“I’m past the dark days and happy that it’s over,” says Akriti Kakar referring to her life after testing positive for COVID-19. The singer making a comeback as a judge on Zee Bangla’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa: Li'l Champs had been in talks with the team for a few years but dates never worked out. With live gigs and major music events getting cancelled due to the pandemic, she could take up the offer now.
The show already on air (Saturday, Sunday 9 30 pm) with Mika Singh, Srikanta Acharjee, and Joy Sarkar as judges and mentors.
Safety measures
Sanitisation, masks, gloves, social distancing and a regulated number of people on a set were norms followed during the shooting. Post-lockdown, the crew adapted to the new normal. Yet Akriti and Mika, the ‘travelling judges’ (from Mumbai to Kolkata for shooting) despite undergoing a strict quarantine period, tested positive for the virus. The duo used to observe four-day quarantine, undergo a COVID-19 test on the fifth day and shoot only when the reports came negative. She says, “These are testing times for the world. I resumed work after giving much thought to it. Despite taking all possible precautions, it (testing positive for COVID-19) still happened.” Thereafter, Akriti was under home quarantine but is fit now and gearing up for the next schedule of the show in November.
Akriti Kakkar
The show takes her back to seven years when she was a reality show judge for one season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs . Calling it a learning experience, she recalls, “The contestants (children) sang without caring about judges’ remarks. We elders often clutter our minds and sometimes that affects our singing. This experience (as a judge) changed the way I look at life and my singing at recordings and stage concerts. I began to sing as if it was my first and last chance.”
Ever since composer Jeet Ganguly gave her first break in the film Paglu , she has sung many Bengali chartbusters and shares a special bond with Bengalis. “I owe my success in Bengal to Jeet Ganguly da ,” she says.
Akriti was to have released a new single this year but due to lockdown, she looks for an year-end release. Her sisters Sukruti and Prakriti had launched ‘Hum Tum’, a dance number recently. The trio have performed as Kakkar Sisters for live concerts in USA, Dubai, Oman, Thailand, and also India. They had also done a three-city tour for The Hindu November Fest a few years ago. Will the three sisters come together again for a project? “It’s tough to plan with our busy schedules but yes, it’s on our minds and will happen,” she ends on a positive note.
