Music magic

Q. 2 What kind of music catches your attention?

I like all kinds of music and have a very good collection. I love jazz, Bollywood and Hindi songs, French and Spanish music. I also like to listen to instrumental music. And what music I hear depends on my mood. If I am in a mood to workout, I listen to house music. But if I want to relax, then it is classical music and Lataji’s (Lata Mangeshkar) songs. I also love Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi and Ashaji (Asha Bhosle).

Q. 3 Name the song that you love to hum?

Presently, it’s Haider on my mind and lips, so it’s Aao na which has been sung by Vishal Dadlani. The lyrics are by Gulzar and it is composed by Vishal Bhardwaj. I also like to hum Khul kabhi toh from the film.

Q. 4 A song you would love to render?

It has to be Set fire to the rain by Adele (a Grammy Award winning artiste whose soulful voice has made her an international success). It’s an amazing song and also the one I sing in the bathroom. Adele has such a beautiful voice and apparently she smokes 30 cigarettes before singing to get that husk in her voice. Which reminds me, when I recorded Galliyan for Ek Villain, I had a sore throat which also made my voice husky which worked for the song. So I should record all songs with a bad throat!

Q. 5 How many songs do you have on your phone?

About 3000 songs! I have run out of space because I have so much stuff on my music data base. I get my music from iTunes and there’s this app called 8 tracks.

Q. 6 Under which musician would you be liked to tutored in music?

My grandfather, the renowned classical singer Pandharinath Kolhapure. I regret not learning from him consistently, but if I could make time, I would love to.

Q. 7 If you were to turn a full-fledged singer, who would you rope in to compose your song?

I would want R.D. Burman to compose my song. I am a fan of his music which was path-breaking at that time. When I was a little girl, my mom would play a lot of his songs, so I was weaned on his music. That era of music was so pristine, but in today’s day and age it would be Mithoon. He composed Tum hi ho.

Q. 8 If, on a date, which romantic number are you likely to sing?

Tum hi ho! It’s the most romantic song!

Q. 9 What kind of response are you getting for Haider?

I am speechless! I always knew that I was going to be a part of an unbelievable film, but with the audience saying things like the film is true cinema, a classic and the best film of the decade, I am ecstatic. The kind of reactions I am getting on Twitter are really phenomenal. Even Vishal Bhardwaj said that though he had got a lot of appreciation for Maqbool and Omkara, the reaction to Haider has gone to another level.

Q. 10 Any musical equipment you would like to own?

I own a piano. I used to play for 10 years, then I stopped playing. But I still have it.