Will never show India in bad light: Kailash Kher (IANS Interview)

Singer-composer Kailash Kher, now a producer, says there are some filmmakers who highlight the "helplessness of India" in their movies in the name of creativity. But he, as an artiste, will never follow suit as he believes that India has the power to heal the world.

Kailash is looking forward to the launch of his mythological TV series "Baba Kedarnath", which is backed by the Uttarakhand government. With a strong spiritual content, the TV show will introduce the "Teri deewani" hitmaker as a producer.

He says he would like to take up more projects revolving around the country as a producer, but would never be part of a TV show or a movie that focusses on the poverty or other problems of India.

"There are filmmakers like Shyam Benegal who continue to explore the real Indian art. Even Ashutosh Gowariker makes films about India like 'Swades' or 'Lagaan'. They are some of the filmmakers who present India in a good light; otherwise people tend to make money by showing poverty of India and helplessness of India mostly in the name of creativity.

"This gives the impression that India is a poor country. Irrespective of the strength of the script, I will never show India like that. I will show that India can save the world, which is infected by depression and loneliness," Kailash told IANS in an interview.

The singer, who hails from Meerut, also added that India is widely known for yoga and so can propagate good health and happiness.

"In India, you don't need pills, there is so much of affection and warmth. We (he and his Kailasa band) recently went to Shillong by road. Wherever we stopped, they offered us water. And there was so much of warmth... That's our spiritual strength," he added.

He believes there is "so much of love and warmth" in India that anyone will be healed.

"People from the west run after India as India has the strength of spiritual healing. Why can't our own people ...the generation of today accept that? Instead of looking at the west, it's better to recognise our own art, mythology, spirituality and healing power," said Kailash.

And so, he is doing his own bit.

"Whatever I do, music will reflect me, and my music is nothing but spirituality. If I write about love, my love angle will be about how the universe is made," said the "Allah ke bande" hitmaker.

As of now, Kailash's new album "Ishq Anokha" and the TV show, which has seven songs sung by the industry's celebrated names like Hema Malini, Sonu Nigam, Arijit Singh and Shaan, are taking up most of his time.

"Day and night we are working on 16 tracks at a rocket's speed," he said.

(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in)