It’s surprising that a singer of his calibre and experience has managed to evade overexposure. He is humble, intelligent and talented. In an exclusive interview with ANANYA BORGOHAIN, Javed Ali reminisces about his musical journey to stardom and all that came along with it

Almost 20 years ago, a teenager well trained in Hindustani classical music from Delhi landed in Mumbai to begin a career in playback singing in Bollywood. Playback singing was an outright unfamiliar medium for him but he continued to try his luck. Over the years, although he sang songs which were massive hits — Kajra Re, Nagada Nagada to name a few — his face continued to evade public attention. Until the year 2007 came and his song Ek Din Teri Raahon Mein from Naqaab elevated him to fame and glory. He soon became a rage within the industry and was sought after by the finest of the contemporary composers. And then there was no looking back. He churned out one superhit song after the other. Some of them include Jashn-e-Bahaara (Jodhaa Akbar), Guzarish (Ghajini), Kun Faya Kun (Rockstar), Ishaqzaade and Daawat-e-Ishq title tracks, and many more.

He judged Sa Re Ga Ma Pa li’l Champs 2011 and hosts a television show titled Music Room where he speaks of hitherto unheard facts about a song or a musician and celebrates the unsung technicians who helped popularise a song. It is surprising that a singer of his calibre and experience has whatsoever managed to evade overexposure. He is humble, intelligent and sure of what he is doing. In a conversation, Javed Ali reminisces about his journey to stardom.

For someone who has been professionally singing in the Hindi film industry for around 14 years, you have maintained a very low profile.

I am a calm person by nature. I don’t get excited much and prefer to maintain a low profile, so it has been deliberate on my part. I don’t have a PR team but had a manager earlier though she no longer looks after my work. I prefer to stay the way I am. This has never landed me in any problem. Things have worked well for me and I am working with talented, big names, so I have not felt the need to change myself. Dusron ko kuch dikhaane ke liye khud ko badloge toh aap bahut atpate lagoge (If you change yourself to please others, you will end up looking like an oddball).

What is your earliest memoryIJ

I am from New Delhi and went to Ramjas School 4 in Paharganj. I was born in a musical ambience. My father, Ustad Hamid Hussain, was an artiste who exposed me to a gamut of musical sensibilities. He was the first of my many gurus, who also included Ustad Ghulam Ali from Pakistan. I was trained in classical music. My earliest memory would be when daddy would wake me up early in the morning for riyaz. I would practise much early, even before going to school every day. At times, I would also be disappointed and angry that I wouldn’t be able to play cricket, like other kids my age, and cricket being a sport I still immensely love. I would sometimes grumpily continue practice. Having said that, music also came first in the family. My father ensured that I familiarised myself with all nuances of music and learn them well. The habit of learning, to keenly observe is one of the many crucial things I learned as a child. Till date, I listen and observe the contemporary singers, learn from what they do, contemplate what I can do to be better, and so on.

Besides film, you are also busy with shows, concerts all across the country and even the world. So when you perform for various regions and cultures, do you also configure your playlist in accordance with the region you are singing inIJ

At times, depending on the occasion, I change the list of songs but 95 per cent of the times, I sing my own songs. People who come to listen to me are aware of my body of work. They hum with me and request even for my lesser-known songs, and that overwhelms me. For instance, sometimes they request me to sing Kaise Kahe Alvida from Yeh Saali Zindagi and that pleasantly surprises me because it wasn’t an elaborately promoted song. To maintain versatility, I divide my shows into three primary segments — sufi, romantic and lastly peppy songs, a segment where I occasionally remix other singers’ songs as well. That way, I ensure that I put forward a whole package to the audiences. I recently sang on the ghats of Ganga and saw the audience sing before I could start. That was stunning.

listeners today are smart and sensible. They can differentiate the good from the bad. People sit in tranquility in my first segment; they sit and listen to the Sufi music. When I do the second segment, they begin to dance. So you see they know when and how to react and to what.

Inshallah, it hasn’t happened that they have not responded well to my performances. So I have not had to consciously reconfigure songs as per a geographical location. I recently did a Sufi concert in Chennai and got a zabardast response. I also performed at a private Diwali celebration at Mukesh Ambani’s house and the guests suggested that I sing in my original style. Bahut khushi mili thi woh sunke (I was immensely happy to hear that). I received a standing ovation for the same. I have not created the romantic-cum-Sufi image that I have. It just happened.

As a child, what has been your expertise in musicIJ Any particular form that you have specifically trained inIJ

I have learned light classical. Not that I am well trained in khayal and similar forms, kudrat ki taraf se mere gale ke andar woh jo murkiyaan (a tonal embellishment where a note is derived from both high and low ends) hoti hain, gamak (notes in faster speed along with a smooth flow from one note to other) hoti hain, us ke wajah se mujhe bahot zyada koshish nahi karni padi achcha gaane mein (By God’s grace, I naturally adapted to the technical  renderings). Whatever talent I possessed, I only polished it. For instance, a song like Arziyan (Delhi 6) is not a song which causes inconvenience for me and I hold a strong grasp over songs like that, but it doesn’t mean that I cannot sing slow songs either. I am, however, a little inclined towards classical. I listen to Western music as well and keenly follow the works of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

How familiar were you with playback singingIJ

I have grown up singing but I never imagined I would be a playback singer. It was an absolutely alien culture for me. In fact, I had never sung a film song as a child! Children my age would sing songs of Mohd Rafi, Kishore Kumar but I never did. I mostly sang ghazals. And along with my father, I would also sing kirtan and private compositions. My father would teach me new compositions and I would perform them in front of people. I never had any film connection, not even distantly. I was still a teenager when I came to Mumbai. It was, in fact, for some purpose other than music. I happened to meet Kalyanji bhai (of Kalyanji-Anandji duo) in Delhi earlier. He had appreciated my singing. He also encouraged me to shift to Mumbai for career prospects. Until then, I had never thought that I would leave Delhi. My father too encouraged me to do so. For a while, I would frequently shuttle between Delhi and Mumbai trying to make a career in the Hindi film industry.

Once my voice changed, my perspective changed as well. I realised that every singer should be versatile besides cultivating an individual style. If said style turns dated, they can then experiment with other forms as well. So I contemplated playback singing with renewed seriousness since I saw it as a medium where one can sing in any form. There are all kinds of songs that the same singer could sing. People thought I couldn’t try it all. I took some training on the overall culture of playback singing, spent time with Kalyanji bhai where I got training. I also dubbed for songs, which further helped me familiarise myself with the medium.

Was there a cultural shock while moving from Hindustani classical music to BollywoodIJ

No, there was none. Any person coming from any corner of the country to Mumbai will be exposed to tremendous experiences. People start from a scratch here. One could be talented in, say, Delhi. In Mumbai, one’s talent gets polished. It’s practical and where one’s knowledge is tested more applicably. A person may be a power-packed  performer on stage, but the same person may fail to record as per expectations in a studio while recording a tune. So you need to be open to ideas and mature accordingly.

Have you ever had disagreements with music composersIJ

I sincerely believe that music composers are the creators of songs, we singers don’t argue with them. In fact, we are required to agree with the tune. Ninety per cent of the times we sing as we are instructed to. Sometimes, there is a healthy atmosphere where one can give one’s personal opinions. If a composer is friendly and accepting then I appreciate it since it guarantees my comfort level. Else, I stop arguing, sing the song and move ahead.

In which songs have you inserted elements on your ownIJ

There have been a few occasions. For instance, the first line of my song Tu Hi Haqeeqat from the film Tum Mile was slightly different when originally composed. When I sang the line, after discussing with Pritam, I ended it in a different way (which is how it was finally released), which producer Mukesh Bhatt liked and suggested we keep it that way.

Have you ever been disappointed with the overall outcome after singing a songIJ

I would not take names but much before I attained recognition in the industry, I had sung for an album. When I saw the song on screen finally, I was tremendously disheartened by its poor quality. The picturisation, the lip sync, expressions of the actor were all out of sync. That was a major letdown.

How do you look at the film industry’s handling of musicIJ

I am in favour of finalising the script and accordingly composing music. I think that is the correct procedure. As a singer, I am open to all kinds of songs, from ghazals to cabaret numbers. I take my music religiously and I will sing all songs.

You have sung in multiple Indian languages. When you don’t speak a particular language but are required to sing in it, what are your concerns as a singerIJ

I always ask for the situation of the song. The composition says it all; composition usi tarah ki hogi jis tarah ke words honge (composition would be reflected by the lyrics). It reveals everything and a voice from within directs me as to what my personal approach should be. I focus on the song’s sentiments. The sadness in tune or pathos in the melodies help me. Sometimes the music director also specifies where I am required to sound emotional or mischievous.

At the beginning of your career, you had sung for Shankar Ehsaan loy in some films, including in Bunty aur Babli, where you sang the hit song Kajra Re. But after attaining fame and more so in the recent years, we have not seen you collaborate with them. Is there a reason behind thatIJ

It’s a question I think they can answer best. I have sung with them years ago and have not done so in any of my recent popular tracks. I wonder why.

You have sung for Pritam and AR Rehman in many films. Given that they are very different personalities, what are your memories with themIJ

Pritam asks me to sing songs which have a sufi flavour or the high scale songs. He also makes me sing romantic numbers. There’s a particular range of expectations while singing for him. For instance, in the song Aa Jao Meri Tamanna from Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, I used falsetto for the first time in a song. I get tremendous responses for that song even today when I sing it in colleges. AR Rehman on the other hand is willing to change his requirements in accordance with the comfort levels of the singer. What I admire about him is that woh gaane ko singer ke comfort ke hisaab se dhaal dete hain.

Would you like to share a memorable experience while singingIJ

There are many but I remember this one time after I had finished recording the title track of Ishaqzaade. Its composer Amit Trivedi listened to it and hugged me and said, “Bachche ki jaan loge kyaIJ” I was elated to hear that. He is another composer who gives his singers a lot of room to explore.

Whom do you consider an underrated music composer in the film industryIJ

Shantanu Moitra and Ismail Darbar. Dono rooh se compose karte hai (both create songs from the soul). I would not be the competent authority to comment on or evaluate their technicalities, but I have worked with them a little and firmly believe that they are powerhouses of talent. Recently, I recorded a few songs for Ismail Darbar and am hoping that when those songs come out, they are loved.

Which music technique do you think film songs should use moreIJ

I think everything has been exploited enough already. Now it depends on how you bring in new sounds. One should not sound redundant and same as all. I try to sound different in my songs. For example, in Tum Tak in Raanjhanaa, I have sung in head voice, in a sharp voice. But in the title song for Daawat-e-Ishq, I used loud voice. People found it different and difficult but I enjoyed that.

What do you like to do in your spare time besides singingIJ

I like travelling to new places and am always eager to explore. I like spending time at home with my wife and two daughters, aged seven and five.

SOUNDCHECK

Kajra Re, Bunty Aur Babli

Nagada Nagada, Jab We Met

Ek Din Teri Raahon, Naqaab

Jashn-E-Bahaara, Jodhaa Akbar

Guzarish, Ghajini

Arziyan, Delhi 6

Tu Hi Haqeeqat and Tum Mile (reprise), Tum Mile

Aa Jao Meri Tamanna, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani

Ranjha Ranjha, Raavan

Kun Faya Kun, Rockstar

Ishaqzaade, Ishaqzaade

Deewana Kar Raha Hai, Raaz 3

Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Jab Tak Hain Jaan

Tum Tak, Raanjhanaa

Jashn-E-Ishqa, Gunday

Galat Baat Hai, Main Tera Hero

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