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Sonu Niigaam's magical voice made his fans crazy about him. In town to perform at the Lord Of The Chords concert tonight, he talks about resurrecting his acting career
Not so long ago, Bollywood's top singer Sonu Niigaam could never turn down offers that came flooding his way. And very soon, he found himself recording more than 11 songs a day and saw his life being reduced to a gruelling studio-to-home shuttle.
But when tabloid! caught up with the multi-award winning singer, prior to his tonight's concert Lord Of The Chords at the Aviation Club, Niigaam was strangely in an introspective mood.
"Music is my passion and being a singer is who I am. But there came a point when it all became monotonous. Something in me snapped and I knew it was a time for a change,” says Niigaam, who has reduced his workload drastically. He now records not more than four songs a day, which is a giant step down for one of Bollywood's most popular and prolific singers.
Almost on the verge of taking a sabbatical, we wonder out loud whether his decision is an effort to resurrect his acting career? Niigaam's foray into the big-screen did not strike the right chord. His attempt at playing a lead role in Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani in 2002 was unsuccessful. His next two films did not find any takers either.
"Acting is something I enjoy immensely and I feel I have reached a point where I can afford to be choosy. I am looking out for roles with substance. I want to be remembered for being more than just a good playback singer,” adds Niigaam.
Though a sizeable majority would be in support of Niigaam sticking to familiar territory and exercising his vocals, the singer is confident that his next acting attempt will be greeted with a warmer reception.
"I would love to work with acclaimed directors such as Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani, Vishal Bharadwaj and Rituparno Ghosh. They know their craft well. Right now, I am willing to go with the flow and wait for such offers,” says Niigaam.
Surprisingly, the master crooner has not slashed his concert line-ups. "I love performing on stage. And I share a wonderful relationship with Dubai. Over the last eight years, I have performed many times out there,” says Niigaam.
So how does he ensure that his concerts do not sound all the same? "Well, my music fans would expect me to sing my hit numbers like Kal Ho Na Ho and Sandese Aate Hai. So those would be sung. But the rest of my track list would be an eclectic mix of my recent pop and film numbers,” says Niigaam.
Returning back to his favourite subject of making that elusive big-screen breakthrough, Niigaam who has sung more than a 100 (film and pop), songs says that he would never take on an action-packed role. "I know my boundaries when it comes to singing and acting. For instance, I would never sing a grunge-laced Bollywood number. All the screaming and headbanging is going to hurt me in the long run and when it comes to action roles, I don't think I will be able to pull it off,” says the baby-faced Niigaam.
He may not be confident about playing a meanie on screen, but Niigaam is on strong footing when it comes to dishing out an electrifying performance. "Save the date [tonight], you won't regret it.”
Did you know?
Sonu Niigaam began singing at the age of three.
Niigaam is Proud of...
The success of his original album Classically Mild, released this year. "The biggest compliment was when Pandit Shivakumar Sharma, India's legendary classical singer, said I had done a good job,” he says.
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