The interview which appears below, was originally published on Hindustan Times in Augustr 2016. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.
Singer Shashwat Singh, who made his Bollywood debut with the song Wat Wat Wat from the film Tamasha, says when he got a chance to sing for A.R. Rahman, who was the music composer for the film, he was “awestruck”. And as luck would have it, he has got a chance to sing for Rahman again, when he was offered Sarsariya (Mohenjo Daro).
“When I stood to sing in front of him (Rahman), for the first fifteen minutes I was awestruck and overwhelmed. Once I came to terms with the fact that it was actually happening, it wasn’t just singing but also a learning experience. Everything that he does is so magnificent, the way he infuses soul into a song,” says the 25-year-old.
“He’s so honest while composing it. One of the biggest lessons that one could learn from him is the passion for work. Even after all these years, he’s so dedicated. Working with him is surely a surreal experience,” he adds.
His latest song, Sarsariya, from Hrithik Roshan’s upcoming, also has Singh singing to Rahman’s tune. “When I heard the tone for the first time, I was like, ‘Boss! I need this song somehow’. It is such a beautiful composition. Thankfully, it worked for me. I was called for the scratch version, and I was finalised. It was a great experience to work with AR sir, again, and with Ashutosh sir (Ashutosh Gowariker, director). Rahman sir helped me get the right expression, and Ashutosh sir kept telling me to stay calm and the only brief he gave me was to keep it simple.”
He has been doing concerts in Europe as well. “I went with singer Arijit Singh to UK and Amsterdam and that was a great learning experience. Arijit sang Wat Wat with me in the film, but I’d never met him in person before the tour.Our parts were recorded separately. Finally, through this tour, I got to meet him. He is a gem of a guy, and knows a lot about music.”
