By Vandana Soni Bakshi - The Times of India
Monday, 3 Apr, 2006
Celebrated sufi singer Rekha Bharadwaj shares her mysticism with us.
You would probably expect her to turn up her nose at the mention of Bollywood numbers, but Rekha Bharadwaj likes to spring surprises. The celebrated sufi singer loves to dance to Kajra re..., Dhoom macha le, Pathshala and "all those racy tracks."
"There are songs which you sit and listen to - like Chupke se.. from Saathiya and others which get you dancing and I enjoy both immensely," says the classical singer who is in the city to perform at Daaman-e-Lucknow along with Sufi Kathak exponent Manjari Chaturvedi.
Incidentally, the event which is Manjari's brainchild is slated to become an annual event wherein artists of Lucknow, who've made it big nationally and internationally will be invited to perform.
Rekha rose out of the shadow of her husband Vishal Bharadwaj following the release of a Sufi music album, 'Ishqa Ishqa' whose lyrics were composed by none other than Gulzar. "It was an 11-year-long wait during which the venture witnessed many flips-flops and it was only in 2003 that the album finally saw the light of day," she says. With singing being a childhood passion, Rekha started striking the high notes "soon as I started speaking. Initially my sister tutored me and then I trained under Pt Amarnathji."
With Begum Akhtar and Mehdi Hasan being all time favourites, "Ghazals were a passion with me. However, after marriage I did dabble in Bollywood singing. There was Abhay in which I rendered a Lohri, Woh din bhi tha... in Chachi 420, Meri jaan... in Bhaggmati. In fact, I sang with Usha Uthup and Kavita Krishnamurthy for Godmother too but playback singing is a different ball game. The songs have to contribute to making the movie a commercial success and the stress is not on the purity of gayaki." The realisation made Rekha return to the classical fold as she felt she was "Not ready for the Hindi film industry. Now I am singing for Piyush Kanojia and Sameer Tandon."
One wonders why she never thought of singing for Maachis which had music by Vishal? "Lataji can give anybody a complex. I never thought (and still don't think) I could match up to her. Who would listen to me once she started to sing?" she questions with good-hearted laughter. "Besides I never thought of taking advantage of being Vishal's wife," she adds as an after thought.
Ready to cross borders now, Rekha will soon be singing for a Pakistani serial Tere Ishq Mein. "The compositions will be sufiana. This is the form of gayaki which has helped me evolve as a person and connect with God and my loved ones better. Now, it is an integral part of my personality," says the gifted singer who is currently compiling verses of Sultan Bahu and Baba Bulle Shah for her next album.
As far her association with Manjari goes, Rekha says, "When I saw her whirling (a form of meditation) for a particular number, I was awe-struck by the ease with which she glided over the sand. The love for sufi compositions connects us and the bonding has helped us grow as artistes."
Some associations are indeed God made!
Sunday, October 15, 2006
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Sunday, October 15, 2006
'Lataji can give anybody a complex'
By Vandana Soni Bakshi - The Times of India
Monday, 3 Apr, 2006
Celebrated sufi singer Rekha Bharadwaj shares her mysticism with us.
You would probably expect her to turn up her nose at the mention of Bollywood numbers, but Rekha Bharadwaj likes to spring surprises. The celebrated sufi singer loves to dance to Kajra re..., Dhoom macha le, Pathshala and "all those racy tracks."
"There are songs which you sit and listen to - like Chupke se.. from Saathiya and others which get you dancing and I enjoy both immensely," says the classical singer who is in the city to perform at Daaman-e-Lucknow along with Sufi Kathak exponent Manjari Chaturvedi.
Incidentally, the event which is Manjari's brainchild is slated to become an annual event wherein artists of Lucknow, who've made it big nationally and internationally will be invited to perform.
Rekha rose out of the shadow of her husband Vishal Bharadwaj following the release of a Sufi music album, 'Ishqa Ishqa' whose lyrics were composed by none other than Gulzar. "It was an 11-year-long wait during which the venture witnessed many flips-flops and it was only in 2003 that the album finally saw the light of day," she says. With singing being a childhood passion, Rekha started striking the high notes "soon as I started speaking. Initially my sister tutored me and then I trained under Pt Amarnathji."
With Begum Akhtar and Mehdi Hasan being all time favourites, "Ghazals were a passion with me. However, after marriage I did dabble in Bollywood singing. There was Abhay in which I rendered a Lohri, Woh din bhi tha... in Chachi 420, Meri jaan... in Bhaggmati. In fact, I sang with Usha Uthup and Kavita Krishnamurthy for Godmother too but playback singing is a different ball game. The songs have to contribute to making the movie a commercial success and the stress is not on the purity of gayaki." The realisation made Rekha return to the classical fold as she felt she was "Not ready for the Hindi film industry. Now I am singing for Piyush Kanojia and Sameer Tandon."
One wonders why she never thought of singing for Maachis which had music by Vishal? "Lataji can give anybody a complex. I never thought (and still don't think) I could match up to her. Who would listen to me once she started to sing?" she questions with good-hearted laughter. "Besides I never thought of taking advantage of being Vishal's wife," she adds as an after thought.
Ready to cross borders now, Rekha will soon be singing for a Pakistani serial Tere Ishq Mein. "The compositions will be sufiana. This is the form of gayaki which has helped me evolve as a person and connect with God and my loved ones better. Now, it is an integral part of my personality," says the gifted singer who is currently compiling verses of Sultan Bahu and Baba Bulle Shah for her next album.
As far her association with Manjari goes, Rekha says, "When I saw her whirling (a form of meditation) for a particular number, I was awe-struck by the ease with which she glided over the sand. The love for sufi compositions connects us and the bonding has helped us grow as artistes."
Some associations are indeed God made!
Monday, 3 Apr, 2006
Celebrated sufi singer Rekha Bharadwaj shares her mysticism with us.
You would probably expect her to turn up her nose at the mention of Bollywood numbers, but Rekha Bharadwaj likes to spring surprises. The celebrated sufi singer loves to dance to Kajra re..., Dhoom macha le, Pathshala and "all those racy tracks."
"There are songs which you sit and listen to - like Chupke se.. from Saathiya and others which get you dancing and I enjoy both immensely," says the classical singer who is in the city to perform at Daaman-e-Lucknow along with Sufi Kathak exponent Manjari Chaturvedi.
Incidentally, the event which is Manjari's brainchild is slated to become an annual event wherein artists of Lucknow, who've made it big nationally and internationally will be invited to perform.
Rekha rose out of the shadow of her husband Vishal Bharadwaj following the release of a Sufi music album, 'Ishqa Ishqa' whose lyrics were composed by none other than Gulzar. "It was an 11-year-long wait during which the venture witnessed many flips-flops and it was only in 2003 that the album finally saw the light of day," she says. With singing being a childhood passion, Rekha started striking the high notes "soon as I started speaking. Initially my sister tutored me and then I trained under Pt Amarnathji."
With Begum Akhtar and Mehdi Hasan being all time favourites, "Ghazals were a passion with me. However, after marriage I did dabble in Bollywood singing. There was Abhay in which I rendered a Lohri, Woh din bhi tha... in Chachi 420, Meri jaan... in Bhaggmati. In fact, I sang with Usha Uthup and Kavita Krishnamurthy for Godmother too but playback singing is a different ball game. The songs have to contribute to making the movie a commercial success and the stress is not on the purity of gayaki." The realisation made Rekha return to the classical fold as she felt she was "Not ready for the Hindi film industry. Now I am singing for Piyush Kanojia and Sameer Tandon."
One wonders why she never thought of singing for Maachis which had music by Vishal? "Lataji can give anybody a complex. I never thought (and still don't think) I could match up to her. Who would listen to me once she started to sing?" she questions with good-hearted laughter. "Besides I never thought of taking advantage of being Vishal's wife," she adds as an after thought.
Ready to cross borders now, Rekha will soon be singing for a Pakistani serial Tere Ishq Mein. "The compositions will be sufiana. This is the form of gayaki which has helped me evolve as a person and connect with God and my loved ones better. Now, it is an integral part of my personality," says the gifted singer who is currently compiling verses of Sultan Bahu and Baba Bulle Shah for her next album.
As far her association with Manjari goes, Rekha says, "When I saw her whirling (a form of meditation) for a particular number, I was awe-struck by the ease with which she glided over the sand. The love for sufi compositions connects us and the bonding has helped us grow as artistes."
Some associations are indeed God made!
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