Sukhwinder Singh is the odd man out at Nom Nom, the pan Asian cuisine restaurant of The Ashok. Coming straight from Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, Sukhwinder is keen to have his dal-roti. “I am not uncomfortable with the Japanese or Chinese cuisine but I find the five star food too expensive,” says Sukhwinder as he uses chopsticks to create music on the table with vegetarian sushi acting as drums.
“Give me my dal-roti and chawal everyday and I will not complain,” avers the singer, who is well-versed with different varieties of pulses. “On the sets of Taal , I made it for the entire crew and people didn’t ask for any accompaniment. They just had a bowl of arhar daal and they were done. There was no magic. Just the right use of garlic, ginger and black salt. You don’t need expensive food to satiate your hunger. Sometimes a chapati and simple sabzi is enough if it is cooked and served with care with slices of onion and a blob of pickle.” Sukhwinder’s only extravagance is fish and at Nom Nom the chef offers him steamed sole made in lemon coriander sauce and Sukhwinder gets going.
“For centuries food and music have gone together for classical singers and for somebody like me who sings from the heart, it is all the more important.” But Sukhwinder rues that he finds fish very expensive in Mumbai.
“Despite the sea, I often find it beyond my pocket in five stars. So I go to roadside eateries to fulfil my craving.” Be it samosa or chaat, Sukhwinder says he doesn’t restrain himself from anything. “The only thing is that I drink warm water after eating something spicy.”
California roll and shimizi cheddar dim sum arrive and Sukhwinder starts liking the simplicity of the cuisine. “It reminds me of South Indian food. Rahman not only introduced me to the industry but also helped me create a life long bond with idli and rasam. He really likes to have idlis during recording and you can’t say no to his request,” says the singer who first created flutter with “Chhaiyyan Chhaiyyan”.
Stressing his strength, Sukhwinder, sipping kokum cooler, reflects, “I have always been called to convey the central theme of the film. Be it Chak De India , Ek Tha Tiger , Singham or Haider for that matter, directors have shown faith in my voice irrespective of the star acting in it. ‘Bismil’, an intricate tune, conveys the complexity of Kashmir situation and I am thankful to Vishal to have chosen me.” He reminds that it is not the first time that he is called to go beyond his image. “Aditya Chopra reposed similar confidence when he offered me ‘Haule Haule’ in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi .”
His compositions in Zed Plus have been well received and his “Happy Birthday” song from Kill Dill has become a hit and Sukhwinder reveals that his fans in Kochi are holding a Happy Birthday with Sukhwinder concert. “They have plans to cut a big cake. I have got a similar response from Amsterdam and Madrid.” He has also recorded an English number for the Broadway adaptation of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding . “To compose an English number on Pahadi raga is one of a kind experience.” So is singing the university anthem for Maulana Azad National Urdu University. “It is a tarana composed by Vishal Bhardwaj and written by Gulzar. I have been told it was a practice earlier and we have tried to revive it by dedicating a tarana to the Urdu university.”
On the Copyright issue raised by Sonu Nigam recently, Sukhwinder says it is between him and the company which made him. “One should not bring ego into such issues and should remember that two hands make a clap. It depends on the composer as well. No company has been able to browbeat A.R Rahman and Vishal Bhardwaj. And I am a regular with both of them.” He admits his payment for some blockbuster songs is still pending but he hasn’t made noise about it. “Some issues can be solved by humility and one thing is certain nobody can dare to dub a song sung by me.” Certainly!
