Talktime| Kavita Krishnamurthyy
The versatile singer who wowed us with her pop and devotional songs in the 1980s and ’90s was in Delhi recently for a concert. She talks to Shalini Saksena about her life beyond Bollywood and how performing fusion with her husband helps further classical music
When you say Beyond Bollywood. Is it related to music, your personal life or bothIJ
It is both. Even though I have not been singing for Bollywood for the last 10 years, people still recognise me as a Bollywood singer for all the years that I had been active in the industry. The Bollywood segment is there but I used the word 'beyond' because my husband (Dr l Subramaniam) is a classical musician and plays the violin. When he plays, he is not playing for Bollywood. When we performed in Delhi, it was fusion. The people who come to listen to us know it will be beyond Bollywood. I do a couple of compositions that are classical - non-Bollywood - so that the audience can recognise me without Bollywood too. While my basic comfort is Bollywood, I try out classical too. Attempting semi-classical makes my life challenging as there is so much more to learn in music.
What would it take for you to do more Bollywood songsIJ
It's been almost a decade. Though I have done a few numbers, today, it is not up to me to decide. It is the corporates and music companies who do it. Also, the kind of songs being sung today are not my kind. When we came into the industry, we were inspired by lataji. I am used to singing in a geet style with shudh Hindi uchcharan. Now, there is a lot of sufi element, Western influence and words are set differently. Singing has changed. When somebody thinks that there is a song that only I can sing, I will be happy to do it. I don't have to sing to add numbers to my repertoire. If I sing anything now, it should have some meaning in my life. If Bollywood songs don't come my way, I am not sad as I don't want to do inconsequential songs.
You have won so many awards. Did you expect this kind of recognitionIJ
Not at all. I came from a very simple middle-class family. When I would sing in front of people my hands would get cold and always wondered why I was singing in front of people. Then I came to the recording room and was more comfortable. One day, I saw my name in the credits and said to myself: 'not bad'. God has been very kind and I believe that He guided me to all the awards.
What made you say 'yes' to the HCl concertIJ
The invite came to my husband and they extended it to me as well. The date suited us. It has been a fantastic experience working with them. Classical musicians also play fusion. Such platforms help since those who have not heard classical and hear me sing Bollywood songs with a classical bent, they understand that it is based on a raga. They then want their children to learn classical.
You do a lot of concerts abroad and in India. Is the crowd any differentIJ
Since the crowd abroad doesn't see us often, it pours love on us. But it is the crowd in India that astounds me. They drive for over two-and-a-half-hours to listen to see us perform. Take Delhi, for example. People have driven here from so far, this kind of enthusiasm is good to see. Genuine music lovers come to hear you.
Is there scope for classical music in BollywoodIJ
There are many good musicians in the industry who are doing some great work. You have people like Sanjay leela Bhansali who are doing great work. But one needs to do more. I am hoping that, in the future, there are more songs based on the classical style so that we can remember our heritage.