The title of Rekha Bhardwaj’s concert tour is inspired by poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s ghazal Kuchh ishq kiya kuchh kaam kiya. “I will be singing a few original ghazals composed by Vishal (Bhardwaj, husband), along with some works of Amir Khusro like Aaj Rang Hai Re Ma and Ae Ri Sakhi that I have composed. I am also going to sing some of my favourite ghazals by Farida Khanum, one or two by Jagjit Singh and some that I have sung for films like Ab Mujhe Koi Intjaar Kaha from Ishqiya and Koi Fariyaad from Tum Bin. Basically this evening is all about ghazals,” says Rekha.
She recalls the all-night baithaks hosted at her parents’ house when she was a child. “Once a month, some musician-friends of my father would come home and we would all enjoy ghazals together. My mother would also sing. My sister was leaning classical music, she used to compose ghazals for me and I would sing them. I was barely 6-7 years old and didn’t even understand the poetry back then, but I enjoyed it so much. I used to listen to ghazals on the radio too,” she says, adding, “Then I started to drift away from it slowly. I also made an album, but somehow it didn’t come out. But now we’ve come back to it and are doing this show. I feel that I have a deeper understanding of poetry now.”
She is inspired by ghazal singer Madhurani Faizabadi. “Her gayaki inspires me... the way she utters her words while singing. Begum Akhtar and Farida Khanum have also influenced me big time. And then there’s Jagjit Singhji as well, who brought ghazals into the mainstream with the way he revolutionised the musical arrangement for his work. He brought in the freshness of Western instruments like the guitar and minimalistic percussion. I started paying attention to Ghalib and understanding his poetry after listening to Jagjit Singhji’s ghazals,” she shares.
The artist is known to visit the Osho International Meditation Resort often and perform there as well. “I performed for the first time there in 2004, and then every time we are in India, Vishal and I go there for a visit and perform, like every alternate year or so. I love the vibe of the place, and its serenity,” says the artist who performed at the ashram along with her husband and veteran poet-lyricist Gulzar Saab in 2013.
She has been a regular performer at public venues in the city too. “I have been performing concerts for the public since 2009 in Pune. I performed at Shaniwarwada, where I did Bollywood numbers, then I also took the stage at Rahul Deshpande’s festival where I mostly did a sufiyana set. I have also performed at Phoenix MarketCity before. Pune has a very good listenership, the audiences know their music,” she says, adding, “I’m trying to grow more as an artist, expand my repertoire. This time I will not have any drums, but just a tabla, dholak, and flute along with lead guitar, electric guitar and bass as a good blend of Indian and Westerns instruments.”
The Kabira hitmaker has recently lent her voice to an emotional number in an anti-war film Bunker. “Laut Ke Ghar Jaana Hai is a beautiful melody by Kaushal Mahavir. The song talks about the journey of a soldier on the front. The film gives the message that war is not for anyone and portrays the psyche of a soldier to show us that they are as human as us, they miss their home and their family when they are at the border,” she describes.
On the Bollywood front, she has quite a few projects in the pipeline. “I have sung for more new composers, for small projects that I don’t even know the names of right now. Otherwise, I’m working on my own compositions. I’ve completed four tracks, out of which Mein Tenu Phir Milangi, is a poem by Amrita Pritam, and the other three are penned by Munna Dhiman. Vishal had given him a chance in his films, and he has also worked with Ram Sampath and Sona Mohapatra,” she shares, adding, “I plan to complete it by April-May, and release the songs as singles under the same titles. Once all six-seven are released, it will be a part of the same album. Nowadays albums are just souvenirs or good to give as gifts, otherwise everybody listens to music online.”
She says that she will also be working on some poems composed by her husband.
As for her other plans for the new decade, she says that she wants to connect more with herself and with nature. “I started preparing to increase my riyaaz to concentrate on classical music that I have actually been trained in. I also love to do art journaling, creating art in my own way. So I want to do more of that. I am also looking forward to dancing a little more, meditating and whirling a little more,” she ends.
ST Reader Service
Rekha Bhardwaj will perform at Kuch Ishq Kiya Kuch Kaam Kiya, a programme of ghazals organised by Panache Media, at Liberty Square, Pheonix MarketCity on January 26, 7 pm
