“The stage is where I feel at home” – Pawni Pandey

One of the first words that comes to one’s mind when one thinks of Pawni Pandey is versatile. In a relatively young career, Pawni has sung a variety of songs, belonging to different genres, moods and themes, in films. The singer, who started her professional journey when she was still in school, has to her credit hits like ‘Laila Main Laila’ (‘Raees’), ‘Sweety Tera Drama’ (‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’), ‘Sahiba’ (‘Phillauri’) and ‘Akdi Pakdi’ (‘Liger’), among others.

In this interview, Pawni talks about the journey as a singer, stories behind some of her most endearing songs, experience of participating in reality shows, importance of making music independently, creating music with husband Abhilekh and more.

Most people first you performing in the reality show L’il Champs in 2006. However, you started performing singing way before that, when you were just three years of age.

Yes, that’s right! I was born in Shri Ganganagar, a small town in Rajasthan. My family and I used to live in Jaipur. Till the time I was in Jaipur, I could not get a proper teacher. That was one of the primary reasons why my parents thought it would be better if we move to Mumbai. I used to love singing from a very young age. The people around us would often say that I sing well and I should take my talent forward. In the ‘90s, events like the ‘Star Nights’ were very popular. I started singing in such shows. As a child artist, I was once performing in Delhi. Tabassum ji was hosting the show. When she heard me sing on the stage, she told my parents that I was a good singer and should be taken to Mumbai. She said that if I received proper training and guidance, I would become a good singer.

After listening to Tabassum ji’s advice, my parents decided to move to Mumbai along with me. They wanted to ensure that I get the right training to build a career in music. My first guru in Mumbai was Goutam Mukherjee. I trained under him for a very long time. Usha Deshpande ji was my guru for many years. For some time, I took lessons in Suresh Wadkar ji’s Ajivasan Academy as well. Then, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs happened. During that time, I wanted to explore myself as an artist more. I went to California and learnt Western music for some time. I learn there from a teacher named Mr. Thomas Appel. I learnt western vocals from him. After returning from California, I wanted to undergo advanced training. During those years, my guru was Ravi Juley ji. I learnt from many teachers over the years.

You participated in L’il Champs as a child. After a few years, ‘Indian Idol’ happened. How was the experience of participating in these reality shows?

I could not continue in ‘Indian Idol’ for a long time. I had only appeared for the audition round. I had cleared the round but had to quit the show as I had some prior commitments for live shows and the dates were clashing. The L’il Champs journey was quite long. It went on for 3-4 months. Armaan (Malik) was also a part of that season. We were just kids then and having a lot of fun. It was a good learning experience for us. Apart from helping us grow as singers, the show also gave us a good idea about how the industry works, how channels operate and how reality shows are done.

Your family moved from Jaipur to Mumbai for you. Were they always very supportive?

Yes, they always were! My father had a construction business in Jaipur. My bua used to live in Mumbai. She was the only person we knew in Mumbai. My father wound up his flourishing business in Jaipur and started working in a construction company in Mumbai. He went from being a boss to an employee. It must have been difficult for him but he smiled through it and never complained. These were the sacrifices that one could see. There were many other sacrifices he made which he never spoke about. My mother, too, was always supportive of my dreams. Without my parents’ support, I would not have been able to fulfill any of my dreams.

You were a child when you made your debut as a playback singer with the song ‘Cheecho Cheech Ganeriyan’ for the Punjabi film ‘Ek Jind Ek Jaan’. It was composed by Uttam Singh.

Yes, the song had two versions. The version, which showed the two lead characters in their childhood, was the one I sang.

Was this your first professional recording?

It was my first film recording. Before that, I had recorded a nursery rhymes album. Singing for Uttam Singh ji was a huge honour. Even then, I was a huge fan of his songs from ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’ and ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’. I was very nervous as it was going to be my first film recording. I remember I was unwell that day. The producer of the film was a gentleman named Mr. Deepak Maini. He used to live in an apartment adjacent to ours. Every day, my father would sit with the harmonium, do his riyaaz and also make me do my riyaaz. In Mumbai, most flats are very close to each other. This is how, I believe, Deepak Maini ji would have heard my voice. He wanted a child vocalist for the songs. He reached out to my dad. My dad and I were very happy when this offer came by. I would always be proud of the fact that my first song in a film was composed by a legend like Uttam Singh ji.

‘Laila Main Laila’ from ‘Raees’ has been one of your biggest songs. The original song was composed by Kalyanji – Anandji and it was reimagined by Ram Sampath. Interestingly, you got to render lines written by two great lyricists. You got to sing some of the lines written by Indeevar for the original song and some new verses penned by Javed Akhtar for this new version.

My parents grew up listening to Indeevar ji and Javed saab’s songs. So, singing a song that featured lines written by both of them was a huge honour. Singing this song was one of the best moments of my life. I had known Ram sir for a while. I had sung a song for him called ‘Khelein Hum Khelein’. It featured in the third season of ‘Satyamev Jayate’. I had recorded many scratches for him back them. Over the years, he has become a mentor to me. He has been a constant guiding light in my life.

Was it a tough song to sing?

It took me a while to arrive at the right approach. I did not modulate my voice in the version that you hear. However, in an earlier version, I had modulated it a lot. Ram sir asked me to sing it as close to the original as possible. He wanted me to match the sound of Kanchan ji’s voice. She sang the original track with a lot of innocence and simplicity. I tried to match the timber of her voice and recorded the track. After a couple of months, I came across an article in a newspaper stating that Sunny Leone would be featuring in the song. I realized that what I have sung will not suit her at all. I called up Ram sir and requested him to give me another chance. He agreed. This time, I sang keeping Sunny Leone in mind. That is the version that was used in the film.

‘Laila Main Laila’ was in your playlist for a long time. Do you listening to your songs and analyzing them?

I used to do that earlier. Now, I have stopped doing that (laughs). Maybe, I liked listening to ‘Laila Main Laila’ a lot as it had Shah Rukh Khan in it. I have always been a huge SRK fan.

‘Dheere Dheere Se’ from ‘Guns of Banaras’, which you co-sung with Mohit Chauhan was a very melodious song. It was composed by Sohail Sen and written by Sameer Anjaan.

When I sang the song, I did not Mohit sir would be co-singer in it. Around that time, I was singing a lot of scratches for Sohail. Whenever he had to pitch a song in a female voice, he would call me for it. Rikku Rakesh Nath ji, who was the producer on the film, was extremely helpful. He was like a father figure to me. He supported me tremendously. I had also sung the scratch version of ‘Pagal Mera Dil’, which was eventually recorded in Palak’s (Mucchal) voice. Both these songs were developed in front of me.

‘Gehlore Ki Goriya’ from ‘Manjhi The Mountain Man’ has been one your most underrated songs.

Not just the song, the film is quite underrated. Sandesh (Shandilya) sir had composed some beautiful songs and BGM the film. It is one of Nawaz’s (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) finest works. I was trying to meet Sandesh sir for a very long time. He is very different from other music directors. He is a bit reclusive. He is a wonderful person. I learnt a lot while doing the song with him. It was my good fortune to work with him.

You sung three songs in ‘Anarkali of Aarah’.

Yes! Rohit Sharma was the music director of the film. When we started working on the songs, he told me that he did not want clean singing. He wanted my singing to be a little rustic so that it would suit the character played by Swara Bhasker. The songs were very different from the kind I was singing at that time. The songs were designed to take the narrative forward. Creatively, the songs were very challenging. Avinash Das ji, the director of the film, is a very rooted person. He was very sure about what he wanted. He gave me a free hand while singing the songs. He told me, “aise gaao jaise Bihar ke shows mein log gaate hain”. He said he didn’t want any amount of sophistication. As singers, we are trained to control the rawness and bring out the finesse in singing. When somebody says they don’t want finesse, it becomes an interesting challenge. ‘Anarkali of Aarah’ was a creatively stimulating project for me.

One got to witness some interesting jugalbandi between Malabika Brahma and you in ‘Sharm Laaj’ from ‘Gulaab Gang’.

When I heard Malabika’s voice, I was floored. She has an incredible voice. Our voices are very different from each other. The entire had such a fun, rustic vibe to it.

‘Sahiba’ from ‘Phillauri’ was a very soulful song.

I have known Shashwat bhai since childhood. His younger sister and I were classmates in school. I have known Shashwat bhai and his family since the time I used to live in Jaipur. Singing for him, therefore, was like singing for a family member. I felt I was singing for my elder brother. Shashwat bhai was quite new to Mumbai then. He was trying to pitch his songs to producers. This was one of the first films he had signed. One day, he asked me to come to the studio and sing this song. While recording the song, I had no idea as to which film it will be used in. Once the song came out, I realized it was in ‘Phillauri’.

‘Sweety Tera Drama’ from ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’ was quite a fun song.

The one thing I remember about ‘Sweety Tera Drama’ was that everything happened very fast. The song released two months after I dubbed for it. Tanishk sir had heard ‘Laila Main Laila’ and he thought my voice would work well for the song.

‘Bewafa Beauty’ from ‘Blackmail’, which was composed by Amit Trivedi, was a very interesting song.

The song was picturised on Urmila Matondkar and that was a huge thing for me. To sing for actresses like Madhuri Dixit and Urmila Matondkar was a big thing. I used to watch the songs of ‘Rangeela’ on TV as a child and dance to them. I have always loved her as an actor.

‘Akdi Pakdi’ from ‘Liger’ was quite a popular song.

It was my first song for a film produced by Dharma Productions. When I used to perform in shows as a child, I used to sing ‘Saajan Ji Ghar Aaye’ a lot. So, singing for a Dharma Productions’ film was quite special.

After ‘Laila Main Laila’, you got to sing a couple of songs that were upbeat and in a similar space. Most singers go through a phase when they are stereotyped. Don’t you think it is unfair?

It happens with everyone. A lot of people like to stick to tried-and-tested formulas. Once you deliver a hit in a particular genre, you get many more songs in that genre. Actors also go through this. Sometimes, you get the opportunity to break that stereotype. That is why I started doing independent music. Film songs cam limit you in some ways. Songs are made as per the story, character and brief. As an independent artist, I want to do different types of songs. This is why you see so many artists doing independent music.

Abhilekh Lal, your husband, is a music producer and composer. What has been his contribution to your life and artistry?

Most of my independent songs have been composed by Abhilekh. He produces all my independent songs. He has been a very important person in my life. We started out as friends in college. He has seen my entire journey. He has witnessed my growth in the industry. His contribution to my life has been very important. When we work on independent songs, he understands my vision very well. As a husband, he is extremely supportive. Together, we have made different kinds of songs. We keep exploring new ideas together.

In the last few years, one has seen you sing selectively for films. Do you plan to sing more frequently for films?

When I came to the city, I came with the dream to sing in films. At that time, film music was the biggest outlet for anybody who wanted to do something in music. Today, I feel, a lot of people in the industry do not realize the importance of music. We need more films with good music. Across the world, we are known for making films with music and dance. The audience always looks forward to good films and music. Films cannot be replaced by anything. I hope that time comes back when music was beautifully intertwined with films. Now, thankfully, you do have the option of carving out a distinctive identity for yourself as an independent artist.

You have cited Lata Mangeshkar as your biggest inspiration.

I think Lata ji would always be the biggest inspiration for any female singer in India. We accord her the status of Maa Saraswati. Sunidhi Chauhan has also been a huge inspiration. Once I saw her performing live in Jaipur. I was a child and she left a huge imprint on my mind. After seeing her perform that day, I decided to become a singer. I wanted to be like her. The way she has reinvented herself is incredible. It is also hugely inspiring to see the way she represents Indian female singers.

One of your biggest dreams has been to sing for Rekha. You also wish to sing a duet with Arijit Singh.

I did sing a song with Arijit in ‘Fugly’ called ‘Dhuaan’. I want to sing a proper duet with him. There are many more dreams. I would also want to sing for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Sachin-Jigar. I want to collaborate with many international artists as well.

Studio recordings or live shows, what do you prefer more?

I love both. However, being on the stage is a different kind of experience altogether. The stage is where I feel at home.

What are you doing next?

I have recorded songs for a few films. These days, until the song comes out, you can never be sure as to which film it will be used in. I will continue releasing songs independently. I want to explore different genres as an independent artist. I hope to come up with classical based songs soon.