Interview with Zubeen Garg in Mumbai, published in North East Sun, Delhi
My people are my biggest inspiration: Zubeen Garg
Ya Ali may have catapulted him to the big league of Hindi film music world, but that doesn't mean Zubeen Garg is taking it easy. For, rising in the popularity charts means he shoulders a much bigger responsibility now – to maintain the position. Even he knows nothing is permanent in Bollywood.
How has life changed after Ya Ali? "It's more hectic. I'm tired of travelling abroad and in India. It's tough to balance," says Zubeen.
Right now, Zubeen is working on several projects, including preparing music for two Hindi films, readying his new Hindi album, singing in Hindi and South Indian films. He has something for Assam as well. It's an album titled Mur Prio Geet, a remake of old popular Assamese songs.
His Hindi album Zindagi evoked wide-spread response and crossed platinum, means it sold more than 4 lakh of copies.
Besides music, Zubeen is an actor-director too and he's working in this direction too – a truly multi-faceted personality. "For direction, I' m writing my Hindi script Chakra. I want to start shooting in December."
Now that he is a known face in Mumbai, how does it feel? "It feels great to represent Assam nationally and internationally."
This dream boy also has a dream, "to do a song with Sting, Kenny G, Joe Satriany and Eric Clapton someday."
Reality shows are something that don't attract Zubeen too much though he did have to go at one such show in Sahara TV and quit after initial episodes. He also judged a singing show in Zee Bangla. But why did he really quit the Sahara show? "I didn't like the show. I never wanted to get in a contest. I liked Zee Bangla because I was a judge there. People shouldn't try to use artists."
Zubeen's musical journey started right from his childhood. He was in nursery when he started humming under the tutelage of his mother, his first guru. After his matric, Zubeen started playing keyboards and composing songs. "I wasn't sure about singing but I wanted to be a music director." In 1993, he released his first album Anamika, which went on to become a huge hit. And there was no looking back.
In 1995, Zubeen decided to try his luck in Mumbai. Initially, he faced some problems as he was alone. "Gradually I made contacts and people started calling me for work," says Zubeen.
Ask Zubeen the difference between Mumbai and Assam and he says, "Assam is my place and I have good hold there. In Assam, I can experiment according to my wishes. But in Mumbai, I have to be careful what I do."
He says language barrier is one reason why many talented Assamese singers find it difficult to set foot Mumbai. "We are from a simple background. Language is also a barrier for some. We also don't have an Assamese promoting company here. But slowly it's gaining momentum."
Zubeen thinks his biggest achievement to date is his popularity in Assam. "The way people love me is really wonderful. It keeps me going strong," he says.
And what about acting? "Cinema was my all time love. I took time to get into it because I wanted to know it totally. I love acting and it's in my blood." He has acted in Assamese film Mon Jai. His film Dinobandhu has won a national award. "I'm going to make some real good movie," he says.
Inspiration? And pat comes a reply. "My people are my biggest inspiration. My close friends and my family inspire me a lot."
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