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Not just a Billo!
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Singer Richa Sharma speaks to Anuj Kumar about her makeover and motto
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Photo: Anu Pushkarna
High note Singer Richa Sharma in New Delhi
In the ongoing trend of playback singers leaving no opportunity to be seen, Richa Sharma is one of those whose makeover is remarkable. The Faridabad girl, who started her career singing Mata ke bhajan in Delhi and NCR with a guy called Sonu Nigam, is catching eyeballs with her performance in NDTV Imagine’s Dhoom Macha De. She has an analogy for the answer. “The food remains the same. Earlier it was served in pattal. Today it is a silver thali.”
She explains, “Singing requires a bit of acting. And when you are performing, the audience get to see this side of a playback singer. For instance, when I had to sing ‘Billo Rani’ for the show, it was imperative the costume should match the song. It also requires some dance movements to keep the live audience engrossed.”
Richa says she is picking up these engaging skills from the so-called entertainers on the show, Baba Sehgal and Kamal Khan.
Wide range
Over the years Richa has shown a wide range, from “Mahi Ve” to the recent thumri “Daras Bina Nahin Chain” in Saawariya. “Usually, what happens is, the industry remembers you with your last hit. So if ‘Billo Rani’ or ‘Show Me Your Jalwa’ is the latest craze, music composers will offer me similar numbers. Shows like Dhoom…help me in reminding the industry of my repertoire.
Thankfully, this is happening. I am working with four different music composers — A.R. Rahman, Pritam, Adnan Sami and Monty Sharma — and singing in different genres.”
Going back in time, this daughter of the late Pandit Shankar Upadhyay remembers how sitting in the aisles of the pandal, Sonu and she used to discuss their future.
“The good thing is we both remained rooted to our values. My father spotted the singer in me when I was just three months old with the way I used to respond to his riyaaz. As I grew older, he used to tell me ‘Kaam aisa kar chalo, tum hanso, jag roye’. That remains my motto.”
Trained in semi-classical music, Richa says her favourite raga is Yaman. “I am so besotted with this raga that when my nephew was expected, I was praying he should be a boy so that I could name him Yaman.”
But what has she reserved for her son? “I am almost equally in love with Des!”
Richa’s riches
Richa says she won’t give the staple reply: “I love all my songs so I can’t pick and choose.” Here is her Top Five:
1. Nee Main Samajh Gayi (Taal)
2. Mahi Ve (Kaante)
3. Zindgi Mein Kabhi Koi Aye Na Rabba (Musafir)
4. Daras Bina Nahin Chain (Saawariya)
5. Saiyyan Chodo Mori Baiyyan (Zubeidaa)
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