The attribute that describes Zila Khan best is constant evolution. Singer, actor, curator, Zila swims in the estuary of Sufi and classical music, is keen to bring Rumi to millennials, and is committed to taking music to the underprivileged and those in pain. These days, Zila is often seen acting on stage, the latest being The Hindu Theatre Fest, where she performed in Lillete Dubey’s “Gauhar”.
Living up to a rich lineage, perhaps, Zila’s association with Sufi thought started when her father Ustad Vilayat Khan named her after a raga created by Amir Khusrau.
Edited excerpts:
Tell us about your bond with Indian classical and Sufi music. Sometimes, the boundaries seem rigid, at times they appear fluid…
The divinity of Sufism and purity of Shastriya Sangeet (classical music) take me into a realm so powerful I don’t seem to differentiate one from the other. Once I’m on stage, the shared feeling of a bond is the most integral aspect, one which is only possible through a constant interaction and assimilation of the art with its audience. Over the years, I have realised that storytelling is an extremely crucial medium of understanding the origins of both these musical forms and I try to imbibe that in between my ghazals, thumri, and bandish as much as I can, to ensure a wholesome experience for my people, my listeners.
As a successful curator of Sufi festivals and somebody who straddles between popular and classical circles, how do you ensure that while becoming a global brand, Sufi music/ thought and ghazals don’t get separated from their roots.
Yes, the thrill of exploring varied musical genres is where my heart is. I don’t wish to limit myself within any boundaries of musical classifications and have always tried to push further away from the normative singing style.
I believe it is our responsibility as the representative of the Indian music fraternity, to communicate and connect with the younger generation. I want to present music in a versatile way that makes the younger audience sit up and listen while being mindful of not mixing genres just for the sake of it. My recent US tour of Rumi Yatra incorporates the Sufi essence in a unique format - it is a first of its kind show that takes the audience on a journey through India’s treasured musical landscape, through the prism of Rumi’s philosophy. Rumi’s timeless wisdom and beauty never gets old for any audience of any generation is something I’ve discovered traveling the world over and I am blessed to find like-minded thinkers and music lovers everywhere who revel in the works of Indian literary icons like Mirza Ghalib, Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, Kabir, among others.
As part of my fusion acts, the international ensemble consists of some exceptional maestros - jazz players, bass wizards, and other artists combining Indian harmonic ideas with jazz music literature. This allows me to continue experimenting and keeping our classical traditions as contemporary as possible without losing out on its regal value in any way. With musical differences, and language issues it can get difficult sometimes, but overcoming these issues to present the larger theme of universality within music is what takes it to a whole new level of exquisiteness and I don’t think I would have it any other way!
Talking of experiments in music did Ustad Vilayat Khan face opposition when he introduced gayaki ang on sitar to the discerning?
Oh! he created history, his style has changed the face of north Indian classical music forever. From his first public concert in Mumbai, he became a phenomenal success overnight. India woke up to a new kind of pure classical yet which was easy listening to new listeners as well. I learnt this from him, to explain it better let me quote him, “your music should be an eye-opener and pleasurable both for the connoisseurs and the layman.”
Forget any opposition, on the contrary, almost every artist who is known as a legendary musician today, follows Ustad Vilayat Khani style of playing. It was so popular that they dropped their own gharana style of any instruments (baaj) and started following Ustad Vilayat Khan's gayaki khayal style, on whichever instrument they are playing. He became the most loved musician by his seniors and the most influential and idolised musician by his contemporaries and juniors, even today.
A lot is being written about his music and his personal life. Having made a documentary on him, would you like to clear the air?
Along with unconditional love, trust was the most important factor for him in any relationship. Trust was what made me his go-to person in all matters, be it finance, handling his estates, professional contracts, etc. And on my part, from the time that I was born till he passed away, we shared that special bond. He taught me all his musical compositions and was at peace that his treasures are now going to be passed on. I teach those to hundreds of my students all over the world and perform those compositions in my concerts as he wanted. His love for his grandson Faizan, my son, is also something he derived immense obsessive pleasure in the last 12 years of his life. In the last two weeks before his passing away, when he was in a Mumbai hospital, the only person he asked to fly into him from abroad was Faizan, just to see and touch Faizan.
What are your memories of your mother, not many people know about her.
My mother Monisha came from a Brahmin Hazra family. Most refined and educated, she was a double gold medallist in English , played the piano albeit not professionally. My parents had a roaring courtship and an exemplary love marriage. She was a friend to me. She lived her life on her own terms, independent to boot and yet was humane and always there for us children.
In fact, when there were times my siblings wanted her support, she unconditionally helped them and did not regret it even when she didn't get credit for it. I remember every time I'd take her to my concerts even at the Rashtrapati Bhawan for most Presidents of India, her pride was so visible, so when I introduced her to President APJ Abdul Kalam after my concert for him, he told her that "Zila is a jewel of India and through her performances has the ability to create bridges across cultures”, and that coming from a great world leader like him made my mum's eyes moist with emotion and pride. She said it was the same pride she felt when she accompanied my father in his concerts as Begum Vilayat Khan.
From the outside, like our society, the gharana system of classical music also appears patriarchal. What has been your experience?
Patriarchy is much like the monster hiding under our beds, we simply cannot ignore it wherever we go, in whichever goals we may pursue, professionally or in our personal lives. But can we allow that to take control of our lives? Absolutely not, at least for me. The question of gender always being raised only when the artist is a woman is rather bizarre to me; I have never read an interview asking, “How do you feel being a male artist?” This is obviously telling of a deeply problematic scenario, but I’ve always stood up for myself and actively sought out gender equality in the field of performing arts. A sense of awareness, interaction and participation goes a long way in paving new paths for young artists to come forward, without giving their gender, or someone else’s a second thought.
Tell us about your foray into acting. “Gauhar” seems to be close to your heart.
About ten years back I acted in a musical called “Gods Graves And Grandmothers” (written by Namita Gokhle and directed by Sanjoy Roy). I had to develop a new skill of memorising long endless dialogues, It was my first success as an actor.
Then I was offered the role in “Bajirao Mastani” by my friend Sanjay Leela Bhansali to play Deepika Padukone's mother (a Muslim who is married to a Rajput raja). Sanjay bhai surprised me with the role offer. I was sceptical first because I would have to hone a new skill So I did it, honing the new skills of film acting with close-ups where every nuance of the body, face, and expression is magnified and needs to be controlled. Along with the camera angle, set, catching the light, emoting, dialogue delivery, movement, timing, and all this while wearing his heavy 20/25 kilograms of costumes and jewellery. But I enjoy discipline and learning new challenging skills of art, so it was a most pleasurable experience.
On record, I would like to say I was also offered Ranveer Singh's wife's role in “Padmavat” and only due to my concert tour dates clashing with the shooting dates I had to decline the offer.
Now acting has also become such a joyous experience for me. “Gauhar” – in every sense, is a world-class theatrical play in which I act and sing as Gauhar Jaan India’s first female recorded classical singer. It is a story that must be heard, and theatre gives me the agency to bring her story to the world. We have been touring all across the nation and in England and America. it’s truly overwhelming to step on to stages with a fully-packed audience cheering for us.
I love the challenges of starting to learn a new art form and skill from scratch. In that particular way, Gauhar Jaan and I do have in common, the fact that we both know how to start life and career skills again and again from scratch. My kind needs this stimulation.
It is said that Ustad Vilayat Khan played for Pandit Nehru in his last days. You are among the first who practised music therapy in hospitals. Please share your experience of ameliorating pain through music.
Yes, as ambassadors of true Indian culture and wellness tourism, it is my dream to see music therapy become as popularly used and benefited from, as is Yoga. Happily. I never miss a chance to request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to do for music therapy as he did for Yoga.
My consultancy sessions with all kinds of patients were very successful. Today, most people are aware that music scientifically has therapeutic benefits, we just need to have centres to practice it.
What’s next?
I love this phase of my life - I’ve reached a point where I can exercise my creative thought in so many ways in addition to being a performer and recording artist. In the past few years, I have curated multiple festivals and events, and developed new intellectual properties that I’m passionate about such as Rumi Yatra. I also have two other IPs that I will soon be rolling out – one is a series of premium live experiences that will make the audience explore multiple facets of Indian culture from different regions of India, whether it be music, food, fashion, art, etc.
The idea is to create a holistic snapshot of the culture of a certain part of India. The second one is a live IP based on ghazal, that incorporates a fair bit of storytelling and theatre as well. Of course, performing will always be my first priority but I look at these other aspects as extensions of myself as a creative human being, tapping into the cultural pulse of India and taking it to the world.
Pet projects
The Fez Project was something her son Faizan came up with back in 2013 and the idea stuck with Zila so well, that they just went with it in an almost impromptu manner. “We created it as a one-off video series, but I’ve incorporated that sound into one of my live set formats, which I perform when we play in front of a younger audience.” The idea was to find a simple way of presenting contemporary renditions of age-old writings in an acoustic setup. “Of course, new sounds emerge across decades but I don’t ever see it as a competition to the traditional classical music lineage that we are a part of. Simply because its rich heritage carries the weight of glorious history, that can only ever be enriched with newer musical styles and trends coming into the limelight. I mean, they don’t say ‘once a classic, always a classic’ for nothing!”
UstadGah Foundation is her effort to give back the rich knowledge and treasure of music that she has imbibed. “Ever since its inception in 2008, I have been working with hundreds of children, most of them underprivileged, and preparing them to become India’s musical ambassadors in the world.”
