INTERVIEW

Interview with Mahalakshmi Iyer

'I am a music director's singer'

Recognition took time to knock at her doors but that doesn't bother her. Although her songs like Bol na halke halke from Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Rock 'n' roll Soniye from KANK, Aaj ki raat from Don have been hits, not many know that Mahalakshmi Iyer is the voice behind these popular numbers. In a conversation with radioandmusic.com's Anita Iyer, the singer shares her journey of over a decade and her cut on the current music scenario.

Excerpts:

How was it singing for One Two Three and Tashan?
It was great fun to sing both the songs as each is very different from the other. Falak tak from Tashan is a mushy romantic number and Gup Chup from One Two Three was a sensual number. It was fun working with different directors Vishal -Shekhar and Raghaav.

Do you think you got enough opportunities to experiment with your voice in different genres?
I believe I haven't yet got enough opportunities to experiment with my voice. Our music industry seems to have a typical mindset where a particular style is allotted to a particular singer - if it's a folk number it has to be Richa, melodious then it has to be Shreya Ghoshal, for romantic it has to be me, and so on. But now the mindset has slightly changed and even I have got a few opportunities to experiment with different styles recently.

Do you think coming from a background of jingles helped you as a singer?
As I said earlier said, the music industry has a different mindset when it comes to newcomers but jingles are a great platform for newcomers. Many new talents get stunned with the competition in mainstream music, but coming from a background of jingles, it is easier to adapt. I am a trained classical singer but the world of jingles introduced me to a lot of western music and inculcated an interest to explore different genres like jazz etc.

Why don't you believe in cutting your own pop album?
I did release an album in the past but it was lost amid the clutter of remixes. In the past few years, the album market has experienced a very slow growth with Bollywood numbers ruling the charts. But now some newer albums by artists have done well and I might think of coming up with my own soon. It won't be a typical pop album but will be a blend of classical and Sufi genres. I would like to write as well as compose the album on my own.

Do you need to modulate you voice to suit the on screen actor's voices?
Not many times do we need to modulate our voice according to the female cast because the casting is not known while recording the song. However, we have to sing in accordance with the theme of the song, depending on whether it is a sensual number, item number or a romantic one. But knowing the female cast helps, like for my song in Man Gaye Mughal-e- Azam to be featured on Mallika Sherawat, I gave it a sensual tone to suit Mallika.

' Young directors are experimenting with different genres rather than sticking to the hit formula'

More and more directors are lifting tunes from existing compositions. Does that bother you?
It doesn't directly affect us singers because we sing as per the music director's requirements and not often do we know about the origins of the music. I hope the way our industry is growing, this trend will not continue though. I guess they are caught in a dilemma of original compositions and composing 'what sells' as per the movie makers or producers. All the composers are capable of creativity and given freedom to compose what they wish, they can come up with some beautiful original compositions.

How has the industry changed in the last one decade?
The music scenario has changed a lot. There is a lot of professionalism now and many new talents have emerged. Earlier, there used to be only one or two singers ruling the scene but now many newcomers from the TV reality shows are also getting equal opportunities. Also, we have many young directors like Raghav Sachar and Ram Sampath composing wonderful compositions and the whole clan concept where the director signs with the same music composer for a series of films, has ceased to exist. These young directors are also open to experiment with different genres rather than sticking to the hit formula in compositions.

Where is the classical genre heading to in the music industry?
The classical genre has been a part of Bollywood and it will stay. Many of our songs have a slight leaning towards classical music like the song Kabhi shaam dhale from Sur. But I also believe that classical songs fit better in a movie if the theme of the movie is not typically Bollywood but something different like Mahesh Manjrekar's Astitiva had beautiful songs with a classical touch. The latest composition with a classical touch I heard was Shreya's Aamhe je tumhar from Bhool Bhulaiya.

Do you think the exposure from Mission Ustaad helped you to establish yourself?
Yes, I agree that Mission Ustaad helped me to reach out to many people. One of the main reasons why I took part in the reality show was because the audiences didn't know me and this was a platform to get acquainted with them. And secondly, it was the theme of the show of promoting UN's Millennium Development Goals that excited me.

How was it being paired with Kailash Kher on the show?
I would say Kailash is a volcano of talent and I got inspired while working with him. The main challenge for us was that many times, both of us wouldn't know the new songs and had to hear them and sing on the same day. Kailash has a great competitive spirit and pushes capabilities of the person he works with.

You were primarily working with Rahman and Shankar Mahadevan for a long time. Is it only now that you have started working with other directors?
I don't think I have primarily worked with Shankar and Rahman in my career but the fact is that my songs with these guys have done well and those with a few other directors went unnoticed. Although I started with Rahman, I have worked with almost all the music directors in the industry.

How has the experience working with different music directors been?
I would say I am a music director's singer! I have been lucky in my career to work with big composers and banners. All the music directors I have worked with - Pritam, Sajid-Wajid, Vishal- Shekhar, Anand Raj Anand have their own different styles and I have learnt a lot from them individually. I like working with Rahman, as he is spontaneous with his music and I am very comfortable with his working style.

Is it because Rahman was the one who launched you?
Well, it's not that Rahman launched me. The week I sang 'Pakhi Pakhi' in Dil se, I even sang for Kamal Hasan's film Hindustani. So, I would say I had a double launch in the same week!

You are a multi lingual singer. Tell us about your regional ventures?
I have sung in various languages including Bengali, Assamese, Kanada, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Khasi, Konkani and Punjabi. I guess, I have a flair for different languages, so am comfortable singing in most of the languages. In fact, I am known as Mahalukhimi in Assam and Mahalokhi in Kolkata because that's the way they pronounce Lakshmi. I also have sung some jingles in foreign languages, like Russian and Arabic.

What are your future projects?
My forthcoming projects include Man Gaye Mughal-e- Azam, then there is Khushboo, Mission Istanbul with Anu Malek, Pranali with Kailash, Naresh and Paresh, as also Zoya Akhtar's next.