Jubin Nautiyal on collaborating with Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty for Kesari 2, Akshay Kumar's performance, re-imagining Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's classic in 'Raid 2' and more
With chart-topping hits across Bollywood, indie, devotional, and regional music,
Jubin Nautiyal
has carved a unique space in the Indian music industry. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, he recently opened up about his powerful collaboration with
Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty
for Kesari 2's soulful track Parwardigara,
Akshay Kumar
's stellar performance in the film and his experience recreating
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
's iconic Tumhe Dillagi for Raid 2. Excerpts...
Your collaboration with Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty for Kesari 2 on the song 'Parwardigara' is a beautiful showcase of your versatility. What was the experience like working with such a legendary figure?
The experience was scintillating for me. Being on the same record with Panditji was absolutely one of the top things a musician can want in India. It was such an overwhelming experience to listen to Panditji on record. The moment his voice comes in, it feels like God's voice in the song, and I get goosebumps when Panditji enters. When Shashwat was recording Panditji, I had the honor of speaking with him. Whatever little time I got to speak with him, I could only tell him, "Sir, Charan Sparsh, I hope I could be there, and I'm really looking forward to meeting you soon." So, I'm kind of excited to meet him whenever that happens, and it will be an absolute honor to be in the same room as him.
Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty is not only a great artist and a great human being, but he is also a very important pillar of music. He is a jewel of our country. As artists, we would feel overwhelmed just by meeting such brilliant artists. Getting to work with him was very special for me. I would like to give credit for this collaboration to Shashwat, because Shashwat Sachdev himself is a musical prodigy. We share a very special bond over music. We had heard Panditji together many times and discussed how brilliant an artist he is. So, when I think Shashwat got the right opportunity to create a song where I, Shashwat, and Panditji could work together, he really stood by it and made it happen. I am truly thankful to him for making me a part of such a powerful song. At the same time, I would like to thank Panditji for agreeing to sing for a film because I have been told he doesn't easily sing for films. I am sure he felt so much love for the song, for Shashwat, Garvit, me, Ishaad Kamil sahib, and the whole subject of the film, which is why he agreed to sing this song. I am forever grateful for this.
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What kind of reactions have you been getting for the song?
The response for Parwardigara has been very massive and special. People have heard me in many ways and in many styles. People have heard me doing non-film music, film music, recreational music, devotional music, and regional music. When a pop artist like me is heard in so many styles, and then gets to do one more song that breaks some boundaries for me, I think I've been captured beautifully in the song. My voice sounds so fresh to me because I get to live with my voice the most. If I'm finding it fresh, I'm sure my fans will find it fresh too.
And Kesari 2 is such a special film. It's a courtroom drama, and India hasn't seen much of courtroom dramas. Courtroom dramas rely a lot on conversations and punchlines. Akshay Kumar brings all the conviction of his character. It's so beautiful to see him perform and fight. He speaks for India out there, and it's so nice. The song comes as a big resolve in the film. It plays at a point when the conflict is fading away, and it's a song you'll walk out of the hall humming. So, Parwardigara is definitely a very special song. I would also like to mention Irshad Kamil sahib, who wrote the song beautifully. I've been a big admirer of his writing. I sang Shahid, which was written with him back in Love Aaj Kal 2, and now I'm getting to do a song like Parwardigara.
In Raid 2, you reimagined Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's classic 'Tumhe Dillagi'—a challenging task given the original's iconic status. How do you approach recreating such masterpieces?
I can proudly say that I have been one of the artists who has really done a lot of justified recreations—many successful recreations. I was kind of taking a break from recreations, and this one is one of the old ones that me and Rochak Kohli had done. This song was recorded a long time ago, and we worked on it, and even when we worked on it, it sounded so nice at that time. Now, after a while, you know, it was overwhelming to hear myself sing a recreation after a good break of a year and a half or so.
One thing I have always learned about recreations is that whenever I think I am going to work on a great song and do something better, I never manage to crack the recording. I only manage to do it when I see it from a completely different perspective. I see it like a new song, I see it like a fresh song, I see it like a song I've never heard before. How would I approach the song if I've never heard it before? And whenever I sing it like myself, I try to sing it with honesty, and it has always worked for me. I was a little unsure about whether we should do something like this, but again, the conviction of T-Series and Bhushan Kumar always brings me and Rochak to a place where we end up questioning whether we should work on a recreation or a new song, and it always raises a big question in our lives. Because whenever we get together with Bhushanji to make a recreation, that recreation performs really well, and it resonates with the whole nation. People love it, listen to it, dance to it, cry to it. I think it also has something to do with Raid 2, which is a period drama, and they wanted a classic song.
Yeah, I think that's how Raid 2 happened. Nusrat Sahab has been a life source. His style, individuality, music, composition, writing—everything he did just shows how much power his music had. Even after so many artists have repeatedly made a song like Tumhe Dillagi, there are hundreds, even thousands, of versions of this song on the internet, all being consumed. And on those thousand versions, we do another version of the song, and it works. Suddenly, people want to listen to it back-to-back; that's just the magic of Nusrat Sahab. I think we are very happy and privileged that people are enjoying the song we've done, and that it brings a little smile to their faces because it's a romantic and cute song. So, Tumhe Dillagi is definitely going to be ruling the charts. Last night, when I was playing at Chandigarh University, I sang 2-3 lines of it, and the massive response I got was overwhelming. I just want to give big love to Rochak Bhaji, Nusrat Sahab, Bhushanji, and Manoj Muntashirji, who wrote it beautifully. Manojji, whenever he writes romance, it's so special. Me and Manojji have done some great songs together—be it devotional, patriotic, or sad songs—but something about when he writes romance, I just love how he expresses it. That's what he's done in Tumhe Dillagi. "Yeshk nahi aasa, bas itna samajh lena, yaad nahi bhujni"—just things we all know but still want to hear again and again.
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