A discovery of Pancham Da, Abhijeet is a much loved singer from the ‘90s era. His career in the music industry is replete with hits like “Wada raha sanam”, “Mai koi aisa geet gaun”, “Suno na suno na”, “Dhoom tana” and many more. With the innate voice quality Abhijeet Bhattacharya possesses, his singing career is still on a roll with his new song “Dil ka jo haal hai” from the movie “Besharam”. In a candid telephonic conversation, he talks about the contemporary music, reality shows and his personal interests.
How does it feel returning to playback singing after a long hiatus?
People think five to six years is a long gap, but for me it was never that. I am a born singer and I consider myself a brand, so it doesn’t matter whether I am singing for a movie or not. I realised I was very late in connecting myself to the masses through social networking. I have a huge fan following and they are more concerned about why I am not singing for movies. I am now busier than I was earlier when I used to sing for every second movie. People have made me an international artist, I travel around the globe to perform in different countries and I am very happy.
What is your opinion of the contemporary film music?
Like the dinosaurs, after a few years the so-called music that is at present prevailing will become extinct. I believe music is losing its essence, for there is no melody in the songs that are being composed these days. It’s only about the singer, not the playback singer. The classical music is also fading away. The more the song is vulgar, the more it’ll sell. The singer’s voice goes through so many types of software that the original quality gets lost and the song doesn’t come directly from the heart.
Having judged “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa”, what is your take on judging a music reality show?
Well, what can I say when I don’t listen to the current music because of the vulgarity. I will judge a reality show when there is reality and only reality. Most of these shows pre-record the songs and the singers lip sync while judges are only supposed to appreciate whatever they sing.
When you hear the word ‘music’, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
For me, music is as important as my mother, she is not there but she’s always with me and so is my music. I don’t believe in God but I believe in music. I don’t pray but I sing. Music is everything to me. I might not get along with highflying people, but I do get along with a common man who sings well.
What are your other interests?
I have a keen interest in real estate. After my hits in “Baaghi” and “Khiladi”, I became an investor. Real estate and property banking became my parallel interests. I also love farming and fishing.
