Sunidhi Chauhan will don the hat of a coach for a new music show. In a freewheeling chat with Shrabasti Mallik, she reveals why she turned down acting offers
The iconic Raj Kapoor Studios at Chembur was decked up to mark a grand beginning of yet another singing reality show on the small screen. It was the launch of &TV’s The Voice-India in the presence Sunidhi Chauhan, Himesh Reshammiya, Shaan and Mika Singh. The show is based on internationally-acclaimed reality format, The Voice. Contestants will be chosen solely on the basis of their voice. If the judges (or coaches seated with their backs to the contestant) will like a voice, they will press a buzzer and face the contestant to make him a part of a team. It is called the Blinds. This is followed by the Battles round where the coaches will pit two of their own team members against each other to sing the same song and decide who moves ahead. In the last leg of the competition — live— the final candidates will be coached by the mentors and a team of professionals. The top contestants from each team compete against each other and the audience will vote for their favourite voice.
We chatted with Sunidhi Chauhan, one of the coaches, who looked ultra glam in her slim avatar. “I wanted to look fit because there was a time when I was really fat. looking good makes you feel good,” said the singer who had to give up her weekly sessions of gorging on samosas and jalebis. Although she believes in staying fit and looking good, she does not believe in judging a singer based on his appearance. According to her singing is a gift, “something that God chooses to give us.” That is why she chose to stay away from judging reality shows. “Many music shows now judge on the overall personality. The only reason that I agreed to do The Voice is because of its format. This should be the ideal format of a singing reality show,” she added.
Talking about the changing format of singing reality shows, she said, “I participated in Meri Awaz Suno in 1996 and the rules of judgement have gone through a sea change. Earlier it used to be only the judge who decided the winner, now the audience does.” In her long illustrious career so far, the singer has been the voice of most of the leading actresses of the industry. She has also worked with the best music directors of Bollywood. She spoke very highly of her last association with Anupam Roy. “He is undoubtedly one of the finest composers I have worked with. It was surprising and humbling that he wanted me to sing the title track of Piku. I fell in love with it the moment he played the tune to me. It is very rare that I come across such a sweet and simple melody,” she said.
Sunidhi is one of those versatile singers in the industry who is the first choice of music directors to sing in different styles. “I always knew my voice could fit into any genre but since I began with songs like Aisa Jadoo Dala Re and Mehboob Mere and they became so popular that music directors did not want to experiment with me. Anu Malik gave me my first break with Meri Zindagi Mein Ajnabee Ka Intezaar Hai. After that the ball just kept rolling. However, ghazal is one genre that I have not tried yet but I plan to sing one soon,” said Sunidhi. She claims that she is never satisfied with her songs. “The day I am satisfied, I will give up everything. I believe in pushing my own limits. I always try to sing a song better than the last one,” she added.
The increasing competition in the playback industry does not bother her. “Competition in the industry allows singers to improve their talent. Competition has always been a part of the industry. I love facing it,” she said. For the past few years the industry has been bombarded with all genres of music — pop, rock, rap or remix. Chauhan feels that it is largely because of the diversity that has increased in our culture and lifestyle. She said, “India is a nation in love with music. Every style of music is needed here. You cannot play songs like Tumse Hi and Manwa lage at a night club or a party. These places have the crowd that love music by Honey Singh, Hard Kaur and Badshah — groovy, funky, loud and foot-tapping. Then there are people who like soulful compositions. People look out for new tunes everyday. I am happy that I am a part of this change.”
The singer is interested in acting and even did a guest appearance in the movie Bas Ek Pal. Since then she has been getting a few offers. “But I turned them down. I have the acting bug in my genes because of my father. I was offered films where I had to portray the life of a singer on screen. I didn’t want to do those because I am already a singer,” she said.