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| Raw and ready |
| Neha Bhatt / New Delhi Oct 11, 2009, 00:44 IST |
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With a distinct, rusty and sensual voice, singer Rekha Bhardwaj is carving a niche for herself.
There is little we know about Rekha Bhardwaj. She may be the wife of one of the most exciting filmmakers in Bollywood, but her full-throated, sensual voice, with its rare, unmistakable quality, has pushed her talent beyond the periphery. She insists she doesn’t shy away from interviews, adding that, in fact, she very much likes media attention whenever it comes by, only refraining from combined interviews with filmmaker-husband Vishal Bhardwaj. “It interferes with our work,” Rekha reasons and continues, “We are different people. And we don’t want to talk about our relationship, or pose together for pictures. It’s too personal.” She’s surprised at the suggestion that they are among the most exciting, if understated, couples in the film industry today. “If it is so, it’s because of Gulzar saab,” she attributes. “I’m fortunate to have met him through Vishal. I don’t have to say much to him, because he understands me so well.”
It took Rekha some time to be noticed — but her talents were at work long before we knew her as the voice behind the sultry song “Namak Isq Ka” (Omkara) or the more recent “Genda Phool” (Dilli 6). Behind the scenes, she has assisted husband Vishal in composing the music for Maachis and later Hu Tu Tu, and co-produced several of his films: The Blue Umbrella, Maqbool, and more recently, Kaminey. The duo had studied together at Delhi University, later making their way together to Mumbai. Rekha reasons that as professionals they click well because both believe in a certain quality of work. “We cannot take mediocrity. And even now, when Vishal does something, he takes my opinion. Of course, Vishal manages to manipulate me into doing more things for him than myself!” Rekha says all in good humour. Did she then feel overshadowed by Vishal’s work? “He is more of an inspiration,” she insists.
And while standing by Vishal through his early years of struggle, and now, success, Rekha has made a quiet niche for herself, with musical roots that lie in sufi, folk and classical. Last week’s Rajasthan International Folk Festival at Jodhpur opened another door to her many talents, where she matched rustic notes with folk vocalists Rehana Mirza and Bhanwari Devi. Rekha wouldn’t have stolen the limelight, she hastens to add. “I cannot bring to stage the rawness and innocence of folk artistes,” she says modestly. So Rekha did what she does well, turning to full-throated quawalis, thumris and what she believes is her forte, sufi.
Rekha’s enthusiasm for opportunities outside Bollywood comes in a rush, taking her back to early days. “I started with folk, sufi and classical music that I had learnt as a child. I would take music and dance classes at the Bal Bhavan Society in Delhi, where I grew up. In my later years, I sang for Habib Tanvir saab’s play Agra Bazaar, which helped me achieve a blend of folk and contemporary music,” says the singer. Influences have come from other quarters too: Begum Akhtar, Rashid Khan, Aamir Khan and Mehdi Hasan, to name a few. But while in Bollywood, Rekha is eager to work with young, promising composers like Amit Trivedi (who composed the music for Dev D) and Mithoon Sharma (guest composer for Anwar and Bas Ek Pal).
Her 2005 album, Ishqa Ishqa, for which Vishal composed the music and Gulzar wrote the lyrics, turned out to be more polished than the rawness in her voice that we are familiar with. “With ‘Namak Isq ka’ in Omkara, I returned to my raw and carefree style,” points out Rekha of the turning point in her career. She however calls “Genda Phool” from Dilli 6 a bigger success because it won her a wider audience. The sensuality and rustic quality that has made her popular, she says, creeps in quite naturally in her voice. “Perhaps it has something to do with my Uttar Pradesh roots, being a Baniya. As for the sensuality, maybe it’s because I’m a die-hard romantic!” Rekha says. Has success gone to her head? She laughs carelessly at the thought. “Perhaps a little bit. But since I wasn’t that young when it all happened, it didn’t affect me significantly,” she says. Her ambitions are in check — riyaaz, she says, and classical music, keep her mellow. “I find that when I sing a raga, I don’t feel the need for anything else. I feel more settled.” Her mantra before a recording is simple: staying with the song and humming it for days, till it becomes one with her. That’s Rekha Bhardwaj — settling us into one of her moods.
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