“I feel happy to get back into playback singing with Chal Re Mana Jaau”: Nihira Joshi-Deshpande

‘Ata Thambaycha Naay!’ has been one of the most appreciated Marathi films to have released this year. Directed by Shivraj Waichal, the film also boasted of a good album put together by composer Gulraj Singh and lyricist Manoj Yadav. ‘Chal Re Mana Jaau’, one of the songs on the album, was rendered by Nihira Joshi-Deshpande.

In the mid-2000s, Nihira started her journey as a playback singer with films like ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ (2005) and ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’ (2007). Over the years, she sang several popular songs in Hindi and Marathi cinema including ‘Mera Dil’ (Salaam – E – Ishq’), ‘Sajde’ (‘Kill Dil’), ‘Bhijun Gela Vera’ (‘Irada Pakka’), ‘Funkarichi Wadle’ (‘What’s Up Lagna’) and ‘Tujhyamule’ (‘Shentimental’). A couple of years ago, she moved abroad with family and that is when she started exploring the independent music space. One has seen Nihira release several interesting singles like ‘Ishq Manayein Kya?’, ‘Nirmohiya’, ‘Na Chode Hamein’ and ‘Tumi’ along with a well-composed and sung album called ‘Trishna’ independently.

‘Chal Re Mana Jaau’ from ‘Ata Thambaycha Naay!’ has been a special song for her as it marks her return to playback singing after a hiatus. Nihira has co-sung this track along with Gulraj Singh, who has also composed and produced it. The lyrics are written by Manoj Yadav. The song has a certain warmth which engulfs you when you listen to it.

‘Chal Re Mana Jaau’ from ‘Ata Thambaycha Naay!’, in a way, marks your comeback into playback singing. How was it getting back into this space after a while?

Of course! It was lovely getting back into this space again. In the last seven years, I had mostly sung my own compositions. This was largely because of me being away from India. I had moved to Germany and was living there with my husband and daughter. Now, I am back in India and singing other people’s compositions as well. There is a lot of learning in this process. You are getting into someone else’s mind. You are trying to do justice to someone else’s thought. ‘Chal Re Mana Jaau’ is a beautiful song and I feel privileged to get the chance to sing it. I could not have asked for a better song to get back to playback singing with. Even the film is incredible.

Marathi is your mother tongue. Does that make the process of singing a Marathi song more special?

You are always close to your mother tongue. Having said that, since childhood, I used to sing a lot of Marathi and Hindi songs since childhood. As far as playback singing is concerned, I have done more work in Marathi. I firmly believe that music does not have any language. When it comes to conversations, I am equally comfortable in Hindi and Marathi. Of course, you feel the most comfortable expressing your thoughts in your mother tongue.

You have worked with lyricist Manoj Yadav on your independent singles in the past. How was it collaborating with him on a film song?

Manoj Yadav ji has written two songs for me in the past, ‘Nirmohiya’ and ‘Ishq Manayein Kya?’. This was a different experience for multiple reasons. This was the first time I was singing a mainstream Hindi film song written by him. Earlier, he had written lyrics for my compositions and we had worked together only in the independent space. Though Marathi is not his mother tongue, he is fluent with and writes some wonderful poetry in this language. He wrote all the songs for ‘Ata Thambaycha Naay!’ and did a phenomenal job with it.

This marks your first collaboration with composer Gulraj Singh. How was the experience of working with him?

It was a very memorable experience. He is a superlative composer. His music knows no boundaries. When Gulraj called me for the song, I was very excited. For a very long time, I was waiting for an opportunity to sing for him. As a composer, he is very clear about what he wants. He gets the best out of his singers. I had a wonderful time singing ‘Chal Re Mana Jaau’. I feel happy to get back into playback singing with it.  

Do you plan to more work as a playback singer in the near future?

I have done playback for a few other films which will come out soon. While I am happily pursuing a journey as an independent artist, I would love to continue singing for films as well. I don’t want to have any restrictions on how I can express myself through my music.

You have composed some music for yourself in the past. Do you wish to compose for a film?

I haven’t given it a lot of thought. Whenever I compose independently, I do not receive any brief from a director or producer. I do what I feel like doing. I get the freedom to craft a song the way I wish to. Composing a song for a film is a challenge. You have to follow the brief given and adhere to deadlines. Though it would be challenging, I would love to try my hand at it.