PremiumHimani Kapoor on Dono’s Khatt Mithiyaan: I am full of gratitude for this song
The singer says that singing for a Rajshri Productions' film and working with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Irshad Kamil were on her bucket list
Last Updated: 06.01 PM, Sep 09, 2023
Himani Kapoor is among the few success stories of reality TV. Being a finalist of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge at the age of 17 in 2005 set her down the path to becoming a known voice in films and the independent music scene.
Her latest track, Khatt Mithiyaan, from Sooraj Barjatya's Rajshri Productions’ film Dono, which stars Sunny Deol's son Rajveer Deol and Paloma Dhillon, is a romantic number that you can get completely lost in. It has music composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (SEL) in their element.
Ahead of the release of the Khatt Mithiyaan video song, Himani spoke to OTTplay about her journey over the last 18 years, the many learnings along the way, her independent career, spirituality, and more. Excerpts from a freewheeling conversation…
Khatt Mithiyaan is a romantic number that you can completely get lost in. It must have been quite an experience to be in the studio with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy…
Seeing my name associated with the likes of SEL and Irshad Kamil feels great. I am full of gratitude to have achieved this, since it was on my bucket list. Usually, singers go directly to the studio, listen to a song, take their time to learn it, sing it, and go back home. But for this song,
SEL sent me the song’s mukhda (the first four lines), asked me to sing it, and send it back to them to see if the song suits my voice or not. I did that and was then called for the final dubbing.
I was a bit nervous on the way to record the song at their Bandra studio for a lot of reasons. First, I was singing for Rajshri Productions; I had never thought that I would be singing for them one day. Then, SEL and Irshad Kamil sir were all at the studio. But as soon as I entered the studio, I was able forget my nervousness and concentrate on singing because the whole team made me feel comfortable. I got to learn a lot from all of them that day. It was amazing how Shankar Mahadevan sir guided me to sing each line, and Irshad sir suggested how to use the words.
Your claim to fame came through a reality show at a time when there weren’t too many of them being aired. People have a lot of opinions, many negative, about such shows. But you’re proof that they can actually launch careers…
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa was a great opportunity and platform for me. Back then, there were hardly any music reality shows. Then, soon enough, there was at least one on each channel. Being on a reality show helped me achieve a humongous amount of fame, which led to getting work in the music industry. I debuted as a playback singer in the 2006 film Chingaari, singing for Sushmita Sen while I was still a participant on the show. And there has been no looking back since.
Your most recent single, Deewwani, has received millions of views online. Talk us through the process of Deewwani and how it came to life…
Deewwani is an independent song that I chose. One evening, when I was with my friend Rimi Dhar, she played me a song that she had written and composed. I asked her to give the song to me, to which she asked me what my plan was with it. And that was it. That’s how Deewwani came to life. We have two more songs lined up that are ready to be released as independent songs. I am focusing more on my independent career now because that is a space where I can explore, experiment, and do things the way I like. I recently started writing songs as well.
You have sung the reprised version of Aaj Ke Baad from Satyaprem Ki Katha, which is a soulful number. Is it harder to sing such tunes than, say, uptempo songs like Deewwani? How much prep do you do before you go into the studio to sing such songs?
I never feel any discomfort while singing any kind of song or feel like I put a lot of effort into singing. I try to understand what the story behind each song is and what is happening in the scene when the song is played. I think about what emotion the song demands and then record it keeping all that in mind. Whatever emotions I have experienced in my 35 years, I put into my songs. I go back in time to when I felt something like that, and then I emote it.
So there is a lot of you in your songs?
There has to be. Even music directors cannot make a singer emote; they can only explain the emotions, but they can’t make someone bring them out. A song should touch your soul, and you should get goosebumps when you hear it. That’s how I feel with each song of mine. I want to sing in a way that reaches people’s hearts.