Alka Yagnik: ‘I’m not comfortable singing vulgar songs’

IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor dances to the Choli Ke Peeche song in Crew.

Alka Yagnik, who has had a singing career of over 40 years, expected the producers of Crew to inform her about their new version of her blockbuster song Choli Ke Peeche from Khalnaayak.

But they did not.

The legal rights of the song are with Tips Music.

“Kya kahun about this? I have nothing to say. Yeh sab itna zyaada ho raha hai, ke ab kuchh naya ya ajeeb nahin lagta. It is gone way past disappointment or outrage,” Alkaji tells Subhash K Jha.

“Koi nahin poochhta. Song ke rights unkey paas hotey hain, so they do whatever they want with the song.”

 

Photograph: Kind courtesy Alka Yagnik/Instagram

Alkaji says she has reconciled herself.

“It’s fine. I have learnt to take these things in my stride. Ab yeh bhi seh lenge. Lata (Mangeshkar) didi ke gaanon ka ye haal kiya hai jab, toh hum kya cheez hain?“

When a singer had done a cover version of her Madan Mohan ghazal, Rasm-e-ulfat, Lataji had said, ‘Aise ganon ko toh chuna hi nahin chahiye.’

Alkaji agrees: “Exactly. But I don’t mind anymore. I’m in a semi-retired stage of my career now. I have stopped reacting, and have lost interest too. Honestly speaking, after my mother’s death, I have lost all inspiration and motivation. Right now, I need a break.”

“It’s been 40 years of non-stop singing. Now I don’t feel motivated to sing. Poetic lyrics are a thing of the past. We are sadly much poorer today in terms of lyrics and melody.”

Alkaji isn’t comfortable singing some contemporary film songs.

“I am not comfortable singing vulgar songs and no will approach me to sing them. Romantic songs are my forte. Sadly, not too many of them are being created these days. I can understand how shocked and amused Lata didi was by the quality of music and lyrics these days.”