Gurdas Mann

Mark of a Mann

The pioneer of Punjabi pop, who set the trend with Dil da maamla hai, goes in for a change of image and style in his latest set, JAADUGARIAN. Check out the snazzy video of the song and you’ll know. Gone is his trademark lungi-kurta, and the ubiquitous dafli is missing, too. Instead you get a sauve Gurdas Mann in designer-wear. “It was high time I tried out something new,” says the singer. And you’re sure it will work, just like Dil da maamla hai, his first hit, because, after all robust voice and the adayen (mannerisms) are trademark Mann...sss

The Manns, Gurdas and wife Manjit, are relaxing in their tastefully done up 19th floor flat in a posh Mumbai suburb after a hectic day. They had begun their day quite early, having got up in the wee hours of the morning to make arrangements for their son’s departure to UK for studies. Yet they forget their fatigue to make you feel at ease. The cute roly-poly Manjit insists on treating you to a sumptuous meal of paneer-palak and rotis and lip-smacking sitaphal ice-cream, even as she enlightens you about hubby Mannji’s achievements. The couple’s selfless nature and warmth is what makes them instantly endearing. And these qualities have obviously helped in making Gurdas Mann a big name that he is today, besides of course his great voice and his energetic singing. Tell him that, and he modestly says, “God has been very kind to me,” with Manjit nodding approvingly.

Fresh from the success of his Punjabi film Shaheed-e-Mohabbat, which was talked about in international circuit as well, Mann is now excited about his latest album, released by Venus. Sipping black tea, the health-conscious singer-actor talks about his past, present and future. Wife Manjit too participates, proving that she is a guiding force for her hubby. Excerpts:

You are credited with setting the trend for Punjabi pop with Dil da maamla hai. How does it feel to be the trendsetter?
I’ll never say that I set a trend. Ek raasta hamne ikhtiyaar kiya aur uski manzil hamein oonchai pe le ja rahi hai (I followed a path and its destination gave me the glory). Today, the same road is taking others to their glory and that’s nice. I’m thrilled that Punjabi music is being popularised by many singers, and it has reached every nook and corner of India. When I began, I never visualised that I’d be a big name, or that Punjabi pop would rule some day.

Tell us about your first brush with fame?
Unlike today’s instant popularity, fame in the 80s was difficult to attain. I remember there was just Doordarshan to showcase your talent and I’d be invited to sing a Punjabi number for the December 31 New Year Eve’s show. Those days there were not many options to popularise oneself, the media hadn’t expanded and there was no exposure. Inspite of all this, I reached out to people with Dil da maamla hai, which was played on DD often. That was in 1982. I among the first to make a video of that number which was shown in Pop Time, the earliest show devoted to pop music. Today, a video is played on MTV or [V] for 10 days and you are a star.

With nobody in your family musically inclined, how did you veer towards singing at all?
I was fond of literature and because of that I started writing poetry and lyrics. Since the culture of Punjab itself is rich in music, singing came naturally and I’d often compose and sing my own lyrics at college functions and picnics.

How did you progress from singing at college to your first album?
Well, in the town where I lived, people knew I could sing, and they would invite me to sing at various occasions. We were a group of three and gradually I made a name as a good singer and we started giving performances. Soon enough I was called by HMV to cut my first album. To date I’ve made 28 albums, and all have been hits. In Punjab and UK my albums are a sell-out irrespective of whether we shoot a video for it or not.

Over all these years your popularity has remained consistent. How do you manage that?
I always try to present something new in my albums. My aim is that each of my album should be a milestone. I firmly believe that one has to compose from the soul. Baja leke composition nahin hoti. Aatma ki aawaz ko sunna padta hai. (You can’t compose with a harmonium. You’ve got to listen to your soul). Composition is the sound of the soul and lyrics too comes from within. And God is there by my side always.

Your latest release Jaadugarian is said to be completely different from all your earlier albums. How?
I haven’t deviated much from my style, but yes you’ll find that it’s a bit modern and I have experimented for the first time. There are nine songs in simple Punjabi, which can be understood even by the non-Punjabi speaking people. The highlight is a song I’ve specially composed for the NRIs which goes Mud ja ve mud ja, about them missing their motherland. I am keen to shoot a very Indian video for this number. By the way, we have made a sleek video for the album for the song Jadugariyan, which projects me differently.

That’s a welcome change since all your earlier videos were very low-brow, and in most you were sidelined.

You’re right. But in my latest video, it’s only me all throughout. I play myself, and I’m in a new avtaar, not in my usual traditional dress. This time, I was very careful.

What gives you a true feel of your popularity?
The concerts. That’s where the rapport with the audiences is. And that’s where I see my fans. When they come and shake hands with me and bless me, it overwhelms me. It gives me a high when tickets for my concerts are sold out. One of my greatest achievements was when tickets for my concert at the vast London Arena were sold out a week in advance.

You’ve also diverted into film production. The success of your Punjabi film Shaheed-e-Mohabbat must have been a morale-booster?
Shaheed-e-Mohabbat affirmed my belief that working with sincerity pays. I had done some Punjabi films earlier, but with Shaheed-e-Mohabbat I won praise as an actor, and the success of the film proved that my name stands for quality and good work. I’ll soon be acting in my next home production, this time in Hindi, titled Zindagi Khubsoorat Hai. It’s an unusual story.

With the Punjabi pop scene getting crowded, do you feel the competition hotting up? Where do you find yourself in this crowd?
Agreed that there is a competition, but I am where I am. I’m stable. The new lot of singers like Harbhajan Mann (he’s no relation of mine, but is a very good friend), and others are good. Hansraj Hans and Daler Mehndi, who are also very good, have been around from my time, but got a break a little later. It’s better that new talent flows in. The more, the merrier. I don’t grudge others their success because jealousy destroys creativity. With hard work and God’s grace I’ll go on.}

How has your family helped in your success?
They are my worst critics and instantly tell me if my composition is bad. Whatever I am is because of them. Today, I am enjoying popularity as a singer, but my family, especially my wife, bears all the tensions that come as a package deal with success. So ain’t I lucky?

Salma Khatib