MUM'S THE WORD
| Even then one would have expected
that since this album was ready and waiting, it would follow Naujawan rather
than Shaan’s Lovelogy? Well, the sequence of events was such that my solo album just got pushed further and further. Left to Shaan and me, we would have preferred the video of Dekh to Disco Deewane. Dekh was one of the original numbers in Naujawan and it was catchy and instantly likeable. But some of the people from the company and a few of the dealers insisted on Disco Deewane. And Disco Deewane it was. Then it was argued that since I had a video, it would keep me going for a while. It’s another thing that it didn’t. Shaan, it was decided, deserved his share of the spotlight now and Lovelogy was next in the queue. Then, since we were marketed as a brother-sister duo, it was determined that there should be a long gap between our solo singles to keep memories of the team alive. In fact, there were a lot of queries about whether Lovelogy was a duet album. “Will your video be next?” I was asked repeatedly. After that came Reason To Smile. There was one song with everyone else, and one duet, Fifty Fifty. It was hardly ever seen, but well, it was another video for us. Quite cute and funny, and a really nice number. It gave us more leash and kept the Shaan-Sagarika team fresh. But thanks to all these albums and singles, my album was delayed by several months. Weren’t you worried that it would get dated? Not really. In fact, I’m actually glad it’s out now because three years ago, world music fusion sound was really much too futuristic and adventurous for us. The Indian audience had only been exposed to some African sounds and chants. But now other artists too are beginning to experiment more and I think they’d be more receptive to my album with its Bulgarian beats, Irish nuances and Algerian rhythm. Quite frankly, I was prepared to mould and modify some songs if they sounded dated, but when we heard the album again after three years, we felt that despite the time lag, it was okay... just fine. Tell me Sagarika, how did you get exposed to world music in the first place? About four years ago I had gone on this little tour, and at a friend’s place in America, I happened to hear this very different, very exciting music, and I was instantly hooked. Why don’t I fuse these beats with Indian music to come up with a very different kind of album is what I thought. There was just too much bhangra, garba and westernised Indian folk on the pop scene. I thought it would be a good idea to experiment with world music. That way, I could offer something new to our audience while retaining the Indianness, the desi flavour. The cassettes were out just last week and I have my fingers crossed. I know I have a good album, now I just need a little hype. The cassette may be just out, but the video, Ma, has been on air for a while. How have people reacted to this Mother’s Day special? The response has been really amazing. We are forever touring with our band ‘Groove’ and everywhere I go, I have kids and teenagers coming up to me after shows to tell me how touching the song is. “We only have to play it for our mothers to come rushing along smiling, ‘Hey, they’re playing our song!’” I’m told, and that sure makes me very happy. Even my mom’s friends have been calling to say that the song makes them cry. Well, that certainly wasn’t my intention (Smiles). However, I had hoped to strike a chord. India is an emotional country, and looking around, I thought there were just too many romantic numbers, too many light superficial songs. I wanted to be different, offer something more sentimental. Did it make your mom happy? It sure did. She was so happy she started crying. It was a surprise. I had just recorded the album in Chennai and I got back and told mom I wanted her to hear it. We started with Ma and she was so touched. “How did you think of doing this for me?” she kept repeating. “If your dad had been around he would have been so proud of you.” (Emotionally). We lost my dad very early and there were times when we really missed him. But whenever we had the blues, mom would try and lighten things up. She’s been our pillar of strength. How did you hit on this idea of doing a song for her? It was so long ago. Maybe there was some incident... I’ve forgotten. I’m a short-tempered person and one day I must have taken out my anger on her. We all do it, all too often. Taking our parents for granted, thinking petty thoughts, while they forgive us and dedicate their lives to taking care of us so selflessly. All these thoughts must have been on my mind that day. And the idea of Ma was born. It’s a very personal song, you know. It wasn’t planned. It just happened. My mother is a singer herself and I thought this was the best gift Icould give her. And today when I see how happy I’ve made her and other moms, I know I’ve won a major victory. Now it wouldn’t even matter if the album wasn’t commercially successful. I’ve won over people’s hearts, anyway. Why didn’t your mom star in the video. That would have made the song even more personal? I wanted her to be in the video. But the script required someone who could cover the range between 28 and 50. And I knew my mom would never look 28. Twenty-eight, no, never! Anyway she’s happy that the song is dedicated to her. That’s enough. You can’t get too greedy (Laughs). Has the song brought you closer to your mom? Well, we were always close-knit, the three of us to the point that none of my brother’s girlfriends survive (Chuckles). Hey, he’s giving me these real dirty looks. Which is your favourite song from the album? After Ma, Toofani raat. Initially, we’d thought of using this number for the video. It was more commercial with all those rain-forest voices. I also love the ballad, Uske bina. It’s a tricky groove. The saat maatra is a very uncommon rhythm, tough even for the musicians. Now that both you and Shaan have gone single, is it finito for the brother-sister duo? Never! We’ll always be marketed as a team. In fact, we’re planning a Bengali duet album next. Everytime we go to Calcutta, we are literally haunted to do a Bengali album. So we’ve decided to oblige. It’ll probably have a Hindi sequel. It’ll be young, something one can dance to. I’m also planning another solo. I’ll get working on it from August. Another Indian-world music fusion. But this one will be more funky. Now for a confession Sagarika. Are things really as hunky-dory between you and Shaan as is projected? Sure, we are the way we are seen to be. We have our little spats but at the end of the day, Shaan is my best friend. And what about your husband Salim Merchant? He’s another best friend. We share common tastes and ideas, and a passion for music. We listen to a lot of it and are in perfect tune with each other. There are few fights. But with two best friends life is happy... content. Roshmila Bhattacharya |
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