On A Song SHILPA RAO

If you stayed on till the end credits of Ludo, you would have been as surprised and delighted to hear Shilpa Rao’s version of Hardam Humdum as we were. The singer has done full justice to the beautiful track composed by Pritam. She gives full credit to the composer and to director Anurag Basu for creating the masterpiece. “Pritam had an idea of doing a ghazal in an EDM format and that idea became this song. I have been a fan of Anurag’s movies forever and I think this was the perfect way to collaborate with all of them,” she says. Here’s Shilpa in conversation with TMM.

How would you describe your working relationship with Pritam?

The first song I recorded with Pritam was in 2009. I share a wonderful friendship with him that I really cherish. He is someone I don’t hesitate to call for any advice.

The current lockdown has changed us all in a lot of ways. Do you think it has changed you on some levels?

If it has not changed you as a person, you need to start thinking. This is a message from nature, from the universe telling you there is something wrong with the way we have lived our lives and that it’s time to change. Even before the pandemic, my life has pretty much been this way. I take offon breaks to visit new places and collaborate with various artists. That’s always been my thing. On a regular day, we would end up spending three-four hours in traffic just to go for a meeting. With COVID, we realised that some decisions can be taken over a phone call. The chaos has just been created by us. Work can happen irrespective, especially for musicians, our work had been digitized long ago. Musicians all over the world have been putting out music. Thanks to all of them, there is something to look forward to in these dark times. I have always felt that art always gives you an answer and it saves the day.