Born in Bombay on April 3rd, 1955, Hariharan has bachelors degrees in  science and law. The son of renowned Carnatic vocalists, the late Ananthasubramani ("H. A. S. Mani") from Trivandrum and Shrimati Alamelu, Hariharan naturally inherited his parents' musical talents. Mom was Hariharan's first guruji. From her he picked up Carnatic music  skills.

Hariharan's parents were musically open-minded and the young Hariharan was encouraged to listen to Hindustani music. Later, in his teens, inspired by the songs of Mehdi Hassan, Hariharan developed a passion for ghazals and started training in Hindustani music from Padma Shri Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. He used to put in nine hours of singing practice everyday. Hariharan's affinity for ghazals lies in the fact that ghazals offer, in his words, "immense scope for innovation". The committed Hariharan also put heart and soul into learning Urdu when he decided to become a ghazal singer. He has perfected his Urdu diction to such standards that even his audiences in Lucknow, the heartland of the language, have been wowed over.

He's currently one of India's most popular playback singers, lending his rich, deep voice to both Hindi and Tamil film tunes. But 47-year-old Hariharan switches singing styles just as easily as his clothes.

Clad in a kurta-pyjama (long tunic and pants), he fills up a concert hall with the mellifluous strains of both North and South Indian classical music. Looking sharp in leather pants and vivid colour shirts, he rocks, belting out pop tunes.

On Saturday Hariharan will perform at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, minus the leather pants.

"It's a ghazal concert," he elaborates during an interview on the phone from New Orleans. "I might sing a few film songs, but the concert is aimed at a niche audience."

Ghazal, a form of poetry Hariharan describes as "talking to your beloved," is his forte.

Born and brought up in Mumbai (Bombay), Hariharan comes from a family of musicians. Both his parents were trained in classical South Indian style known as Carnatic music. However, his parents encouraged Hariharan to listen to classical North Indian music known as Hindustani music.

"You could say I've heard music since I was born," he says. "My parents taught students in our house. We'd have musical evenings and discussions of music. And we would go out for music concerts.

"And when I was in school, I was exposed to English songs, such as those by ABBA or the Beatles."

Yet something about Hindustani music appealed to Hariharan and he started learning it from renowned singer Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.

Soon after, in about 1977, Hariharan started to enter the world of ghazals.

"I started singing ghazals because I felt it had poetry, romance and rhythm," he says. "And you could put any kind of singing into it. I've used Hindustani and Carnatic ragas (a melodic framework on which the singer improvises) in ghazals."

As he was starting his foray into ghazals, Hariharan also started his playback-singing career. Winning an award in a national contest in 1977, his voice caught the ear of Indian music director

Jaidev who gave Hariharan his first break in the Hindi movie Gaman. In 1998 Hariharan was nominated for the National Award for his debut movie song.

Movie offers poured in. At the same time he was also recording ghazal albums such as Reflections, Paigam and Haazir. But it wasn't until much later in his musical career that Hariharan started getting recognized as a singer.

"I had to develop a style," he says. "And my ghazal albums gave me a kind of character, a personality."

In 1992 Hariharan met A. R. Rahman, a Tamil composer who was then also struggling to make it in the industry. (Now a much-in-demand composer, Rahman recently paired up with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to write the score for the musical Bombay Dreams currently showing in Britain.)

Rahman, who had heard Hariharan's ghazals, signed him on to sing for the Tamil film Roja. The song became a hit. The same year saw Hariharan pairing up with composer Leslie Lewis to form the band Colonial Cousins. They put out a self-titled album in 1996, which won an MTV India's Viewer's Choice award as well as a U.S. Billboard award. Colonial Cousins also became the first Indian act to perform on MTV Unplugged in London, England.

"It was like another mehfil or cutcheri (concert)," laughs Hariharan when asked about their performance on MTV Unplugged.

In 1998, Hariharan also won the National Award for his rendition of a song in the Hindi movie Border - 20 years after he was first nominated. As for the future, Hariharan has a simple plan.

"I just want to make good music. That's all," he says.

The ghazal is an ancient Persian form of poetry. Its Arabic root word refers to an amorous conversation with one's lover. Ghazals are mostly strings of couplets, related thematically, but not necessarily narratively or logically. Although amorous in nature, the ghazal is mostly a poem of ideas - symbolic, mystic and philosophical.

Hariharan acquired a passion for ghazals early in his life, inspired by the legendary ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan. He switched from learning Carnatic to Hindusthani music and put heart and soul into learning Urdu. His love for this genre springs from the fact that ghazals offer, in his words, "immense scope for innovation". In his ghazals, Hariharan draws on his mastery of classical music techniques such as alaap and sargam but at the same time remains true to the essence of the art form -- singing from the heart, as he puts it, using the right cadences and lowering the voice almost to a murmur when the emotion calls for such expression. The result of this mix of classical virtuoso and ability to emote is Hariharan's unique art form that appeals to both the connoisseur and common man alike.

Hariharan's Ghazal Albums
(Click on the album cover for details)
 

	Swar Utsav		Kaash
	Aathwan Sur		Jashn
	Halka Nasha		Visaal
	Qaraar		Paigham
	Gulfam		Hazir
	Saptarishi		In Concert
	My Favourite Hits		The Very Best Of Hariharan's Ghazals
	Dil Ki Baat		Dil Nasheen
	Sukoon / Reflections		Shamakhana

          LAHORE KE RANG HARI KE SANG

       Tracks

Mohay upnay hi rang mai rang de (Lyrics: Amir Khusro; Music: Wazir Afzal)

Bhavain tu jaan na jaan (Lyrics: Bulleh Shah; Music: Wazir Afzal)

Dil se guzri baat (Lyrics: Majeed Amjad; Music: Nazar Hussain)

Root gaye moray baankay (Thumri; Arrangement: Qadir Shaggan)

Bohut kathin hai dagar punghut ki (Lyrics: Amir Khusro; Music: Wazir Afzal)

Mar ke hum khak-e-raahay yaar huay (Lyrics: Hasrat Mohani; Music: Hariharan)

Aa vekh asada haal (Lyrics: Mushtaq Soofi; Music: Wazir Afzal)

Piya toray aangan mai (Lyrics: Tajjamul; Music: Wazir Afzal)

Saanj dhalay na (Lyrics: Adeen Taji; Music: Hariharan)

Begana vaar unsay (Lyrics: Nasir Kazmi; Music: Nazar Hussain in Darbari raag)

'Melody still has a place in film music'

Date: 26-06-1998

From ghazals to pop music, Hariharan has come a long way. V.Gangadhar speaks to the singer, who won the National Award this year.

Everyone is humming his popular numbers `Ye Lamhe Ye Pal' (``Lamhe''), `Hai Rama' (``Rangeela''), `Chappa Chappa' (``Maachis''), `I Love My India' (``Pardes''), `Chandare Chandare....' (``Sapaney''), `Jaise Dil Hai Dhadkan Hai' (``Dil To Pagal Hai''). The songs also dominate the `countdown' shows on television channels. His ghazal albums are chart-busters. And his emotional song from ``Border'', `Mere Dushman... Mere Bhai.... Mere Hum Sayye' fetched him the coveted National Award for 1997. Yes, singer Hariharan is flying high these days. Composing music for his `ghazals', experimenting with a fusion of Western and Indian music, recordings and live shows all over the world. In the midst of such a hectic schedule, he found time to grant an exclusive, 90-minutes interview to `TheHindu' at his spacious Matunga flat. Excerpts:

Music, I guess, runs in the family.

Yes, it does, My grandfather came to Bombay during the 1930's to make a living from music. He was a famous harmonist. My father was in the first batch of graduates in music from the Travancore Music College. Later he was the Principal of the Music faculty, Shanmukhananda Sabha in Bombay. My mother Alamelu Mani, is again, a wellknown singer having performed all over the country, including music sabhas in Chennai. She won the President's Gold medal for her AIR music programmes. We lived in a world of music, provided by such giants as M. D. Ramanathan, Brinda amma, T. R. Mahalingam and Rajaratram Pillai, the `nadaswaram' vidwan.

I presume you also began with Carnatic music.

To a certain extent, yes. My roots were in Carnatic music, but I never reached the `cutcheri' levels. I was interested in North Indian classical music and studied under Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. I liked collage and the techniques involved in North Indian vocal music.

When did you enter the world of ghazals?

I guess from 1977 onwards. I admired the Pakistani ghazal singer, Mehdi Hasan who came to India during those days. That was the turning point in my life.

Yes, there are certain similarities. The soft tunes, romantic lyrics and low-key orchestration.

That is the gist of singing ghazals. It is the conversation with one's beloved. The singing has to be in a `conversational form' to establish rapport with the audiences. Of course, ghazals had been in vogue from the days of Amir Khusro, but the form had changed a lot with the passage of time (humming a Talat Mahmood number set to music by Madan Mohan). That was lovely ghazal. Talat saab was a great exponent of the form.

I note you compose the music yourself for all your ghazals.

Yes, I had been doing it from the beginning. It is a totally creative process. I composed the music for some of my best songs in just ten minutes. The nucleus gets formed and then it is not difficult to elaborate from there. Orchestration had to be minimal, only an interlude, The ghazals cannot put up with cacophony.

Your diction is impeccable, that too for someone from the South.

I studied Urdu for more than three years to improve my diction. The romantic lyrics had to be pronounced properly and diction is very important. Urdu is a complex language and one had to work hard to master the nuances.

Your `Colonial Cousins' album was a smash hit. How did it come about?

I had done a pop album with Kavita Krishnamurthy which clicked. I used to sing jingles for Leslie Louis, my co-artiste in `Colonial Cousins'. He hummed some pop tunes, I went along and everything fell into a pattern. We formed a two-member band and `Colonial Cousins' emerged. Music has so many diversities and we should not hesitate to experiment. Fans from six to 60 applauded the album which won several awards. We are now working on Colonial Cousins II and the album should be out within the next few months.

What kind of music shows you hold abroad?

Oh, I sing all kinds of songs. Tamil film songs, Hindi film songs, ghazals and Colonial Cousin numbers. This type of variety is appreciated by the audiences.

You had come a long way in Hindi and Tamil film playback singing, since the time of your debut n ``Gaman'' in 1978.

I have sung more than 150 songs in Tamil films. Recently, I won the Tamil Nadu State award for my singing in the film ``Asai''. It is wonderful to work with music directors like Ilayaraja, A. R. Rehman, Deva and Vidyasagar. Tamil film music had not yet gone completely commercial. There is still some scope for melody.

You seem to reserve your best for A. R. Rehman.

He listens to my ghazals and appreciates my style. So we get along well. I admire his innovativeness. Rehman also offers a bit of variety in his tunes. This is satisfying to a singer.

Are you choosy about your music directors?

Initially, I could not afford to be choosy. Of course, I do prefer to work for certain music directors than others. I also study their tunes, the lyrics and then decide if we could work together.

Will you sing songs with inane lyrics?

Why not? It all depends on the situation. If the film is a slap- stick comedy and such songs are needed for certain situations, I don't mind. Of course, the lyrics should not be crude. Fortunately, I do not get many such songs. The music directors, perhaps, think, they are not my kind.

Lata Mangheshkar, recently, deplored the declining standards of Hindi film music. She felt most of the present music directors had strayed away from melody.

She has a point. The producers are mainly responsible for this. You see, the focus these days is on action-oriented films which offer very little scope for lilting tunes and romantic lyrics. The music has to be loud and vigorous.

Singers from the South like yourself, Balasubramaniam and Yesudas, mostly sing, soft, romantic numbers in Hindi films. Not the `Yahoo' kind of songs rendered by Mohamad Rafi.

I guess we represent a different culture. The `yahoo' songs represent the more vigorous Punjabi culture.

Are you happy with what you had achieved so far? What are your future plans?

Well, I am quite happy with what I have done so far. But then, one has to be improving and setting higher goals all the time. I am now working on Colonial Cousins II', more ghazal albums and singing in quite a few prestigious Hindi and Tamil films. Mind you, melody has a place, even in today's film music.

THE SOUTH HAS
PUT ME ON A PEDESTAL

What do you think about the pop music scene in the South?
It’s just in the beginning stages. If you consider the pop market in India, it is only 20 per cent of the total music scene, and in South, it narrows down further. A lot of music directors use pop music and Western harmony for film songs, which clicks well with the listeners. Tamil pop will also pick up in due course of time, but it has to be different from film music. Here, the major problem is low financial viability. That’s why the hesitation to go in for pop albums.

What is the difference when you sing for Hindi and Tamil films?
The music culture is totally different in both places. In Hindi films, they stick to a certain format of singing. In the South, you have more scope for variation. The film industry is very disciplined here and time is valued.

You have sung for Illayaraja, AR Rahman, Deva and almost all the music directors. How is your rapport with them?
I vibe very well with AR Rahman. In fact, I started my career in South with him, with Roja and Bombay. He understands me very well and we have a good tuning. He gives me a free hand and singing for him is always a pleasant experience. While recording, there are minimum people, only four of us — director, lyricist, Rahman and me, and the peaceful atmosphere makes my work easy. And Rahman is the guy who showcased my voice commercially.

For Illayaraja I had sung the song Thalattu in the film Kadalukku Mariyadai. I usually improvise while singing, but with Illayaraja there is not much flexibility. But the song I sung for him was quite melodious.

Deva is open to ideas. I have sung just a few songs for him. I have recorded a very interesting song in Telugu for the film Yamaha Nagri for music director Mani.

Who are your favourite singers?
Pakistani singer Mehdi Hassan is my all-time favourite. In India, I like Yesudas and SP Balasubramaniam (SPB). They are so different from others. Yesudas’ songs have a ghazal base, and inspire me a lot.

I would like to share an incident with SPB. In 1970 I had done a programme of ghazals for Mumbai Doordarshan. SPB happened to see it. After six months, when we met at Mehboob Studios, he came up to me and said, ‘Hariharan you have done a great job. Keep it up’. It was a great moment for budding singer like me.

There is a general feeling among the
Tamil producers that you charge quite high. Comment.
It’s the producers and music directors from the South who have put me on a pedestal, and I thank them for it. I will definitley give my best to the South. To date, I have sung more than 150 songs in the last three years. I stay in Mumbai and have to come down to Chennai for recording a song, so I want to be choosy with my songs. I want to sing only good songs. I think music is a very important part of the Indian film market, and if we are contributing to it, then why not charge for it. I feel I charge reasonable rates. In these days, with crores being spent in the production of a film, the money I am paid is only peanuts.

What are your future plans in the South?
I have finished work on an album titled Kaadal Vedam for Magnasound. Vairamuthu has written the lyrics and there are three duets with Sujatha. As the name suggests, it’s a romantic album. I am thinking of doing a folk fusion album. It will be a fusion of South Indian folk songs with Western music. Music with a rustic South flavour usually clicks, since people identify with it. As far as films are concerned, I have sung for Jeans and Engineer, both for AR Rahman.

Colonial Cousins

From Mirror magazine, Sunday Times (Sri Lanka), 15 June 1997

------------------------------------------------------------ -----

Sharmila Kamat gets onto  the  fusion  wagon  with  the  Colonial
Cousins - Hariharan and Leslie Lewis

THEY'VE got the  world  and  her  husband  (and  the  kids  too!)
grooving  to  the  beat of 'Sa ni dha pa'. They've waltzed to the
top  of  the  music  charts,  clad  in  their   trademark   black
'bandgallas',  chains  and ponytails, and staggered off the dance
floor, laden with an armful of trophies.

Between the two, there's not an inch of  musical  territory  left
uncharted.  'Ghazals',  'bhajans', fusion, remixes - you name the
style, they've cut a disc around it.

In the 50th year of India's  Independence,  they  crisscross  the
country bearing a label that harks back to the country's colonial
past.

THEY are Hariharan and Leslie (Lezz) Lewis, better known  as  the
Colonial Cousins. Relatives in rhythm who have taken Indian sound
waves and tuned them to their own wavelength.

In a freewheeling chat, the Cousins  launched  into  a  different
kind  of  'jugalbandi' - of views expressed, feelings articulated
and beliefs held. Trying to fathom the reason  why  that  certain
something  in  the  way they sing has got the country swinging to
their tunes...

A jingle and remix specialist joins voice  with  a  'ghazal'  and
playback singer. A strange kind of 'milan' this:

Lezz: There's  more  to  our  music  than  just  the  oft-trotted
'ghazal'-jingleremix  tale.  My dad was a dance director in Hindi
films. Every time he choreographed a dance, film music  resounded
through  our house. See this? (Pointing to a scar below his eye.)
That's me doing the Shammi Kapoor routine in the 'Yahoo' song  in
'Junglee'.  I  jumped  off  the  bed and collided headon with the
cupboard.

Dad was also a 'tabla' player - so, like it or not, I listened to
a  lot  of  classical  music. While boarding at St. Mary's, Mount
Abu, I was influenced by all kinds of musical styles,  thanks  to
my fellow boarders' tastes in music. So, it's not just jingles or
remixes - it's a mixture of so many diverse elements.

Hari: My parents are classical musicians and I've been trained in
classical  music.  I've  done  'ghazals',  film songs, pop songs,
jingles and, now, Colonial Cousins.

How did the two come together?

Hari: We were taking a  break  while  doing  a  jingle  for  some
commercial. Lezz started strumming a guitar, I piped in with some
vocals. Pausing to listen to ourselves, we realised we shared lot
of musical vibes. We could make magic together.

And how did the cousins become related - colonially?

Lezz: We were looking out for an ethnic name that would personify
our music - English with just that dash of Indian flavour. Unlike
common perception, we don't sing  in  Hindi.  Our  songs  are  in
English  because  our album was originally designed for a release
in the West. But no title seemed to be ring a bell. Until...

Hari: While in London, I met an Indian friend who asked  me,  "Do
you  know what my British friends and I call each other? Colonial
Cousins!" That sounded just right for us. We liked the sound.

So what is the sound of the Cousins?

Lezz: What do you feel when you  hear  a  Colonial  track?  Good,
peaceful,  relaxed? That's us, that's our music. That's the sound
of the Cousins.

Hari: We don't focus exlusively on the music or the lyrics - it's
a  bit  of  both.  The music is a fusion of classical rhythms and
pop. But, more importantly, it is good.

Lezz: We're the next sound of India. We're  not  bragging;  we're
just  lucky  to  have made it. Each generation has its own idols.
For me, first it was Deep Purple. Later on, Guns-n-Roses  grabbed
the collective imagination. Today, it is the Colonial Cousins who
have become the idols for the kids.

Hari: We have fans from four to 60. It's amazing the way the kids
have  responded to 'Sa ni dha pa'. I have three-year-olds running
up to me, to meet 'Sa ni dha pa' uncle! The secret why  the  song
clicked?  If  only we knew! Then we'd churn out one success after
another.

How is the work divided between the Cousins?

Lezz: We don't  know  who's  doing  what  at  any  time.  Yes,  I
generally  write  the lyrics because they're in English. But it's
mostly a sharing of ideas. He suggests a word,  I  weave  a  line
around it.

Hari: It's a joint effort. And I think it should stay  that  way.
When  you say I'm doing this part and you're doing that, you only
look at the parts. We'd like to look at the whole.

Have the Cousins spawned a whole family of fusion musicians?

Lezz: The beauty of the album is that we have started a  wave  of
fusion  music.  We've  introduced  a  sound  that  has caught the
country's imagination, even of the world's!

Hari: During the 'ghazal' craze, everybody was singing  'ghazals'
- clad in shawls, even in summer! How many of those are left now?
Today, everyone is into fusion. A few years down the  line,  only
the good guys will remain.

As a 'ghazal' singer feels naked without  a  shawl,  does  a  pop
singer feel undressed without long hair?

Hari:To a certain extent, the external persona is important  for
a  singer.  Thanks  to  the influence of music channels and music
videos, a singer can no more afford to look repulsive.  The  long
hair, however, dates back to the pre-Colonial days. I had it when
I sang 'ghazals', only then, I used to tie it into a ponytail.

Lezz: If you see our earlier pictures,  you'll  realise  that  we
didn't  have  such  long hair then. We just felt the need to grow
it. Tomorrow, if we feel the need,  we'll  cut  it.  For  a  good
artiste,  what's  important is the voice. The looks can, at most,
add to make the right balance.

But a lot of today's  music  videos  have  make-up  scoring  over
quality   of  voice.  And  lip-syncing  only  helps  deceive  the
listeners.

Hari: It's a fact that, in-between, some record companies assumed
that  a  good  figure,  looks  and scanty clothes sold. But then,
there's market for good music as well. Else for two fat  guys  to
start  Colonial Cousins and make it a success would just not have
been possible.

Lezz: Those who lip-sync at live shows aren't singers;  they  are
music  artistes.  Yes, sometimes lip-syncing is necessary - for a
line, at the most, a verse. But lip-syncing for an entire show is
just  NOT  ON.  With  advanced  electronics  entering  the  music
industry, a lot of non-musicians have become musicians, and a lot
of  non  singers, singers. Technology now allows you to sing just
one line or one word at a time, which is then pieced together  in
the  studio.  So,  while  technology  can  be used to enhance the
quality of music, it can also be used for a detrimental purpose.

How does it feel riding the wave of success - winning a clutch of
awards  from  music  channels  and  being  the first Asian act to
feature on MTV Unplugged?

Hari: Good, great, but a little pressured. You know you're  good.
Now the world agrees with you.

Lezz: Maybe that's why we grew the ponytails.  (Grinning)  "Sunte
nahin  the!"  (They didn't listen). So now, at least they look at
me and listen to me because I'm good. Seriously  though,  it's  a
great feeling.

Between the two, they have tried different styles in  music.  Any
personal favourites?

Hari: No favourites. Just good music, period.

Lezz: When we sing abroad, people come up to say, "We  like  your
music  -  it is contemporary, different, fresh." In India, people
are interested in  dissecting  the  music  -  is  it  English  or
'Carnatic'?   Pop  or  'ghazal'?  What's  important  is  not  the
compartmentalisation of music. What's important is, "Is  it  good
music?" and "Am I enjoying it?" Then, it's my favourite.


Lezz has done a remix  album  with  Asha  Bhosle.  What  are  the
reactions  to  the  protests made by some artistes (who feel that
old tunes should be left alone) against remixes?

Lezz: I agree that the original track has its own aura,  its  own
fanfollowing.  But  when  we  do  the remix, it's for the younger
generation, to introduce the youth to a bygone melody. Else,  old
tunes  will be forgotten. Ideally, the same artiste should do the
remix, as was the case  with  Asha  Bhosle.  But  if  it  is  not
possible,  let another artiste sing it and allow the song-writer,
composer and the rest to be remembered - let the song get  a  new
lease of life.

A remix merely carries the melody forward. Tomorrow, when we  are
no longer here, we wouldn't like a Colonial track to die with us.

What does music mean to you?

Hari: Life. Music is always in my head, whatever I do. I probably
think more about music than anyone or anything else in the world.

Lezz: It is basically spiritual. Good music should give you peace
of mind.

When do we hear the next stanza in the song of fusion?

Hari: We now have the music video for the song  'Krishna'.  Then,
it's  off to London to mix the CD of the live show we did for MTV
Unplugged. Our next album will, hopefully, be out at the  end  of
the year.

We're the next sound of India. We're  not  bragging,  we're  just
lucky to have made it.

"This pony-tail of mine is not just for fashion. I think I have been able to concentrate well on my songs and work only since I started growing this two years back. Consider it as `Samson's hair'.." he laughs. More Palghat accent in his Tamil!!

" My dad passed away when I was a child. Mom, Alamelu Mani, used to teach me music at home. From morning till evening, Carnatic music would flow from our house. Even if I were playing, she would yell at me `Sit down!'. That's how I learnt Carnatic music..

I started learning Hindustani music at the age of 17. Then, when I heard Mehdi Hassan's ghazals, everything changed. After that, I too started singing ghazals and presented some concerts ... I also sang jingles.

I was waiting in a studio one day to record a jingle. Leslie was with me. Just to pass time he sang some jazz, and I started with Sargham of Hindustani music. Then, far away from these, an entirely different type of music was born. That was how `Colonial Cousins' originated.

This album, which is a fusion of Indian and western music, has been very popular among the teens. It was released as an audio cassette two years back and has come out as a video recently in London."

Kumudam's comment:
This video, which is frequently featured on the `MTV Unplugged' programme, gives a unique pride to Hariharan as 'Colonial Cousins' was the first Asian act to make it to 'MTV Unplugged'. .

- On singing for HUM SAATH SAATH HAIN...

Well, I think you can call this the first break with Rajshri Productions... and I've known everybody at Rajshri from a long time ... its a great feeling for having come and sung for this prestigious film.

- On Raamlaxman...

The strong point of Mr.Raamlaxman's music is that... its very simple and yet very melodic I think ... his strength is simplicity.

- On the music of HUM SAATH SAATH HAIN...

You know last evening I was sitting with both my sons... I have two sons... 11 & 5 and I was trying to teach them music and we had agreat time. And I think this whole movie ... depicts ... it talks about how close we can get and all the songs also, it kind of binds the whole family together. So... I think its great music.

- Hari Haranji, when we heard the song Yeh to sach hai... the song you have sung for Mohnish Bahl, we could actually see Mohnish performing. We could sense the character of Mohnish. How much of an actor is there in a singer ?

Ah... there's a very important reason behind this because... since I was doing all the songs for the character... thats Mohnish Bahl... And... Sooraj & Rajji they had called me... invited me to the office.. in fact they narrated all the situations and the songs ... and also the character. Soorajji... actually took pains to totally give me a countdown on the character and actually I knew for whom I was singing... I knew the person for whom I was singing and I think thats what helped me to... kind of emote.

- The song Yeh to sach hai.. sung by you as you know will be picturised on Vivek, the charactered played by Mohnish Bahl, who sings this song for his parents. While singing this song, did you personally feel for or remember your parents ? How did you find this song situation?

Well... I am very close to my parents and my mother. I lost my father when I was young... so the whole song is in praise of our parents... which is a great song and I could relate to the song because in my life, my career, the first person who has stood behind me to make me what I am today... is my mother... so I could relate to it.

- The song ABCD sung by you is a picnic song, where all the youngsters are going on a picnic. How did you find this song situation ? How much did you enjoy singing this song ?

Ah... well... I think its a very family oriented thing because half the time... the elders are teaching the younger ones about ABCD & its quite a nice song... ya.... its something like singing Do a dear a female dear ... so you're singing ABCDEFG ... its the same kind of a feel.

A family which sings together, stays together....
.... HUM SAATH SAATH HAIN from Rajshri