Dressed in a figure-hugging T-shirt and sunglasses, Javed Ali looks every bit a film star in the making and not a singer with a soul-stirring voice. His ‘boisterous’ image is quite in contrast to the tracks he has rendered till now. Be it the melodious Kehne ko jashn-e- bahaara hai from Jodha Akbar (The song also fetched him an IIFA award) or the romantic Hai Guzaarish… from Ghajini … Javed has lent his voice to some of the hit songs. In town for a performance as part of Sarbojanin Durgotsab organised by Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha at Keyes Girls High School in Secunderabad, the unassuming singer says he had the best time singing for A.R. Rahman. “In fact, my other two songs from Delhi 6 and Yuvraaj for Rahman have also been very popular,” says Javed as he takes his glares off.
Challenge to perform
He is in awe of the Oscar-winning music director and admires the way he composes tunes. “For listeners, the song Kehne ko jashn-e-baharaa hai looks a very easy number. In fact, it was a challenge to sing the song as I had to really suppress my voice and make it appear like a casual track. And, that’s the beauty of Rahman as he knows how to extract the best from a singer. He’s always looking for new singers and gives them opportunities,” he says. Hailing from Delhi, music is in Javed’s genes (his father is also a singer). Another impressive feature of this young singer is his command over Hindi. So, does it anger him when he sees singers who do not have a good diction or lyrics peppered with English words. “No, it doesn’t. I think the singers are singing according to the changing times. Earlier, the word Chandni evoked a romantic feel. Today, the word will be sung differently as the treatment is different and that’s how the audience likes it,” he says.
His career began with jingles (Fair and Lovely, Wheel powder) and serials and he has progressed to Hindi movies with occasional singing in Tamil films and even a Telugu film. “Please do not ask me the name of the Telugu film as I do not remember,” he says sheepishly. He feels his voice suits Aamir Khan, Shahid Kapoor and his personal favourite Hrithik Roshan.
When he is not singing, he is glued to the television watching cricket matches. “I rarely get the time to watch cricket as I am busy with recordings,” he concludes.
