I’M DESI ALL THE WAY, AND AM PROUD TO BE ONE

I’M DESI ALL THE WAY, AND AM PROUD TO BE ONE

Sona Mohapatra, on her latest track Ambarsariya, her unconventional singing voice, other projects and being her own person

    Soulful, clear and definitively Indian, Sona Mohapatra’s latest track Ambarsariya, is a refreshing adaptation of a popular Punjabi folk song. The decidedly desi gal speaks here on why it is important to stick to your roots.
Take us through the soundscape and the development of Ambarsariya. Fukrey is a light hearted, really fun joyride set in Delhi and specifically in a Punjabi neighbourhood. As the project progressed, I heard song after song being created and visualised from the principal male characters’ perspectives. I kept protesting about it. Two days before we delivered the soundtrack to the music label, this soulful ballad took birth in its desi-goes Parisiancafe avatar. Ram’s instinct was that the film would benefit by having a simple love song. I recorded my vocals for Ambarsariya at 3 am over this really unusual chord progression, recorded by a guitar player in the UK with Ram directing him through video telephony. The European touch (the accordions you hear in the track) happened in Mumbai, though. Incidentally, I had also recorded a Punjabi version of the song the same night but Ram decided that adapting the song partly to Hindi would only help many more people to understand and therefore enjoy the song. He was right! I insisted on keeping some parts in Punjabi to retain authenticity. The response to the song has been overwhelming. It’s music at its purest... a melody, a voice, a couple of instruments and no frills whatsoever. It’s my favourite kind of music, to be honest.
You’ve executive produced Fukrey’s soundtrack. What responsibilities did that entail? I’ve been the EP on all the music projects we’ve done, be it Delhi Belly Satyamev Jayate, Talaash or even the advertising campaigns we take up. It means taking charge of the music project in varied ways: fixing and handling project finances, keeping a watch on budgets that can very easily spiral out of control, handling legal contracts, coordinating the actual music production at the studios, be it singers, live session musicians, sound engineers, getting and working with collaborators abroad and even working with lyricists. Basically, help in every possible way to substantiate the creative vision of the music and eventually play a role in improving its reach and visibility too.
Within Bollywood, people tend to write you off as someone whose entire playback experience is limited to Ram Sampath compositions. How does that make you feel? I have said no to hundreds of live shows where I needed to sing to random hit covers on a track, dance to tiltilate the audience or (perform with my band) or consider TV serial offers. As far as Bollywood goes, my songs represent different colours of the rare feminine perspective in today’s testosterone-driven films. Ram and I have built a partnership in work outside of just me singing for him. I do feel blessed for his beautiful compositions and know that only I could do justice to the songs he composed. Working with him is an honour, irrespective of any connection outside of the professional. I’d love to work with other composers and music producers. When the right song comes along, they will cast me.
You have a distinctly Indian voice that’s perfect for East-West fusion tracks. Having worked with the likes of INXS and John 00 Fleming, what do you think is the type an international act looks for when seeking out an Indian artist as a collaborator? I would like to think that our voices reflect our lives. If your life choices are boring, your singing surely ends up the same way, and the riyaaz factor is important. I sing honestly. Singing with an Indian accent or a dialect for an Indian song in a voice that has scratches, the kind of songs I have sung till now, is being true to the genre and honest to the music from where it has originated. I am desi all the way and proud to be so. Dense Clouds is a song I co-wrote with John OO Fleming. It’s a brand new genre of music I wasn’t very familiar with earlier but the interesting part about the times we live in currently is that, in many ways there are no boundaries. The Internet and other media has exposed our audiences to so many cultures and musical forms that I can go to a festival in the south of France and perform my music with my band or go to a club in Turkey and perform with a DJ and be assured of a substantially large audience too! It’s freedom of expression and art in the truest sense.
It was your younger sister Pratichee who got the big platform as a pop singer, but it was you who made it big on your own steam. What do you think went wrong for her? I don’t think anything went wrong with her. The scene in the media changed and the market for pop music disappeared. Most music companies who had no real A&R (Artist & Repertoire) to speak about. They gave songwriters and composers a really raw deal financially. They weren’t remotely nurtured or rewarded, so where’s the motivation to create original music? The ‘scene’ had to die. That apart, I also don’t believe in reality shows being genuine platforms that actually nurture talent after the whole circus of the win dies down. Pratichee has done well despite all that. Not being in the news is no indication that she hasn’t.