Time and again film makers are seen proudly proclaiming their songs to be made for the discotheques, celebrations, romantic moments, lounges or bonfire outings. However, there is one film maker who has helped design a number, which as per him would be a rage with the auto-wallahs once released.

We are talking about writer-director Sujoy Ghosh who, for his film ALADIN, wanted composers Vishal and Shekhar to come up with a number which not just raked in nostalgia from the past but also catered to hardcore massy audiences. The composer duo obliged and presented him with 'O Re Saawariya'.

Not just that, 'O Re Saawariya' also has a NAMAK HALAL reference to it, what with Amitabh Bachchan seen in the trademark getup (with the pink turban intact) that he applied in 'Pag Ghunghroo Baandh'.

"There is a definite story telling which happens in ALADIN through 'O Re Saawariya'. Moreover, there is a fun element that plays throughout the song. Amitabh Bachchan wants Riteish Deshmukh to open up and wants Jacqueline Fernandes to open up. For this reason, he hypnotises her and makes her sing and dance in a manner that would make her profess love for Riteish. Not just that, Mr. Bachchan himself joins all the fun and sings the song in his own voice", details Sujoy Ghosh who had a blast shooting for the song.

"I love 'O Re Saawariya' because finally it allowed me to get into a saree, something that I always wanted to do ever since I began my Bollywood journey. I am glad that in my first film, I could drape a saree around me and get a full 'jhatka' song in place. No wonder, it's my favourite", says Jacqueline.

Singer Arun Daga has a string of songs in his kitty to come out one after the other. A recognized performer of All India Radio in Khayal Gayaki, Arun is keeping mighty busy these days in Bollywood music circuit.

“I have sung a feel-good song composed by Mithun in the film Lamha, which is picturised on Sanjay Dutt with a bunch of kids surrounding him,” the singer excitedly briefs. Lamha has been directed by Rahul Dholakia of Parzania fame, and will take on terrorism. It also stars Bipasha in the lead.

Apart from Lamha, he will also be singing for five more films with different music composers and in varied genres. The gifted vocalist is on a roll these days and is keeping busy juggling between many films. Apparently, all his hard work will certainly pay off, as his voice will definitely fetch him the much-coveted recognition in the coming year.

He will be singing in the films ‘Behloldana’ and ‘Good Morning India’ in Sahil Riyaan’s composition. He is also singing songs for the films Satyam, The Mystery and Mein Hun Sikandar composed by Anwar, Vishu Sharma and Praveen-Manoj respectively.

Devotional singer Bhavdeep Jaipurwala is to release an album in praise of Sai Baba. His forthcoming album ‘Sathya Sai Baba’ is also sung and composed by Sumit Tappu.

“The album comprises of nine songs which are not the typical bhajans, in fact we have kept the music contemporary. It is different from what has been sung so far for baba, so I am sure people will like it,” informs Bhavdeep Jaipurwala.

The album will be releasing in November in Puttaparthi, Bengaluru. “We are releasing it in Puttaparthi as 15 years back we had released an album called Sai Darshan, which went on to become one of the bestsellers so far among the devotional music,” he shares.

Hopefully this time too Sai makes their belief stronger with the success of yet another devotional stint.

Defying definition, you might think, but her immense range and style too has been put in a box labelled ‘eclectic.’ Does this label take away from her versatility and ability to fuse disparate musical forms? Yes, but Shubha takes no credit for her skill over a wide repertoire as she was “exposed to all kinds of music without being judgmental.” In fact her guru Pandit Ram Ashreya Jha who was primarily an exponent of classical styles like dhrupad, dhamar and khayal, originally worked for a Ram Leela company and became one of the greatest composers of his time. Naina Devi too did qawwali, ghazal and thumri and also worked as a TV producer. “I can’t give myself credit for being able to amalgamate styles — it’s part of my inheritance, so I have a natural curiosity for all musical styles.”

With the broad musical scenario in India today becoming a melting pot of musical genres, why have non-film genres unlike in the West, not picked up or become as popular as film music? Shubha attributes this to arts education in India not being an integral part of the school system. “You can’t have one period a week for music, often reallotted to ‘more important’ subjects, with the music teacher ending up training kids to sing for Independence Day!” Besides, she asks, “Why such a narrow music curriculum, with only classical music? A lot of kids feel classical music sar ke upar se jaata hai. Why don’t we inculcate a culture of listening and producing a variety of sounds and styles, and not just shows in which every child wants to be a chota ustad?”

Ironically enough, even fusion styles like Indipop which became a rage, are on the decline. Shubha thinks Indipop is on the wane because there is a “complete lack of focus on quality. The trend is to ‘look good’ and ‘if you have the wealth, make an album and sell it to a company for a sum. There is very little scouting and nurturing of talent.” And there is no “well thought out marketing strategy for selling music,” she says. The only option an artist is left with is “to do spot sales at the concert venue which artists find difficult to handle and anyway, is a limited avenue.”

Sensing the need for creating a distribution channel as many artist’s recordings are either not easily available or not being sold beyond a point, Shubha started an online music store. “The online store is a platform for musicians to sell on the net on their own terms and conditions, and 80 percent of every sale is sent to the artist,” she affirms.

Visibly delighted at being asked her about her fascination for gizmos and the connection to music, Mudgal says, “Technology drives me and I’m like a child in a toy shop! Our music website started because of my interest in gizmos.”

On why there are no cult figures in Indian classical music today, Shubha says, “Well it’s a reflection of the times. Today, cricket and films are huge, therefore cult figures come from there. Also the contribution of greats like Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal is unmatched. If there’s no cult figure in this generation, I’m not complaining—you have to do things to become a cult figure,” she says.

The Nana... song is the most popular piece of CR, which features 15 tracks. And, it’s close to the musician’s heart as it marks the singing debut of his son! “Yes, Nana... is the hot favourite abroad,” he gushes, “Making my son sing a couple of lines was not a big ordeal at all. He was fooling around in the room when I was composing the song. And, just as an experiment, I made him sing a couple of lines and recorded it. I used it because it fit the mood of the track perfectly.”

How many marks would he give himself out of ten for his first Hollywood soundtrack, post the Oscar success? “I never rate my music,” he states matter-of-factly.

The entrepreneur-turned-actor, for whom the doors to Kollywood opened up at a get-together, can’t stop talking about his adventurous journey to filmdom. “It was during a gathering that I met director Abishek of Kolangal fame. When he asked me if I would be interested in acting in films, my immediate reply was ‘Are you kidding?’ I was interested in acting, but I didn’t know if I could pull off the role. I wondered if I would be able to live the character. Luckily, all went well and I started shooting for Kadhai,” begins Shaan.

Playing the role of rich, award-winning writer was not child’s play for the actor though. “Even though I did not find the transition from being an entrepreneur to an actor difficult, adapting to the new lifestyle (Shaan is from the United States) and tinsel world was quite a task,” he says and adds, “I play writer Naren, whose works revolve around women, their characteristics and emotions. He finds his soulmate in Kaavya (played by Niveditha), a violinist, and gets married to her. Their marital life has its own ups and downs and trouble starts when an old friend (played by Abhinay of Thulluvadho Ilamai fame) comes into their lives.”

Shaan may now be a part of the glitz and glamour of tinsel town but the actor isn’t willing to leave his grassroots — his business and technology, behind. “People have accepted me as businessman and I understand what my customers require. In fact, my business has helped me in acting as well. I have to satisfy my customers in business and in films, I have to please the audience. I strongly believe that if there is an artiste in you, it will surely come out; provided you have the patience and put in hard work. I tend to get addicted to whatever I do. Be it technology or films, I try to give my best to everything,” he says.