NEW DELHI: When a successful Indian who has lived overseas most of his life returns to the country of his birth to turn to his first love, it may not surprise anyone.
But when the Indian turns out to be a carpet exporter and is over sixty years of age and the passion that drives him back to India is music, it does come as a surprise.
But Raman Kapoor, who has just launched his album â€?Lovely Kudi’ with Moser Baer, says he made up his mind to return to India to rediscover his interest in music when he happened to see a â€?daphli’ (small drum) in Europe which reminded him of his childhood in India
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Kapoor told radioandmusic.com that he had initially expected some resistance from his family, but was pleasantly surprised that this did not happen. He has virtually handed over his business to his two sons, and found total encouragement from and them and from his wife Pam, who even penned one of the songs, â€?Zindagi ek safar se’, in the album. He said his father, who is now 92, had first heard him singing seven years earlier, and been surprised at Kapoor’s talent.
He said he had wanted to get into singing even earlier, but his business had kept him busy. He did record a private album about two years earlier, â€?kyun tooney dil ko todha’ but did not market it.
But he said that he felt something amiss in his music, and learnt classical music from Ustad Farid Ahmed of the Kirana Gharana. He now does riyaaz (practice) for two hours everyday which he says is the most enjoyable time of the day for him.
He says he now finds a marked difference in his singing. â€?I can now even change my scale because I have a classical base’, he adds.
Asked whether he had any hand in the musical compositions, he said he made suggestions at times and he and his music directors were open to each other.
On whether he would consider playback in films, he said he would keep his eyes and ears open for opportunities, but was content doing albums. His personal choice was to sing romantic songs, but he was open to others if the lyrics and music composition appealed to him.
â€?Lovely Kudi’ is an enthralling mix of 11 tracks including Hip Hop, Qawalli, romantic, Ghazal and dance numbers. The music for the album has been composed by music directors Nikhil and Satish Sharma. The album includes Punjabi numbers written by a non-Punjabi, Vimal Kashyap. But the album also has lyrics by Satish Sharma, Parveen Kumar Ashq, Praveen Bhardwaj, and his wife Pam
Moser Baer Entertainment has also released a DVD of six songs along with the CD as a complete album package. The unique DVD is designed for Karaoke enthusiasts.
The video of the title song Lovely Kudi… has Mumaith Khan of â€?Munnabhai MBBS’ fame, while Neha stars in the video of Chashme-bad-door…, both of which are directed by Shareen Mantri. The hip-hop number Moolah… stars Meghna Naidu along with Kushal Punjabi which is directed by the duo Amarjit-Sawant.
The first title song Lovely Kudi… is a happening dance track with full of zeal and spirit and Punjabi lyrics written by Kashyap. The second song Moola… is a hip-hop number which promises to prove a point. The next song is Chashme-bad-door… which is a touching song. The fourth song of the album, Lut Gaya Sardar…, is a Punjabi track which is a rocking fun song.
The fifth song Ajjab Sharabi… and the next song Deewana… are both tipsy songs which give the joy of singing with a drink in hand. The album also contains two Qawallis, Zindagi Ke Safar… by Pam Kapoor and Ishq Ishq… where Kapoor is accompanied by the well known Purnima. The ninth song Mat Karo Fix… is a funny duet song on Cricket in a duet with Priya. The last two songs of the album are a remix of Lovely Kudi… and Lut Gaya Sardar….
