'I am excited about Refugee'

ahmedabad: it has been long since alka yagnik performed in ahmedabad on sunday evening, at a concert organised by the sales india. this was her first solo show in the state. "gujarati is my mother tongue, but being born and brought up in calcutta, i am more a bengali than a gujarati. in fact, in school, i have even sung rabindra sangeet" she said after landing at the ahmedabad airport on saturday.she has been enthralling the pan-indian audience of hindi cinema with her versatile voice and awards and accolades continue to be showered on her. hence, it comes as a surprise, when she says that she wasn't ambitious to begin with. "even as a child, i had a keen interest in music which was identified and polished by my mother, who is a trained classical vocalist herself. in fact, my parents were very ambitious about me and thought that i should aim and achieve success through my natural talent. but i wasn't ambitious at all, imagining myself to be settled as a home-maker some day. however, as my voice was appreciated and my songs became hit, i too, became more and more career-oriented," she said. winner of this year's filmfare best female playback singer award, alka still remembers her first performance on the stage. "we had gone to see a show, where the organisers, who knew that i was learning music, insisted that i sing in the show. i was barely 10 year-old and totally unprepared for a stage-show and yet, surprisingly, i had no stage-fright," she said. from madhuri, juhi, karisma, kajol to the new-comers aishwarya, preity zinta, kareena, alka has sung for all the leading ladies of recent times. "when i started playback singing, films were action-oriented, but from qayamat se qayamat tak, the hindi film industry witnessed the return of the melody. fifteen or ten years back, there was so much hue and cry about the westernisation and film music becoming hi-tech, but even then i was sure that this was a passing phase and ultimately, we will return to our roots," said alka. if film magazines are to believed, then there seems to be a cut throat competition in playback singing with mangeshkar sisters being alleged of not letting any new comer to find her place in the industry. "that's a false allegation. as a new comer and also as someone who has been in this industry for so long, i have never faced any opposition from lataji and ashaji, though i have faced some obstacles from some other seniors," said alka, who idolises lata mangeshkar. "the first time i met lataji, i was dumbfound, even today i am tongue-tied in her presence, though she is very warm and has even appreciated my songs," she added. and among the music directors, the one music director she admires the most is sachin dev burman. unlike several playback singers, who would directly go to record a song or step on stage, alka comes from the old school with firm belief in rehearsals and practice. "my training in classical music has made me disciplined," she said. "i am excited about refugee; the songs are semi-classical and whether they appeal to the masses or not, they are my personal favourites," she said. "the earlier days when one could rehearse and re-rehearse before a recording definitely guaranteed quality; today recording is hi-tech and hence, convenient. whatever be the style of rendering it, music remains the same and the music that touches one's soul is the one that will be permanent. awards are important, but ultimately when you enjoy a song yourself, the audience will enjoy too," she said.