Kumar Sanu: Regional music is doing a thousand times better than Bollywood

If you are a 90s child, you might have grown up on songs such as Saanson Ki Zaroorat Hai Jaise, Ruth Na Jana Tumse Kahoon Toh, Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nhi and of course, Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jana Sanam being played on loop on your walkman. Chances are that you might have also crooned them to woo your first love! And on Friday, thousands of Hyderabadis got to relive it all when Kumar Sanu, the singer who gave us these gems and many more, performed his first public concert in the city at a convention centre in Hitec City.As Sanu belted his hits one after another, the crowd applauded, swayed and sang along. He sang non-stop for two-and-half hours and obliged to every request from the audience with a smile. We caught up with the legend, who has achieved the rare feat of winning five consecutive Filmfare Awards, after the concert for a quick tête-à-tête. Excerpts:
You have been in this industry for so long. It’s hard to believe that this is your first public performance in Hyderabad.
(Laughs) I have been to the city many times, but haven’t had a public concert. Hyderabad is a beautiful city with so many things to see. People here are so warm and it’s clean. It’s hard not to fall in love with the city. I am excited, definitely excited after meeting my fans here. I tried to sing all my favourite numbers and honour all the requests.
Nowadays, you are more involved with the regional music scene than Bollywood. Why?
Regional music is doing a thousand times better than Bollywood. It’s not polluted like Bollywood. I keep refusing offers in Bollywood regularly because of bad lyrics and poor music, which is not my kind of thing. And there are no ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ about it. I have sung over 20,000 songs in the Hindi film industry and most of them are still fondly remembered by the people.
How has the music industry evolved over the years? What are the most noticeable changes?
Change is not bad if it is for good. If the outcome of change is good, I won’t have any issue. We do need changes to stay relevant and to make things better than before. But the changes in Bollywood music scene is distasteful. Lyrically, the songs are bad; there’s no sher-o-shayari, there’s no Urdu. We are thoroughly following the West now.
So you oppose westernisation of Indian music?
No, but too much of something is not good. We are losing our basic music, our identity. On the other hand, the West is following us. They love Indian music. Indian musicians get so much of love and respect when they perform abroad. And here we are, running after them and aspiring to sound like them.
But the audience definitely has an appetite for this kind of music Bollywood is producing today…
Yes, they do. But can you see how much publicity goes behind making a song a hit? If you keep playing a song on a loop on TV and radio, the audience will be forced to hear it. In the 90s, 80s, 70s or the 60s, it was word-of-mouth publicity that made songs hits, not some extravagant publicity. We don’t have original hits now. And about audience, yes they do love the songs. But this love is temporary. They love a song, hear it on loop for a few days or maybe a month and then move on to the next. But old Bollywood songs still remain their favourites.
Nowadays, there are so many technical aids to make a singer sound better. What is your take on it?
Technical advancements are good, but it has also given rise to mediocrity. We have so many tracks now, but it is also making a singer out of a common man. And that’s bad. It has given rise to lack of confidence in producers, directors, music directors and singers. Today, a music director makes eight singers sing the same song before choosing the best. There is also more than one music director in one film — all because of sheer lack of confidence. Interference from the producers and sometimes the actors, who pitch their own candidates, also affect the quality of music.