An Equal Music
Forbes India [
National
]
Jan 3, 2024 | Page No.: 116 | Position: Inside Page | Source: Jasodhara Banerjee. | Sq Cm: 2185 | AVE: 1378687 | PR Value: 6893435
Record : 1 / 1
View Text
Merge JPEG
JPEG
Tiff
Word Doc
PDF
1
2
3
4
All Text
SHOWSTOPPERS I POWER COUPLE REKHA AND VISHAL BHARDWAJ SHARE A LIFE THAT IS INTRICATELY AND INTIMATELY ENTWINED WITH MUSIC WHILE EACH HAS CARVED THEIR OWN NICHE THEY HAVE TOGETHER PRODUCED SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE HINDI FILM MUSIC OF THE PAST TWO DECADES By JASODHARA BANERJEE hen Rekha and Vishal Bharadwai peak about their workyit is an effortless ebb and flow Otfileas and words their sentefes complementing the thouglit5 of the other their pauses like unspoken cues for the other to speak Whether it v is a recollection of their early It days in music their visits to jaw clubs in London or their process s of making music together they barely miss a beat in the easy and citlift conversation As Rekha p44s it When Vishal is speakingoky mind works and when I am speaking Vishal s mii-gworks It is music that brought the duo tether while in college in Delhi and it is music that continues to be e FORBES INDIA • DECEMBER 29 2023 VISHAL REKHA BHARDWAJ t was music that an intricate and binding part of their lives Vishal hasb rought Vishal and previously said that film direction was not his dream ekha Bhardwaj and that it was only out of necessity to break out of ogether in college II Dell- the fixed song situations of films of the 1990s that he became a director Over the years Vishal has learnt how to play the piano he plays every morning after his daily game of tennis and has learnt how to write poetry with proper meter while Rekha likes to play with clay and splash colours it is like meditation and do home composting All that is music to me she adds What started out as preparing for a college annual function in 1984 has grown and evolved into one of the most successful musical pairings in the Hindi film industry and beyond with numerous chartbusters and award winners over more than two decades Vishal has won eight National Awards four of which are for his music compositions while Rekha has won one National Award and three Filmfare Awards among others Starting with Ek Woh Din Bhi in the Kamal Haasan-directed Chachi 420 in 1997 right up to the Vishal-directed espionage- thriller Khufiya that released this October Satya 1998 Maqbool 2003 Omkara 2006 Kaminey 2009 Ishqiya 2010 Haider 2014 Talvar 2015 and Rangoon 2017 mark milestones in between the couple has become synonymous with songs that linger on in our minds long after the films have faded And even if to a listener the two appear as an inseparable pair one s music and the other s voice seamlessly blending and complementing the other Rekha and Vishal have their own individual paths of reaching the final destination First we work individually explore it to our strengths and capacities and then we collaborate and come to a common ground says Vishal If the music is for a film then it is an individual process for him as a filmmaker and composer When he knows what he has composed is for me to sing then he will play it for me or I will sing it to him so that we get an idea of what it will sound like adds Rekha DECEMBER 29 2023 • FORBES INDIA SHOWSTOPPERS I POWER COUPLE am his wife and therefore he has to give me a song His integrity is something I really respect he will give me a song only if it requires my voice says Rekha f Rekha and Vishal have reached this point of maintaining this fine balance in their partnership they have also successfully built and nurtured other partnerships that go well beyond the professional realm The close association that the Bhardwajs share with Gulzar has become the stuff of legends Following a recent interview of Vishal the earliest collaboration of the lyricist and music composer for the Hindi dubbed version of the animated TV series Jungle Book which was broadcast on Doordarshan in the The close association that Rekha and Vishal BhardwaJ have with 1990s came into the limelight The title song of the Gulzar left has become the stuff of legends TV series Jungle jungle baat chali hai is what a generation of urban Indian children of the 1990s grew While elaborating on their process of making music up listening and loving and associating with Rudyard together they might give the impression that sharing Kipling s characters of Mowgli Baloo and Bagheera professional and personal lives might come easily but What began with collaborating for a children s they clarify that that is not really the case Sometimes TV series took on a very different note when Vishal when Vishal is very busy he will tell me that other and Gulzar worked on the latter s directorial feature singers are not available and the deadline is looming Maachis 1996 which was about the corrupt so you come and sing a song And then there is some political and policing practices in Punjab and the sort of pressure to prepare and record the song within subsequent rise of the Sikh insurgency in the state a short time So sometimes I feel like ghar ki murgi in the 1980s This time Vishal and Gulzar made the dal barabar says Rekha The flipside is I am also much loved Chhor aye hum and Chappa chappa able to say things to him that I would not be able to In numerous interviews Vishal and Rekha have spoken say professionally to others It s a liberty one takes of their close relationship with Gulzar with Vishal saying When you are a husband and wife it is difficult to I am like a leaf on a tree that cannot grow without the bifurcate your individuality adds Vishal It has taken branch My existence has no meaning without Gulzar really hard work to explore that aspect and work on it saab I cannot do anything without him I will cease to Human nature is such that we tend to take each other exist without him I became a composer a director poet for granted I will not be able to behave with her like I and a writer because of him Gulzar himself has also behave with other professional singers highlighted the significance of Vishal in his and it is vice versa for her To keep that life saying Many a time I have said this line of protocol intact for a husband Many a time I that I see an extension in him uski wajah and wife in a professional context is have said this that se jitni umar thhi use zyada jee raha hun the most difficult thing in the world I see an extension because of him I have been able to live Rekha adds that collaborations in him uski wajah longer than my age He is mere apne my between the two of them happen only on se jitni umar thhi own for me and among the closest to me one or two songs in a film that Vishal is use zyada jee raha The relationship Vishal shares with directing or composing music for The Gulzar goes well beyond the making of songs more important collaborations happen hun because of for Hindi films and has resulted in Vishal between the lyricist and music composer him I have- been publishing a book of poems Nude in 2018 like between Vishal and Gulzar saab I able to live longer It is no surprise that the collection of 25 am simply collaborating as a singer if than my age bilingual poems has a foreword by Gulzar something matches my genre or speciality He is mere apne Gulzar s poetry has also been 7 only then I contribute she says We are my own for me instrumental in Vishal launching his not like a composer duo chips in Vishal eponymous music label in 2020 after the Yes we would like clarify since and amongst the latter composed a melody for one of the it is being talked about a lot that I am closest to me former s poems Dhoop Aane Do in sA not directing the film or composing GULZAR the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic music with him It is not even that I poet lyricist director The launch of the song yet another FORBES INDIA • DECEMBER 29 2023 VISHAL REKHA BHARDWAJ nature is such that we tend to take each other for granted I A Fine Balance will not be able to behave with her like I behave with other On collaborating with each other professional singers and it is vice as music composer and singer versa for her Vishal Bhardwaj First we work RB Sometimes when Vishal is individually explore it to our very busy he will tell me that strengths and capacities and other singers are not available then we collaborate and come to and the deadline is looming a common ground so you come and sing a song Rekha Bhardwaj We both work So sometimes I feel like ghar ki individually towards the final murgi dal barabar The flipside outcome of the song It s not like is I am also able to say things to when he composes he is done him that I would not be able to with it and expects me to sing say professionally to others It s a it He keeps working on it He liberty one takes teaches me While I am working between their professional and on the song I have to understand personal lives On the most important factor the lyrics and absorb the melody VB When you are a husband and for making the partnership a and then sing it as if it is my song wife it is very difficult to bifurcate success that it has emerged from me your individuality It has taken VB The first foremost and only really hard work to explore that thing is to respect the other On maintaining a balance aspect and work on it Human person s individuality collaboration between Rekha Vishal and Gulzar became that he went to various male actors for the role but was the perfect occasion to launch the music label as well turned down by them One day I thought aisi ki taisi sab Talking about his longstanding wish to have his own male actors ki my hero is Tabu The obligation is now on music label Vishal had said that creating music for me to prove that she made the right choice he recalled films is restrictive in nature given the demands of the He ended up rewriting the protagonist s character story character record companies and the greed for a which was then portrayed as Krishna by Tabu Tabu is hit song The real music of the soul gets compromised undeniably an exceptional talent in the world of cinema the songs that one enjoyed in leisure for peace of the Her ability to immerse herself in diverse characters and soul before becoming greedy professionals are left bring them to life is truly awe-inspiring It s a privilege behind he had explained The lockdown gave me to work with such an extraordinary actor he added the time to reconnect with myself and have an insight The two also described their camaraderie on sets as to why I came here and what was my dream It and how they are conscious of not letting other actors was music this label is for the hunger of my soul get intimidated by it And yet they share an unspoken language Because we know each other so well when yet another decades-long friendship that has found some actor does something stupid we don t look at each reflection in Rekha and Vishal s works is the one shared other because we will burst into laughter said Vishal by Vishal and actor Tabu The first film they worked This level of comfort also means they know what to on Gulzar s Maachis in 1996 saw Tabu win her first expect from each other By virtue of working with him National Award for Best Actress Gulzar winning Best I will feel comfortable in any role said Tabu What Director and Vishal winning the RD Burman Award for I feel for him is beyond the realm of film casting It s music During their subsequent 28-year association Vishal too potent what I have with him Also I feel in terms has composed music for eight films in which Tabu has of characters I know exactly what he wants It s not acted and has directed three of them Maqbool 2004 possible to have that kind of surety with somebody Haider 2014 and the recent Khufiya on Netflix all of even in your personal life and I have that with him which had lyrics by Gulzar and songs sung by Rekha Whether it is maintaining close partnerships with While promoting Khufiya Tabu she has acted Gulzar or with actors they work with Rekha and in two of Gulzar s Maachis and Hu Tu Tu 1999 Vishal s jugalbandi in life and music continues with affectionately spoke about the relationship they their recent ghazal performance on the inaugural shared We are like Gulzar saab s children day of Jashn-e-Rekhta in Delhi on December 8 Speaking about casting Tabu in Khufiya Vishal said along with poetry recitation by Javed Akhtar DECEMBER 29 2023 • FORBES INDIA