R.D. Burman, A.R. Rahman & Underworld - Singer Abhijeet’s Tell-All Interview
Join us as Abhijeet bares it all in this remarkable tell-all interview, offering a treasure trove of stories and experiences that will leave you enthralled and enlightened about the icons who have shaped the Indian music landscape.
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00:00 I became successful when Lehren interviewed me for the first time.
00:05 Shah Rukh Khan is a very commercial person.
00:08 He can put anyone aside for his success and career.
00:12 Abu Salim had taken a chance.
00:13 He used to call me.
00:15 Earlier he used to call me by the name of Pathak.
00:17 Sometimes he used to call me by someone else's name.
00:19 Earlier I used to charge 5 lakhs.
00:21 Suddenly a singer came and said, "Mmm".
00:24 I charged him 40 lakhs.
00:26 So my price went from 5 to 10.
00:27 You are away from songs, from films.
00:30 So, come back sometime.
00:32 For whom should I sing now?
00:33 Hello, I am Rehan and you are watching Lehren.
00:39 We have with us the famous Parsi singer, Abhijit Bhattacharya.
00:45 His songs, as you know, have always been at the top in the 90s and after that.
00:52 And they have also been on people's tongues.
00:54 Sir, welcome to you first.
00:56 Sir, the first question I have for you is, when you came here from Kanpur in the early days of your career.
01:00 What kind of struggle did you start and how did you get the first offer?
01:06 First of all, I want to tell you one thing.
01:09 I got a lot of success.
01:12 But my success was more when Lehren interviewed me for the first time.
01:19 Yes.
01:20 I still remember that time.
01:22 At that time, I was not so famous.
01:25 At that time, I was just a player, a runner and a firecracker.
01:31 I still remember my dirty face.
01:34 And wearing a hat.
01:36 "Auwaa!"
01:38 I used to have a golf club in my in-laws' house in Chambur.
01:43 I had shot there with Lehren.
01:46 It was so popular.
01:48 Lehren gave me a position at that time.
01:53 It was a big deal to be interviewed in Lehren.
01:58 So when you called me for Lehren today, I immediately put my diary in front of me.
02:05 That I will do it somehow.
02:07 So first of all, I want to thank you all, the Lehren team.
02:11 And today we will set fire.
02:14 Sir, how did you start when you came to Mumbai?
02:16 You had done a Bengali song with Burman Da.
02:19 So here, in Hindi, that is, in Bollywood cinema,
02:23 you got the opportunity to sing.
02:24 Did Adi Burman give you the opportunity through his film Anand Aur Anand?
02:28 Actually, I will tell you something from the bottom of my heart.
02:33 Many things people don't know.
02:37 Yes.
02:37 I didn't know.
02:40 So now, if I had said it then, it would have made a difference in my career.
02:44 So today I have become a little selfish.
02:48 I have become selfish.
02:49 I know that my career is at its peak.
02:55 Was or whatever it is.
02:56 So I will say many things honestly.
03:02 Which will have a good impact.
03:08 When you talked about Adi Burman, when Adi Burman gave me a break,
03:13 at the same time I got both Hindi and Bengali to sing.
03:19 And Manwari Singh, the saxophone, used to be my favourite in Panchamda's team.
03:27 I mean, if anyone wants to learn from the world's saxophone players,
03:35 they teach their saxophone pieces.
03:38 They were very neutral, they didn't have to deal with anyone.
03:42 But most of the close people of Panchamda,
03:45 they used to make stories.
03:49 And at the same time, when there was no work,
03:51 there was no work at all.
03:53 I didn't die of hunger, but I was hungry.
03:57 I had to face a lot of hunger.
04:03 At that time, I was affected by Bappi Lari.
04:06 I used to go to Bappi Da a lot.
04:10 Even in this condition, Bappi Da used to tell me,
04:14 "Okay, come to the studio tomorrow, let's sing a song."
04:17 It was as if I reached the studio.
04:20 So he said to me, "Oh, I forgot, we had called Amit Kumar."
04:26 At that time, I didn't get anything.
04:28 As soon as I got Anand Anand's song,
04:33 I didn't know what was going on between us.
04:35 I was nothing at that time.
04:37 I was nothing.
04:40 Kishore Da and Amit Kumar,
04:42 both were equal.
04:45 Kishore Da and Amit Kumar would sing.
04:47 At that time, I don't know what...
04:51 Panchamda gave me a break by being brave.
04:54 And at that time, Bappi Da also called me.
04:57 And there was a song, "Teri Bahun Mein"
04:59 which was the first film of Mohnish Bhai.
05:01 He gave me a song in that.
05:04 And he told me,
05:05 "This will be your first film."
05:08 I didn't understand that much.
05:11 Which is a good thing.
05:14 And Panchamda gave me a break as a...
05:18 I was discovering this boy.
05:21 I was presenting this voice in India.
05:24 When he got to know...
05:26 I didn't know what was happening.
05:28 So people started listening to him.
05:30 "Oh, Bappi Lahiri has lost Abhijeet."
05:33 "That song came first."
05:35 Forget that. The limit was reached to the extent
05:38 that Abhijeet...
05:41 recorded the song of Anand and Anand.
05:45 He played that song on cassette.
05:50 And the main portion of this song and all that...
05:54 was lost.
05:58 And my name was cleared from Panchamda.
06:02 Is this the reason you had to work for 7 years?
06:07 Yes, that's what I'm saying.
06:08 I was busy with news at night.
06:11 I used to see only from a distance.
06:14 On Saturdays or Fridays,
06:18 I used to get some shadow or song.
06:22 Everything else was print media.
06:25 Magazines.
06:26 Filmfare, Madhuri, Mayapuri, Stardust.
06:29 I used to get news from all these.
06:32 I was surrounded by news.
06:34 And news were being made.
06:36 That Kishorda is angry with Panchamda.
06:39 Amit Kumar is angry with Panchamda.
06:41 I couldn't understand anything.
06:42 Whereas, I...
06:44 Panchamda lost me with the first film Kishorda.
06:47 Who will be affected by this in magazines?
06:51 Me.
06:52 I'm getting sandwiched from all sides.
06:55 God.
06:58 One is God and the other is a devotee.
07:00 For me, everyone is God.
07:02 Kishorda is God.
07:04 Amit Kumar is senior for me.
07:07 Panchamda is there.
07:09 Bappi Lahiri is there.
07:10 I'm stuck between all of them.
07:13 Like a lion, a crocodile,
07:15 a big elephant.
07:18 I'm a goat.
07:21 I'm stuck in between.
07:23 I'm not telling anyone.
07:25 And I kept trying.
07:27 The condition I was in with Panchamda
07:32 that I had to sit and get up for a month.
07:34 Yes.
07:35 I was with him.
07:37 And I had my first drink of life.
07:39 Panchamda made it for me on my birthday.
07:44 First drink.
07:46 Yes.
07:47 I didn't know what it was.
07:49 I just knew it was scotch.
07:52 The impact was such that
07:55 the people who were with him, the closest people,
07:57 couldn't bear it.
07:59 Actually, this is a psychology.
08:01 It's in us too.
08:03 I...
08:05 It happens everywhere.
08:06 It happens at our house too.
08:08 If a new person comes,
08:10 I start favoring him.
08:12 People around me tell me to keep him away.
08:16 It happened to me too.
08:18 Were they insecure and failing?
08:20 I was like, "This is how it is."
08:24 And from there,
08:26 I started getting
08:29 the batting.
08:31 I had to get up.
08:33 And at night,
08:35 after three songs were recorded,
08:38 I had to go to the studio again.
08:42 The song was being recorded.
08:44 And I wasn't there.
08:45 And I was following Panchamda.
08:50 I mean, seeing Panchamda, I mean, I can't say I was shocked, but...
08:56 I could see that anger, that he's no more interested.
09:02 But what happened?
09:04 What happened?
09:07 And then, people started telling me, "This is what happened."
09:11 "You made Bappi sing."
09:13 "Bappi made you lose your voice."
09:17 "You made him lose it in a movie where you were launched."
09:23 Now tell me,
09:24 the person who doesn't have a job,
09:26 the person who is getting work from here and there,
09:29 how can I think so highly that he's launching me,
09:36 but it had an effect.
09:38 Anand Arand was a news,
09:43 in which I had six or seven songs.
09:46 So, it was recorded in three songs.
09:49 And then, the film didn't go on.
09:53 I was looking for a movie hall.
09:56 So, I reached there,
09:59 the hall was empty, I was watching it alone.
10:03 But this was the beginning,
10:05 suddenly,
10:07 I climbed up the stairs and dragged it down.
10:10 I felt really bad.
10:12 - Sir, your father also had a similar experience. - Yes, yes.
10:16 From 1982 to almost 1990,
10:19 for seven to eight years,
10:22 my father's dream had come true.
10:25 And then, the situation started.
10:27 He couldn't tell anyone.
10:30 He was in Lucknow, Kanpur.
10:33 But the news kept coming.
10:35 And I used to give false news to everyone.
10:37 At that time, I couldn't afford to call anyone.
10:41 I had STD.
10:43 So, I used to write letters to my mother.
10:45 I used to lie that I am doing well.
10:47 And this is happening to me, this is happening to me.
10:50 How do I tell them that I don't have money?
10:53 I don't have a house.
10:55 How do I...
10:58 eat on time?
11:01 How can a mother know this?
11:04 I never told my father.
11:06 And I kept lying.
11:08 That I am doing very well, don't worry.
11:10 I am getting this, this will happen, this will happen.
11:12 I kept lying.
11:14 And the truth is that...
11:17 So, did you ever feel like
11:20 - going back to work? - Yes, yes.
11:22 Before coming to Bombay,
11:24 I used to work.
11:26 Because my father always told me to complete my studies.
11:30 If I complete my studies,
11:31 I will get a graduation plus
11:33 whatever I want to specialize in.
11:36 I can do CA,
11:37 or MBA, whatever I want.
11:40 But...
11:41 after graduation, I was told to go and study further.
11:45 He had told me that further studies
11:47 are not available in places like Mumbai.
11:50 So, what will I study?
11:51 So, I went to meet Ustad Gulam Mustafa Khan.
11:58 He thought that I had come to learn.
12:00 He said, "Okay, but how can I join your class?"
12:03 "If I come to your class, I won't leave."
12:05 "Because I don't have anything to go anywhere."
12:08 "Where will I stay? I can't learn from you."
12:11 "Because I will learn from you and then go somewhere else."
12:15 "So, please get me a job somewhere."
12:18 "You won't believe, such a great..."
12:21 "Such a great Ustad, Gulam Mustafa Khan,
12:26 took me to..."
12:29 I still remember,
12:31 Hindustan Liver, which was called Hindustan Liver,
12:33 now it's Hindustan Unilever.
12:35 "He took me to the house of the top boss there."
12:38 "Himself."
12:39 "Because his wife used to learn from him."
12:42 "He took me to..."
12:44 I still remember, he was a Bengali doctor.
12:48 He said, "This is a Bengali boy from Kanpur."
12:51 "Gulam Mustafa Khan was from Kanpur."
12:54 "He has a background in Kanpur."
12:56 "He came to a job."
12:58 "He got me a job for Rs. 375."
13:05 "So, I got interviewed and he got me a job for Rs. 375."
13:09 "So, I left Mumbai and stayed there."
13:14 "I will share my room for Rs. 75."
13:20 "There was no problem with transport or convenience."
13:23 "Because I am so fit on foot today."
13:25 "Because I walk a lot."
13:28 "So, there was no expense of transport."
13:30 "I used to take risks without a ticket."
13:32 "I had to get down at different places."
13:35 "So, I did all these things."
13:39 "And..."
13:41 "I used to get support from somewhere."
13:49 "So, I used to stay there."
13:50 "I had a ready bedding."
13:54 "I didn't have it."
13:55 "I used to get down, take a plastic bag."
13:57 "And take a train to Kanpur."
14:00 "But when I reached Kanpur..."
14:02 "I couldn't stay in Kanpur."
14:05 "So, when Anand and Anka got married, I went crazy."
14:09 "Before I got a break from RD Maman, I lost my job."
14:14 "So, Mr. Ravindran Jain needed support."
14:22 "I met him through a family friend."
14:28 "He said, "Stay here, stay with me.""
14:31 "So, I got a chance to learn."
14:33 "He didn't teach anyone."
14:36 "So, I got to sit with him in the morning, evening."
14:38 "The producer is coming, I am going for recording."
14:40 "I got a chance to learn from him."
14:41 "But the most surprising thing is..."
14:46 "He never listened to me carefully."
14:50 "He didn't know how I sing."
14:51 "He only knew how much I sang with him."
14:54 "In his show, sometimes he sang Kishore Kumar's songs."
14:57 "I used to sing two songs, and then he used to perform."
15:00 "But he never listened to me carefully."
15:03 "I was with him for a year and a half."
15:07 "But I never sat with him and told him to listen to my songs."
15:13 "So, I mean..."
15:15 "I used to complain to him, 'Dada, you gave me food, not songs.'"
15:22 "Lastly, on his birthday, before his death, I said in front of everyone..."
15:27 "Dada, I am singing on your birthday."
15:30 "I became a star then."
15:32 "I had to sing to him, so I used to sing."
15:35 "I always used to complain."
15:38 "In front of my eyes, Ram Teri, Ganga Mehli..."
15:41 "Everything was being recorded."
15:42 "I thought, if Dada..."
15:44 "Listen, Sahiba, listen, rehearsal is going on."
15:48 "I am singing with everyone."
15:50 "But if I had listened to it once, I would have got a chance."
15:53 "I had a hope that I would get a chance."
15:55 "But I never got it."
15:57 "So, I thought, what should I say?"
15:59 "So, all these things kept happening."
16:02 "Finally, when this era came out..."
16:08 "I got a big break, Anand and Anand."
16:12 "Then my Anand's chakna started."
16:14 "There was no Anand, only sorrows came."
16:17 "And then a new era of music started."
16:22 "Ghazal, bhajan."
16:25 "At least 10 superstars were singing ghazal and bhajan."
16:29 "Only Anupji was singing bhajan."
16:31 "Anupji used to tell me,"
16:33 "Abhijit, you sing so well, start this."
16:38 "Sing your private ghazal, sing bhajan."
16:41 "This is the future."
16:42 So, turning point, your film 'Baagi' is considered...
16:45 Yes, so think, I had also come in ghazal.
16:50 But I didn't get success.
16:52 They say, destiny fixes you.
16:55 So, people started praising me.
16:59 "You sing ghazal."
17:01 For me, it was a small thing in Mumbai.
17:04 In Lucknow, my culture...
17:09 Kanpur and Lucknow are all together.
17:13 That was easy for me.
17:15 But I didn't get success.
17:17 I got a recording of ghazal.
17:19 I got out of HMB.
17:21 But I didn't get success.
17:23 Nothing worked. I flopped.
17:24 I flopped in 'Anand Anand' and in ghazal.
17:28 So, it was destiny.
17:30 If I had become a hit in ghazal,
17:33 I wouldn't have been sitting with you.
17:36 I would have become a playback singer.
17:41 God said, "No, you won't sing ghazal, bhajan, or pop."
17:48 Pop had started, I won't become a pop singer.
17:51 You will become a voice for all the superstars.
17:57 You will become a playback singer.
17:58 I didn't get success in other things.
18:00 Finally, people come in the form of God.
18:05 They are your brothers.
18:07 They come in the form of God.
18:08 So, Anand and Milind came.
18:09 They made the future of so many people.
18:13 Udit Narayan, sometimes he sings in this film,
18:15 sometimes in that film.
18:16 Sometimes, a film comes, 'Sannata'.
18:17 Sometimes, a hotel comes, a film.
18:19 Sometimes, 'Humari Bahu Alka'.
18:21 Everyone is singing in that film.
18:23 No one is able to recognize Udit Narayan.
18:25 Anand and Milind gave witness till the end of time.
18:28 I said, "It's my turn now."
18:31 I mean, my bell rang.
18:33 Anand and Milind, now it's my turn.
18:35 It's not that they will give to anyone.
18:36 They had in mind that this boy is talented.
18:40 They had thought that it's their responsibility.
18:46 As if they have taken responsibility for me.
18:48 That they will bring Abhijit.
18:50 And it happened.
18:52 Then, finally, they made me sing.
18:54 It wasn't that it was my song.
18:56 I had rehearsed it.
18:58 It was someone else's song.
19:01 They didn't reach.
19:02 They called me.
19:04 And the producer who kept saying,
19:06 "No, no, we don't want to lose Abhijit."
19:10 Later, they said, "If you make me sing, then he is the producer."
19:13 The second song was, "Gawao Isse Bhi".
19:16 Nitin Manman.
19:17 When I sang the first song of "Bhaagi",
19:21 "Har Kasam Se Badi Hai"
19:24 I mean, for me, Kavita Kishmurti,
19:26 I mean, at that time, Lata Ji,
19:28 after Asha Ji, Kavita Kishmurti,
19:30 Anuradha, Alka Yagnik,
19:31 I mean, I can't even imagine that I am singing with them.
19:35 Already, they were established star singers.
19:39 And when I was singing with Kavita Ji in the mic,
19:41 I said, "Oh, my God."
19:43 "They will sing live and give it to me."
19:44 "If it doesn't happen with me, it's a problem."
19:46 So, I sang with them.
19:48 After the song was recorded,
19:50 Nitin Manmohan and
19:54 Deepak Shivdasani, the director,
19:57 they said, "No, man.
19:58 "Lose the second song with this."
20:00 So, this is how it happens.
20:02 It happened.
20:04 And after that,
20:06 then,
20:07 "Bhaagi", first I made "Bhaagi",
20:09 later, they made me a player.
20:11 So, sir, was that the turning point of your career or...
20:15 No, the turning point...
20:17 See, when your car starts,
20:21 then the turning point can be that
20:23 I bought a second-hand car.
20:26 Everyone was happy at home.
20:29 I bought an old car.
20:31 So, that was also a turning point for me.
20:33 I saved Rs. 10,000,
20:35 saved it and bought a car.
20:37 My mother,
20:39 she had just come to Mumbai.
20:42 I took her in the car and she was happy.
20:45 She didn't know that
20:48 in 1986, I bought a car.
20:54 A car from 1964.
20:57 I bought it in 1986.
20:58 It was old, called "Dukkar Fiat".
21:00 For my mother, she called it "Motor".
21:04 When I came to Mumbai and saw a taxi,
21:06 my mother said, "Your taxi is very good."
21:08 So, for her, a car was also a taxi.
21:11 She said, "Let's go in the taxi."
21:12 I said, "It's not a taxi, it's our car."
21:14 So, that was a turning point.
21:17 The turning point was when I bought Maruti for the first time.
21:20 The turning point was when I bought an S-Team.
21:24 After that, the turning point was when I bought a Toyota.
21:27 At that time, Toyota and cars were only available with superstars.
21:33 Then I bought a Pajero.
21:35 It was in the news that
21:37 in the film, three people have a Pajero.
21:40 Jackie Shroff, Shah Rukh Khan and Abhijit.
21:42 That's when it started happening.
21:45 So, at every turn, there was a turning point.
21:48 Sir, RD Burman gave you a break in the fifth film.
21:52 After that, the song that made you famous was "Anand Milan Ji".
21:57 Jatin Lalit came back in your career.
21:59 I am telling you, there were so many turning points.
22:04 First, you bought Maruti, then Mercedes.
22:08 What all did you do?
22:10 So, for me, everything started to fit together.
22:14 I started getting fans.
22:16 I started getting gold fans.
22:18 So, Jatin Lalit,
22:22 who was a music director,
22:25 brought the melody of "Panchamda"
22:30 to the film.
22:39 The best thing was that
22:42 whenever he thought of a song,
22:46 he would think of Abhijit.
22:50 He would make Abhijit sing this song.
22:52 He would never tell the producer or director
22:57 that this song was made for this film.
23:00 He would tell them that this song was made
23:03 and the singer would decide who would sing it.
23:08 But many would say that this song was made for this situation.
23:11 So, at that time, Nadeem Shravan, Jatin Lalit,
23:15 Anu Mallik, Anand Milind,
23:17 and the rest of the names I am not mentioning,
23:20 they were good but they came and went.
23:24 I don't understand what was happening.
23:26 I was never in their camp or in their group.
23:31 So, the biggest problem I faced was
23:37 that it was very late when
23:41 Nadeem Shravan told me that
23:45 Abhijit, from now on, you will sing all my songs.
23:49 And then this case was filed.
23:53 Nadeem had to leave.
23:56 Yes Boss success started
24:00 and my song 'Judai' became a hit.
24:06 And my first work with Nadeem Shravan was a hit.
24:16 He asked me if I was still working under pressure.
24:21 I told him that I would not lose him.
24:24 But there are some music companies
24:27 that have come to me.
24:29 Like Ramesh Sorani, who is a good friend of mine,
24:32 he used to tell me that he wanted to lose Kumar Shanu.
24:39 And Alka Agne.
24:40 They were his favorites because
24:42 being a commercial, typical Sindhi person,
24:46 he had nothing to do with art.
24:48 He used to say that he would sell what was being sold.
24:51 He would make it.
24:53 Straightforward.
24:55 And here, Gulshan Kumar was slowly getting out.
24:58 That was the problem with his company.
25:00 I was Gulshan Kumar's favorite.
25:03 Here, Venus Champakjan, who is no more, a young boy,
25:11 he used to say that Abhijit will sing our songs.
25:14 He was a player.
25:15 Yes Boss.
25:17 That's when Nadeem realized that
25:20 to be very frank,
25:21 I don't know what people will think,
25:24 but Nadeem said that
25:26 he felt that he would sing his songs.
25:30 Because our songs sound the same.
25:33 After that, whatever happened,
25:37 when he went out, he made me sing in the Raj.
25:40 You can see.
25:43 When he used me, he made me sing in the Raj.
25:46 After that, from lines,
25:47 "Aapke Kayamat", "Dharkan",
25:49 I got late somewhere.
25:52 Nadeem said,
25:54 "Abhijit, we work,
25:56 so we made you sing with that in mind.
25:59 Now, our songs should not sound the same."
26:04 So, what happens is,
26:05 there is a force behind it,
26:08 that if you don't want to do it,
26:09 it happens from somewhere,
26:11 it changes.
26:13 That was the situation.
26:16 So, Nadeem said,
26:20 "Openly,
26:21 Abhijit will sing my maximum songs."
26:25 And it started.
26:26 And look, he said,
26:29 "I don't know when and how fate changes,
26:32 but today I miss it.
26:34 I wish it would have been for a longer time,
26:38 I would have sung so many of his songs."
26:41 The underworld that was born in that era,
26:43 in the music industry,
26:45 like Gulshan's murder,
26:47 during that time,
26:48 many people were threatened,
26:50 that the underworld is making this film,
26:52 work on that too.
26:55 Or the music concerts that were held outside,
26:57 were pressurized for that too.
26:59 Yes, I have heard that.
27:00 So, have you ever...
27:01 No, I had not reached such a high league,
27:05 that someone would say something about my concert.
27:09 There would be small-time gangsters,
27:15 who would be talking about such things.
27:19 Because in the matter of a concert,
27:22 people can talk about a superstar's concert,
27:25 like Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan,
27:27 we will do this show, we will pay for it.
27:29 But in my show,
27:32 they don't have to pay for such a big-scale show,
27:35 that a gangster talks about my show.
27:38 I was not in that.
27:39 But yes,
27:40 Abu Salim had taken a chance.
27:43 He used to call me,
27:44 sometimes he used to call me by the name of Pathak,
27:47 and sometimes he used to call me by someone else's name.
27:51 He used to say,
27:53 "I had a mobile,
27:55 "go and call this number from outside,
27:59 "this is Dubai's number, you understand who I am talking to, right?"
28:01 "I am calling from Dubai."
28:03 What could I do?
28:06 I didn't have the capacity to do what he was asking for,
28:08 and I didn't have the capacity to say no or yes to him.
28:12 I said, "I can't do anything."
28:14 "What will you do? Shoot him."
28:16 "Do it."
28:16 "What will you do?"
28:17 "I can't give you, what will you get?"
28:19 "You are dealing with the producer,
28:22 "do it in that, we don't do business, we sing songs."
28:25 "You are doing this show, I have seen it."
28:28 "You come in this show as a judge,
28:29 "you come here and everyone is surprised."
28:32 "Give me his number, give me his number."
28:33 I said, "What number?"
28:36 Then he was happy, I said,
28:39 "Okay, we will be having a party at night."
28:44 He had a girlfriend, he married her, she was in jail.
28:49 People become heroines in films like this.
28:52 So I took their names,
28:54 "This song is his favourite, you sing it at the party."
28:59 "I will put the mic on the phone and sing it on the speaker."
29:04 I used to sing him a song.
29:06 I used to sing it and write it in the account,
29:09 "Okay, you have lost so much."
29:11 "So much money."
29:12 In those days, in the 90s,
29:15 he was asking for so much money,
29:16 so I used to reduce it.
29:18 I said, "Okay, keep doing it."
29:20 "But it shouldn't be that if I sing more,
29:22 "you have to give it back."
29:24 "It will be a plus."
29:27 So it happened with me.
29:30 Sir, if someone asks you to sing a song of Yes Boss,
29:34 will you sing a song of Dashmukh?
29:36 I won't sing Yes Boss.
29:37 - It's possible. - Any song of yours.
29:39 Yes.
29:40 It happens.
29:41 Many people don't want to do this work from the inside.
29:46 When you get a job satisfaction,
29:49 you think, "If the environment is not good, I can't do this work."
29:55 I am singing with Mr. Rahman.
29:56 I had a super hit song.
29:59 I sang it with him.
30:01 "O' Audience, listen."
30:03 And before that, I was invited to sing in Rangeela.
30:11 Udit had already sung that song.
30:16 "What to say, what not to say, how difficult it is."
30:21 Whatever that song was.
30:23 He had called me to sing that song.
30:25 The lyrics had changed.
30:27 The character of the song is also changing.
30:31 Since Udit is singing for the character,
30:34 now you will be using it in a different way.
30:36 Maybe Aamir Khan's character is being shown in a different way.
30:42 Ram Gopal and I went on a flight together.
30:46 We went to Chennai.
30:48 We sat and discussed in the hotel.
30:52 I sang that song.
30:54 On the first day, I had the experience that
30:57 we go to work when we work.
30:59 We don't know anything about the song.
31:02 We were in the studio.
31:04 We didn't know that after A. R. Rahman's "Rohza",
31:06 new songs like Rangeela were being sung.
31:08 It was completely fresh.
31:09 There was no system to work.
31:14 I was sitting in the hotel.
31:16 I got a call, "We will call you."
31:20 I was waiting for the lyrics to be sung.
31:24 I was scared.
31:26 What if I can't do it?
31:30 We have exams.
31:32 I know what to do with people I haven't worked with.
31:37 I was scared.
31:40 Suddenly, I got a call.
31:41 The next day, I was going back to Bombay.
31:48 I was in a mental state.
31:50 I got a call from here.
31:52 Anu Mallik, the secretary of Jagdish, called me.
31:58 "Dada, where are you?
32:00 Today, you have to sing this song."
32:02 I was confused.
32:04 I was not sure what was happening.
32:07 Suddenly, I was called to sing this song.
32:11 I felt that there was no music here.
32:15 It was just a patchwork.
32:18 They were giving me the song.
32:19 I had to sing this much.
32:21 I had to sing this much.
32:23 I had to sing this much in this lyric.
32:26 I had to sing this much in different lyrics.
32:28 I was confused.
32:31 I had to sing the song, get ready and go in front of the mic.
32:35 I didn't know about the patchwork.
32:40 I was not sure if I would reach the stage.
32:45 I was not sure if I would reach the stage.
32:49 Later, I saw that the song was being picturized.
32:52 The lyrics were different.
32:54 They kept the original song.
32:57 My favourite singer is Udit Narayan.
33:02 It was a big challenge for me.
33:05 I didn't want to ask Udit as a singer.
33:08 But when I heard his voice,
33:12 I was able to establish it.
33:15 I was shocked.
33:19 I didn't know what I had sung.
33:23 I was confused.
33:26 At first, it seemed unmusical.
33:29 The next time I sang,
33:32 I got a call at 2.30 pm.
33:38 I was called to the hotel in the morning.
33:42 I left on the morning flight.
33:43 I had other recordings going on.
33:45 All the music directors.
33:48 I reached the hotel.
33:50 They told me to go to the hotel.
33:53 I didn't know what to sing.
33:55 I found out that I had an assistant.
33:59 He told me to sing.
34:02 He told me what to sing.
34:05 I sang A. R. Rahman's song.
34:08 I didn't know who the music director was.
34:11 I sang this song.
34:13 I missed my next day's schedule.
34:20 I missed one song.
34:22 I still remember it.
34:24 It was a big hit.
34:28 I had rehearsed it in Bombay.
34:31 I had to dub it later.
34:33 I couldn't reach there.
34:35 Who sang that song?
34:37 I think it was Shanu.
34:42 It's a long story.
34:43 I missed that song.
34:45 After that,
34:48 I got a call.
34:50 A few days later, this song became a super hit.
34:52 A. R. Rahman's song.
34:56 "Listen, my dear."
35:01 After it became a hit,
35:03 it didn't work out.
35:06 I got a call again.
35:07 I think it was the secretary's name.
35:11 Lawrence or someone.
35:13 "Sir, another song."
35:16 "This super hit song."
35:18 I said no.
35:20 "My return flight will be at this time."
35:24 "Tomorrow I cannot come."
35:26 "I cannot come tomorrow."
35:32 "Tomorrow you should come."
35:37 "You should not miss Rahman's song."
35:40 I said, "I did it once."
35:43 "But I missed one song."
35:45 "So, I will give you the date."
35:48 "And tell me the time."
35:50 "I will reach at this time and come back at this time."
35:52 After that, it never worked out.
35:58 Because you work on someone else's terms and conditions.
36:02 And the rest of the people,
36:04 who are like my God here in Mumbai,
36:08 who work in music,
36:10 patching and arranging.
36:13 Now, there is a song, a super hit song.
36:16 In that, Sonu is not even aware.
36:20 He has kept Sonu's alap.
36:22 And the song is of Javed Ali.
36:23 This is very sad.
36:25 It is a very bad thing.
36:27 No one knows who is who.
36:29 So, all these things
36:32 become strange.
36:34 After that,
36:35 we don't do it.
36:39 Sir, with Shahrukh Khan,
36:40 most of your famous songs,
36:42 and later, there was a time when you reduced it.
36:46 No, I didn't reduce it.
36:47 After "Mah Hoon Na".
36:48 This thing has happened many times.
36:50 And then again,
36:52 this thing, whatever happened, happened.
36:55 See, one is pride.
36:58 And the other is self-esteem.
37:01 One is
37:02 ego.
37:05 And the other is self-respect.
37:07 Self-esteem, self-respect.
37:09 Shahrukh Khan, made it with his own strength.
37:11 The self-respect in him,
37:14 is the same in me.
37:16 He is also a Scorpion.
37:17 Our date is one day back.
37:20 Mine is 30th October.
37:22 And his is 2nd November,
37:23 or 1st November.
37:24 Whatever is one day back.
37:25 We are the same.
37:26 Our nature is the same.
37:27 So, we are not arrogant.
37:31 But we are self-respectful.
37:34 So, that's it.
37:37 That's all I had in me.
37:41 Now,
37:42 I tried once or twice
37:45 to clear this.
37:48 But, Shahrukh Khan is a very commercial person.
37:50 Very commercial.
37:52 He can put aside anyone for his success,
37:55 for his career.
37:57 He will use them.
37:58 He can put anyone aside.
38:01 But, it is wrong to say that he was anti-national.
38:06 Or, many people tried.
38:10 But, there is no one more nationalist than Shahrukh Khan.
38:13 Whenever he made a film,
38:15 you can see,
38:16 which film he made,
38:17 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani'.
38:19 It flopped.
38:20 'Swadesh'.
38:21 'Ashoka'.
38:22 I mean, how can you say that?
38:25 And, he promoted Indian and Hindu culture more.
38:31 Whether it was a mehendi party,
38:34 or a wedding,
38:35 or a music show.
38:36 I think,
38:38 there is no one more nationalist than Shahrukh Khan.
38:40 But, between me and him,
38:44 people made a professional and commercial angle.
38:48 I am anti, he is anti, I am anti.
38:51 Among the Khans,
38:52 Shahrukh is the only nationalist.
38:57 Only nationalist.
38:59 Rest, no one has anything to do with the nation.
39:03 Sir, these days, you are away from songs,
39:05 from films.
39:06 So, 'Waapsi Kabhi'...
39:08 No, no.
39:09 People listen to me more.
39:13 They listen to me more.
39:14 Because, now,
39:15 it is not that source,
39:17 that you are on TV,
39:18 or there is no CD, etc.
39:20 But, most of all,
39:21 my songs are going viral.
39:22 No matter what I do.
39:25 So, today,
39:27 I am telling you,
39:30 for example,
39:31 when I pick up the phone,
39:33 there will be at least an inquiry.
39:34 So, the music of today,
39:38 the music of today has increased our price.
39:40 Because, when there is a concert,
39:44 like 'Book My Show', or 'Paytm',
39:47 when my show is announced in any city,
39:50 within a day or two,
39:54 it becomes house full.
39:55 Tickets are sold out.
39:57 So, we will buy tickets.
40:01 Rest of the people have increased their prices so much,
40:03 because of them, our price has increased.
40:05 Earlier, I used to buy for 5 lakhs.
40:08 Suddenly, a singer came,
40:10 and he sold it for 40 lakhs.
40:13 So, my price went from 5 to 10.
40:17 Today, they can't even ask for 2 lakhs.
40:19 Nobody calls them.
40:20 Then, if a singer comes,
40:22 and asks for 2 crores, or 5 crores,
40:24 my price goes from 10 to 20.
40:26 People think,
40:28 20.
40:31 Now, they think 20 is cheap.
40:33 I never even dreamt of buying 20 or 25.
40:36 Nowadays, the other person asks for 1.5 lakhs.
40:39 Why?
40:42 Because, they know that if you do one artist,
40:44 you will be famous.
40:45 You can have 10 artists,
40:47 and make 3 singers.
40:48 There are so many views.
40:50 Nobody takes a selfie with them.
40:53 Today, I don't know how popular I am,
40:55 or what I am.
40:56 When I sit in a flight,
40:58 the captain comes and takes a selfie with me,
41:02 and passengers also come,
41:03 and take a selfie with me.
41:05 So, the world is of talent.
41:08 My songs are like Taj Mahal.
41:11 Once it is made, it is made.
41:13 -Absolutely. -So, what is the need for me
41:15 to sing for someone else?
41:17 Which music director will tell me,
41:19 that this song is not for me?
41:23 Because, the problem is, technically,
41:25 the singer has been in his farmhouse for years.
41:30 He sells the song on click.
41:36 Even the company doesn't know who the music director is.
41:41 The lyricist is mixing the lyrics on his phone.
41:44 So, everything is mixed and going in different patches.
41:48 I have also done it.
41:49 And then, someone is mixing it.
41:54 So, I am playing the music with the headphones.
41:58 It is the same as what I do on stage.
42:01 And, I am singing in the studio.
42:04 Mr. Javed Akhtar is sitting there.
42:07 Jatin Lalit is singing the song.
42:09 Anand Billain, Nadeem Shaban, Anu Malik,
42:11 and other big names like Sameerji.
42:13 All the big names are coming.
42:15 The song is going on.
42:16 Appreciation is going on.
42:18 It is being created.
42:19 Here, we sit for 10 days on a song.
42:21 No one knows which patch is coming from where.
42:23 In our place,
42:25 the song would start in the morning and end at night.
42:28 I am singing live with so many musicians.
42:31 How can I give them the mood?
42:32 Someone is sending so much on the phone.
42:35 Someone is sending a PDF file.
42:37 Listen to it.
42:38 Sing it on the headphones.
42:40 Everyone is doing this.
42:41 How will you get the flavor of the song?
42:44 How will you get the flavor of the music?
42:45 The live performance is also getting very less.
42:47 Whatever it is, the viewership is great.
42:51 Millions and millions of people are coming.
42:53 Sir, who am I?
42:54 I said, I have so many millions.
42:57 I am coming from a show.
42:58 I have so many millions of views.
43:00 In this, the public comes and takes a selfie with me.
43:04 If we talk about bonding between singers,
43:06 if we talk about your time,
43:08 you, Kumar Sonu, Udit Narayan, Alka Agnek,
43:12 Sadhna Sargam, Kavita Krishnamurthy,
43:14 were at their peak in that era after the 90s.
43:17 So, who did you bond with the most?
43:20 And if we talk about friendship,
43:22 who is your best friend?
43:24 No, I have not bonded with many people.
43:27 Because most of my songs have hit the solo.
43:29 Yes.
43:30 Duet.
43:32 - You have hit Alka. - Yes.
43:34 I have hit all the songs,
43:36 but my maximum songs were solo.
43:38 You can pick any song.
43:39 Whether it is Yes Boss, Chalte Chalte,
43:42 Bhaagi, Ole Ole, Dhadkan,
43:46 most of the songs were solo.
43:48 Duet songs have hit,
43:50 but my ratio is more in solo.
43:55 So, I have sung with everyone.
43:57 I have sung with Lata, Asha,
44:00 and everyone else.
44:01 How do you see the singers of today,
44:03 like Arjeet Singh or Javed Ali?
44:08 Javed Ali is the ultimate singer for me.
44:11 He is not typed.
44:12 I mean,
44:15 he does not sound the same.
44:18 He is typical.
44:20 Every song is the same.
44:22 Javed Ali is a very talented singer.
44:26 One last question.
44:27 What would you like to appeal to the audience and fans
44:31 through Lehren Channel?
44:32 Or they should see you singing in films again.
44:36 - I think it is a long question. - No, no.
44:38 Don't do this scenario.
44:40 In films, you...
44:41 Who doesn't know about music?
44:44 There are six or seven music directors in every film.
44:48 There are so many singers.
44:50 You...
44:51 Why should I be in that league?
44:55 If I record my song today,
44:58 you won't even be able to tell that it is my voice.
45:00 I don't know what they do to it.
45:04 Why should I do it?
45:07 And who is the music director
45:09 who will make the song and create it?
45:12 It is not possible.
45:13 We have to sing in the studio.
45:14 We will sit at home and send the song.
45:18 It is not possible.
45:19 You make a room at home,
45:22 you put your microphone there.
45:23 The music director is sitting thousands of miles away.
45:28 The singer is singing in his farmhouse.
45:30 Or he is singing in his car or in a helmet.
45:32 How did we get into that culture?
45:34 I will tell the audience that...
45:36 These people are a very good audience.
45:40 They are listening to our songs to the maximum.
45:44 We are listening to our songs to the maximum.
45:47 Either they are making our songs again
45:50 or they are listening to our songs.
45:52 The audience should be like this.
45:54 With time, the music is changing,
45:56 but you are with us.
45:58 That is the biggest thing.
46:00 If you want to sing two lines while walking.
46:02 "The queen of my thoughts."
46:06 "The queen of my thoughts."
46:09 "All around..."
46:11 Thank you very much for talking to us.
46:15 This was Jeet Bhattacharya,
46:17 a famous Parsi singer who was talking to us.
46:19 Rehan Hussain, Lehren, Mumbai with cameraman Khalid.
46:22 (MUSIC)
46:26 (dramatic music)