SALIL
Hello and welcome to B4U Special… you
are with me Salil and I have got a very talented performer
with me today. The most beautiful part about sitting
in this part of the chair is you get away being non
talented and meeting very talented people… thanks
for joining us Smita…
SMITA
My pleasure…
SALIL
You know I get lovely little synopsis before
I meet any artist… The weight of numbers is
so much… That, you know, I’m wondering
it all started with you in 2000, with talent hunt.
And did it just sky-rocket from there or was it a
slow beginning? Why did you join the talent hunt?
SMITA
In fact I didn’t know that I was a
part of the talent hunt. Without my knowledge my mom
sent a tape. This was the first. It was in the year
‘96, ‘97. It was conducted by a popular
south Indian singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam. It was
one of the first reality shows!
She just told me one day that I was selected for
this particular show, which was very popular. All
of us used to watch it. And I was like “How
did I get selected and how did they even know that
I sing”.
SALIL
So you didn’t send any tape?
SMITA
No I didn’t. She sent it without my
knowledge. I got a call from the show that I have
to go and perform on ‘so and so date’.
So what would I do then? Because I was not prepared
at all! But I went there to just sing and come back.
I was an amateur singer! I hadn’t learnt singing
then.
SALIL
By amateur you mean what? You used to just
sing for luck?
SMITA
I just sang since I was like one year old.
I sang like more than I spoke, when I was a little
kid.
SALIL
So you’re in the contest, and you pull
through, people have noticed you, and then it just
took off straight from there?
SMITA
Not really. In fact, I have this habit……whenever
I am performing, I move a little even without my notice!
I end up moving a little with the song. So SPB in
fact in the first preliminary pointed out and said,
“So are you going to get into singing, or get
into acting?” and I was like “No no. No
acting”.
I was really young and I had no idea what was going
on! So I ended up winning the first round, then quarters,
then semis, then many finals. All these things just
happened. That’s when I realized that I could
sing. Then I tried to get into singing a little film
music through people that I knew. The first song that
I sang for a playback was for a Kannada film, which
is not my mother tongue and I don’t know the
language.
SALIL
You are more comfortable with Tamil and Telugu?
SMITA
Ya. Telugu is my mother tongue, and Tamil
is easier than any other language for me, because
I know a little more of Tamil. I’ve stayed in
madras for quite some time. It wasn’t easy.
It’s not like you win something and you get
bunch of offers.
SALIL
I want to quickly talk on this before we
get into a break. She does sing in six languages.
These are mind boggling numbers you sold. Correct
me if I am wrong…..you sold two million albums?
SMITA
Yes.
SALIL
Two hundred concerts across the world, 2
million albums. That happened really quick!!
SMITA
One of my albums was like a very-very big
hit, which competed with big films at that point and
was in the top charts, for I don’t know how
many weeks. So that sold big numbers.
SALIL
2 million is enough to live like the royalties
for the rest of your life! What we do right now, is
take a little break, and come right back. Special
with Smita. We are here to talk about her self-titled
album ‘Smita’. And there will be a lot
of chat about that, when we come back.
SALIL
All right. You are back on the special, I
have Smita with me.
Thank you for joining me once again.
Just before I left, I told you about the volume of
work that she managed to do in a short span of time!
It’s been a good journey. You’re working
with the people you like in this album- self titled
album, which is “Smita”. Why “Smita”?
SMITA
This is my first big launch for Hindi. When
you look at the album, you’re like buying this
album called “Smita”. So you know this
face, is this name! And it’s easier, and it’s
a branding. So I guess we worked on it that way!
SALIL
You said you’ve known Bosco-Ceasar
for a long time. Bosco-Ceasar is in great association
with Sajid-Wajid. So every one was involved in the
album. How did you end up meeting Bosco-Ceasar?
SMITA
I had quite a good gap between my last album
and this one, because we have been working on this
for more than two years. So my last album that we
did in Tamil was “Kalakkal”, and Bosco
did the video for this in 2004-2005.
SALIL
He was also formally establishing himself
at that time!
SMITA
He just did “Musafir” at that
time. That was his first big break, and he did my
video for that album. And he ended up doing lot of
Telegu films immediately after that launch. He did
about four-five Telegu songs for big films immediately
after that video.
SALIL
I think probably because what he did with
you, he got noticed out there.
SMITA
Noticed, and he was there for the launch.
There were stars there who met him. It just happened,
that it all went well, and he did well! Now he doesn’t
have time to do anything.
SALIL
He is very busy now. It’s a good thing…
SMITA
It’s very good. He worked on a couple
of Nadh’s films, Venky’s films and some
other big banners. And we’ve always been good
friends after that!
SALIL
How did Sajid-Wajid enter into the picture?
SMITA
Sajid-Wajid and Bosco-Ceasar have known each
other since the time they were in school. Like they
would sing together, dance together, play football
together. So it was a long association.
SALIL
I’m going to tell you this…..Smita
was telling me that Wajid actually beat Bosco!
SMITA
I don’t know if I can say this.
SALIL
…..in a little dance competition in
school… So we must find out how Wajid dances.
SMITA
I heard that, you know! Should I say this?
SALIL
Ofcourse you can! Wajid is busy making music
now. So did Bosco get them in, you got them in, or
was it like a package that they all came in?
SMITA
In fact, Bosco was working on this project
of mine to launch me as a Pop-Star. In India, it’s
not like abroad you see. Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez,
Madonna…there are so many people you see, like
Pop-Stars. In India you rarely find it! And right
now, there is no one in the female segment, who can
actually sing, dance, perform.
SALIL
And ‘looks’ is a part of a Pop-Star,
that’s very important! They sing and dance,
but they don’t look like Pop-Stars. So ya….
SMITA
So he in fact, worked a lot on getting this
album together and Sajid-Wajid also! We met through
Bosco-Caesar and it all worked well. And the songs
have turned out really well and all of them have different
flavors. Like the main song “Mahi Ve”,
the first video, is different from “Aaja Nachle”,
which has a Moroccan feel to it. Then we have two
slow melodies. One is a ballet and one has an Indian
touch to the melody and a folk number.
SALIL
A very versatile album!
SMITA
Yeah. It has all kind of all flavors in it
SALIL
And all kinds of names which we will talk
about, before we get into this break. As she said
“Aaja Nachle” is one of the tracks. We
also have a similar name in Bollywood. But before
we go into the break, a couple of lines from “Mahi
Ve” would be nice……..
SMITA
Pehli Pehli vari dil nu lagaya……………………..(sings)
SALIL
All right you are back on this Special. A
very special guest on the show with us! She is not
only well renowned for her singing, but she has been
giving a lovely sample for us. And she is very kind
to do that! Smita thanks again for joining us….
We are talking about her self-titled album “Smita”,
which is her big launch, a big Hindi album launch,
is now being launched for you guys to sample…
You sang “Mahi Ve” for us.
But before we go back in to the album, I wanna back-track
on a couple of things which you said, that the most
popular song of yours that really ended up selling
so many albums worldwide. Even though I might not
understand it, if you could sing a couple of lines
it would be fabulous for us…
SMITA
(Starts singing)
SALIL
That was a very cute flavor to that. But
like a flavor, I didn’t understand earlier also!
You have a book-line for that? What does that actually
means?
SMITA
This song is a very famous old song. This
is the first remix in south Indian language…
SALIL
Oh! This was a remix version?
SMITA
This song is original, but everything around
it was a remix. Like it was the first remix in South
India! And it was a very famous song. It’s more
of an item kind of a song. But it’s very popular.
It was by the famous singer L.R.Eswari. And Harry
Anand did the remix again….
SALIL
Really? The remix king! It must have been
fun remixing something that he also didn’t understand!
But he is good with that.
What we will do, is get on to “Smita”…
It’s a labor of love, let’s call it that,
for last two years! And lot of hard work you’ve
put into this. And apart from “Mahi Ve”,
what I do want to talk about is, a lot of tracks have
very similar names to Bollywood films, but based on
our conversation…this was a coincidence! It
was not planned….
SMITA
Totally
SALIL
Because “Aaja Nachle” and “Saawariya”…
so who was the brain child behind that?
SMITA
When Sajid-Wajid were making the tunes, Wajid
just started singing like…..“Aaja nachele……….”
Actually when he was singing it, he said “Shakalaka………….”
The small part of the song goes like this. And then
Bosco was like, “Let’s put something which
makes more sense…” like “Shakalaka”
is again a film book-line also but, then “Aaja
Nachle” was the next thing he thought, and all
of us also liked. And it happened to be a film name!
SALIL
But do you think this will create confusion
with our Indian audience?
SMITA
I don’t think so!
SALIL
Because when I read it, I thought you’d
sung bits of that piece. Because the names are exactly
the same, so I said, “is mein bhi kuch kiya?”
Because you know sometimes you’re wondering
maybe…….
SMITA
Maybe ya…. It’s nice to keep
them guessing….. (laughs)
SALIL
It will be fun incase they are not Cover-Versions.
They are just similar sounding words that happen to
have their names in Bollywood films just to clarify
that bit…
SMITA
In fact all the songs….“Mahi
Ve”, there is one song called “Zara Zara”,
there is a song which starts off with “Zara
Zara……”. It has nothing to do with
that!
SALIL
It’s a coincidence for all the eight songs to
have…..
SMITA
All of them……”Mahi Ve”,
“Zara Zara”, “Aaja nachle”,
“Sawariya”. “Ouch”, that’s
one song that has nothing……
SALIL
Sajid-Wajid ki kuchh sazish thi iske peeche.
I’m sure they were thinking about it. Pehli
baar coincidence ke sath hua hoga. Uske baad I think
it was slightly planned!
SMITA
I don’t think at all, but it works…..
SALIL
It works. It’s working right now. We’re
talking about it, so it works! And your other favorite
number, on which the video has been made.
SMITA
The second video is made on this track…..
it’s got an Moroccan feel to it! It goes like…
“tere ishq me………….”(sings)
SALIL
Brilliant! And pretty different from what
you were saying!
Before we go, it’s also important that we talk
about this thing……you also won a lot of
awards! You also won an award with something that
had been written down by Mr. M.M. Kreem, which must
be good for you! It was a very popular award function.
And so you have been recognized the world over for
your contribution, very quickly! And especially in
this industry as well! Little over whelming for you
or…
SMITA
That’s probably one of the awards that
I want to remember, because that’s one of my
major award in the film singing side. And M.M Kreem
is one of my favorite music directors too! He is known
all over…..
SALIL
So hopefully we will be seeing you playback
singing for Bollywood now……..
SMITA
Hopefully….
SALIL
With Bosco-Ceasar and Sajid-Wajid, I think
that will be a reality sooner than you think! Smita,
it has been lovely talking to you…
SMITA
Same here…..
SALIL
And we hope that the millions tally gets
added on with “Smita”. So we’ll
be looking forward to that as well!
In case you guys want to check that out, you know
what it’s called….“Smita”,
there she is our artist for the day…
You canwrite to me at salil@b4uworld.com
