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Life's a song

She can change her voice to match myriad moods. Bollywood's `hit' girl Shreya Ghoshal chats with CHITRA SWAMINATHAN

TOPPING THE CHARTS Shreya Ghoshal

On a sultry Saturday evening, the traffic outside Prasad Studios in Vadapalani is deafening but inside it's all quiet. Lounging on a sofa in jeans and cotton shirt complete with dainty danglers and neat leather shoes, Shreya Ghoshal looks more like a college kid who's bunked class to watch a recording than a crooner of chartbusters. Weary after working through the day (for music director Yuvan Shankar Raja), she is preparing to get back home in Mumbai. But once the 22-year-old starts talking about music, movies and madrasi khana, she bounces back to life, impeccably wording her views.

"Actually, I don't give much interviews. How much can you talk about yourself? After Devdas, it looked like I was all over the media. Quite naturally, as it was not just my debut assignment but also a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film and a super success at that," she puts it simply. The country was all ears as Shreya sang "Bairi piya", "Dole re dola", Silsila ye chahat ka" and "Maara daala". The emotional depth and haunting melody of these compositions combined with her honey-drenched voice announced the arrival of another accomplished playback singer.

Then followed a slew of hits — from the sensuous to the soulful — Jism, Zeher, Main Hoon Na and Parineeta. She sang it all with ease changing her voice according to the mood of the composition.

Not just in Hindi, Shreya sings in many languages, including Tamil and her mother tongue, Bengali. No wonder, the girl literally lives out of a suitcase (read studios).

"I have sung many songs in Tamil films, mostly for Ilaiyarajaji and his sons. Pardon the cliché, but I think I am really blessed to be working with the best right at the start. Singing for Ilaiyarajaji means learning important lessons in music to be not just a complete but a sustaining singer. He commands so much respect in Bollywood that music directors there readily alter their schedule when I say I am going to Chennai to sing for the maestro. Generally, I come here early in the day, finish my recording and leave for Mumbai in the evening, but never without having meals from Saravana Bhavan," she giggles.

In Mumbai too, Shreya follows a gruelling schedule — driving from her home on the outskirts of the metro to the studios for hours and sometimes getting back home late in the night. To top it all, she does stage shows in India and abroad often. "Travelling is the only time I get to relax and I listen to a lot of music. The iPod is my best buddy."

She plans to someday work on an album and try different genres of music, particularly jazz. "I will put all my creative ideas into the album. That's what an album means to every artiste. A true reflection of his/her training and influences. Even if you do remixes, it should be done intelligently, keeping the dignity of the original work intact. Like the way Leslie Lewis and Ashaji do. If it's just a mechanical mixing of sounds, it will have no soul," says Shreya, "and that's where classical training gives you an edge."

As a ten-year-old, Shreya used to make weekly trips in rickety buses for almost three hours from her home in Rawatbhatta (Rajasthan) to Kota, where her music teacher lived. Her parents not just spotted the talent and supported her but also shifted base to Mumbai for Shreya's sake. "Ours is a musically inclined family. My mother sings quite well, while my father, who works as an engineer with the Nuclear Power Corporation, took great pains to nurture my passion. But it's my kid brother who is my biggest critic. Poor thing, he learnt to make adjustments early in life because most of the time my mother would accompany me."

Going by Shreya's success story, talent shows on TV need to be taken seriously. Shreya not only won the junior and senior championships of the TVS Sa Re Ga Ma, she also won over eminent musicians .who judged the rounds. Being destiny's child, Sanjay Leela Bhansali happened to watch that episode on television and instantly found the voice for Paro.

"I was so nervous on the first day of the recording that I closed my eyes and sang `Bairi piya.' At the end of it, Sanjayji walked up to me and gave a warm hug. He also okayed the song in the very first take." Twenty something and with so much happening in her life, does she miss chilling out with friends? "I shop, eat out, chat on the cell... like any other girl. Anyway, I have no regrets. After all, for me, singing is not just a profession but an obsession," she smiles.

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