What kind of reactions have you been getting for ‘Khatt Mithiyaan’? How did you come on board for the song?
The response of ‘Khatt Mithiyaan’ has been really good, and we are still looking forward to the video coming out. Shankar Mahadevan sir called last year in August and asked me to check the key for the song and then he sent me the track. I sang and sent it back to him because he said we are going to check your voice and I’ll get back to you once it’s approved. It got approved, and the final dubbing happened in their own studio in Bandra where Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy sir were present and the entire Rajshri Productions team was present; Avneesh Barjatya was there, Irshad Kamil sir was there. It was a great experience recording with them under their guidance. I had an amazing time.You have worked with the acclaimed trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy before in ‘Toofan’? What is it that makes them stand apart from others?
Yes, I got to work with Shankar Ehsaan Loy before in ‘Toofaan’ and that song happened during the second wave of COVID during lockdown. I sang it at my home set up and sent it to them. That was my first song with them. What makes them stand apart from others is the melody that they create. The melodies are so beautiful, and they compose evergreen melodies. I think that’s what I really wanted to get checked off my bucket list, and it has happened. I’m really happy that I’m a part of ‘Dono’, because the film is produced by Rajshri Productions and I never thought that I would be singing for Rajshri film one day and for Shankar Ehsaan Loy. It’s definitely a dream come true.
You have collaborated with some ace music directors in your career, right from Aadesh Shrivastav, Vishal Shekhar to Salim-Sulaiman. Who has been an absolute delight to work with and why?
You will think I am giving a very diplomatic answer, but this is how it is. Aadesh Srivastavji gave me a chance to sing in his film ‘Chingari’. This happened when I was a part of a singing reality show in 2005 in which he was my mentor. He was a true guide outside the show, too. He always treated me like his own daughter, and I had a great experience because that song we recorded was a complete live song. We recorded it live.
For Vishal Shekhar, I sang in ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ and it was a super duper hit song and a beautifully shot song. The dance and the colours that Siddharth has used in the song, in the video and while I was recording the song, I told Vishal that I felt like dancing, and then we actually danced in the studio after recording the song.
When I was really young and in school, I was once listening to a Salim Sulaiman song that was being played in the auto rickshaw on the radio. At that time, I had imagined if I would ever get to sing for such great artists like Salim Sulaiman. And to my surprise, it happened in 2010 when I sang in ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’. The song ‘Dum Dum Mast Hai’ was trending once again a few months ago and it’s a very big song. I think it’s the biggest song of my career so far.
You have some chartbuster songs like, ‘Jogi Mahi’, ‘Dum Dum’, ‘Aaj Ke Baad’ and many others to your credit. Which one is closest to your heart and why?
Yes, Jogi Mahi and Dum Dum have done really great. They have been chartbuster songs and ‘Dum Dum’ is doing great even now, after 13 years of its release. ‘Aaj Ke Baad’ is very special to me. The situation in which ‘Aaj Ke Baad’, my reprise version, comes in the film is a very important scene in the film. I guess because of that, it got a lot of popularity, and the way in the reprise version Manan has included my voice in it, it has created an impact on the audience because, like I mentioned, of the scene in the film, and I am really happy that Manan considered my voice for this.
I would say ‘Dum Dum’ is closest to my heart because it has gotten me a lot of popularity, a lot of gigs and live shows. You know often, people don’t know about the playback singers for popular songs. Usually people don’t search for the singer’s name, they just search for the slng. That makes me a little bit sad. But, when I tell people that I have sung ‘Dum Dum’, they really get surprised. It’s a hit number and definitely one of the most special songs of my career.
Sunny Deol goes on a lunch date with his son Rajveer Deol
