to each other. Just take the tanpura and
practise with a vengeance for hours.
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