'I have never been ambitious'
The Daily Star (TDS): How does it feel to return to Bangladesh for a performance after a long time?
Mitali Mukharjee (MM): Superb! It was beyond my expectation. I never expected to get such a rousing welcome from the audience.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. TDS: Why do you think the audience loved your show? Is it because of your long absence?
MM: No, the Bangladeshi audience has always had a good taste for music. And it's not only me who is saying it. Even Pandit Jasraj said the same thing. Once he told my husband Bhupinder Singh that if he does not get an opportunity to perform in Bangladesh, he would definitely miss one of the best audiences of the world.
TDS: Why didn't you come earlier?
MM: Because no one ever contacted me. Actually a befitting platform is needed to organise a show where the artist can be presented properly.
TDS: You always say that you are proud to be a Bangladeshi. But in the music world, especially in the subcontinent, you are mostly known as an Indian artist. Doesn't it hurt?
MM: Well, actually when I perform in the West at a ghazal show or when Indians invite me to perform, then naturally I am treated as an Indian by them. But I've also performed in concerts organised by Bangladeshis in New York. At those times, I am a true Bangladeshi. Actually, I never think of this issue so deeply. I am a singer and the people from both the countries have given me such honour that I am ever so grateful to them. But I want to say this over and over again that I always miss Bangladesh.
TDS: What was the real reason for settling in India? Was it ambition?
MM: I have never been ambitious in my life. In fact from the beginning I was a happy go lucky kind of a girl and would sing anywhere, anytime. I have never dreamt of becoming a ghazal singer either though I always liked this genre of music. When people used to ask me to perform in small gatherings while studying in India, I would sing ghazals and get good response and appreciation from the audience. Finally when I started singing with Anup Jalota, Pankaj Udhas and other ghazal singers, I got labelled as a ghazal singer.
Actually some people had heard my songs at a private party and recorded and released them later. Those songs became so popular that HMV offered to release an album of mine. I was never ambitious, but one can call me a very lucky girl.
TDS: But the recognition and popularity you had earned in Bangladesh really evoked envy. Then why did you just leave that?
MM: No, I never shunned any opportunity in Bangladesh. Actually, I was studying my bachelor degree at that time in Vadodara and to me exams were more important. My father always said, 'Get the basic education first and then if you sing well, you can earn fame. But if you run after fame only you will never become a good singer.'
TDS: In the early eighties, you were being hailed as the next big star in the music industry of Dhaka after Sabina Yasmin and Runa Laila. Don't you think that you have missed an opportunity?
MM: Actually, when I went to Mumbai, I had the opportunity to learn from eminent musical personalities like Pundit Jasraj and others; I had realised that I needed to learn a lot more. I did not want to miss that rare opportunity either. Moreover, I got to meet all the famous classical singers and learn from them.
TDS: Why haven't we seen you in the mainstream music arena of India, especially the playback singing?
MM: I had good relations with famous music directors RD Burman and Kalayanji-Anandji, but I never asked them for film songs. In fact, I never took advantage of the close relationship we shared.
Yes, I did not sing many film songs, there were too many singers. Lataji and Ashaji were at the top. Others like Alka, Kavita, Sadhana were trying to get their foothold. However, in my case I had a keen interest in classical music. I was so busy doing recordings and programmes that initially it didn't strike me that I could sing for films also. I have been to many countries for solo shows . However, I never gave serious thought to playback singing, though I was aware of the exposure and fame that a playback singer gets.
TDS: Don't you regret that?
MM: Yes, sometimes I do.
TDS: What is your opinion about remixing old songs?
MM: It is very wrong. I am against it. Even the dance sequences are also vulgar. Though the albums are selling like hot cakes, the songs have lost their originality. There used to be some ethics in the music industry before, not any more. The companies are mainly running after money.
Lataji and Ashaji are still reigning over the music industry. So why shouldn't the remixes be recorded with the original singers? We are destroying the archival value of the old songs.
TDS: Do you have any plans to rerecord your own songs?
MM: Yes, I do. In fact I went to the market to check whether they had any cassettes of my Bangla songs, but couldn't find any. How wonderful those songs were! I don't have them in my personal collection.
TDS: What kind of memories are you taking back?
MM: I am overwhelmed with the affection and love! I don't feel like leaving my motherland. I always miss the hospitality and the innocence of the people here, while living in Mumbai, a very mechanised city.