MUMBAI: It is rare to find a person who is beautiful, talented and also has a beautiful voice; such is the talented actress turned singer Preetika Rao. She has been one of the most popular faces of Indian television and now is getting recognition for her soulful voice.
The pretty actress-singer recently released her single Yaad Kia Dil Ne which was in collaboration with composer Siddharth Basrur. The track was sung by Preetika and Siddharth and her also featured in the song. The single is a rendition of an old track sung by legendary Lata Mangeshkar and singer Hemant Kumar from the Dev Anan, Usha Kiran starrer Patita.
“Yaad Kiya Dil Ne is an old song by Lataji and Hemant Kumar; we have remade this song with a new touch and have added some English lyrics to it. We always wanted to give a different flavour to this song, so we have given added western elements to it,” says Rao.
She is very happy with the response that the song is getting and has also got a compliment of having a Disney princess kind of a voice in the single.
Preetika, was earlier seen in Na Tum Hamein Jano, which was again sung by her and was a recreation of the old song composed by S. D Burman from the movie Baat Ek Raat Ki.
Talking about her first single, she said, “This is not my first single, I have done a single earlier. After my first song, I went on to take a formal Hindustani Classical training and also learnt Dhrupad. I then practised a lot to improve my vocal chords, on and off, as I am inclined towards music. So, when you hear both the songs, you will find a huge difference between the two.”
Preetika is an avid music listener and loves to listen to the typical Bollywood songs, especially those from the 50s to 90s. Her favourite singer is the musical legend Kishore Kumar and from the current lot, she likes Arijit Singh.
When asked about the composer she wishes to work with, she said, “Shankar- Ehsaan- Loy are the perfect example of contemporary composers, who can make a mix of old and new music.”
This Shaan fan has also featured in his recent music single Surilee released last month.
Watch the song, Yaad Kiya Dil Ne, here:
Preetika is known for her TV shows Beintehaa and Love ka Hai Intezaar. She also happens to be the sister of Bollywood actress Amrita Rao.