Roop Kumar Rathod: I am choosy about my work

Roop Kumar Rathod

At a time, when playback singers compete to get maximum Bollywood numbers under their belt, Roop Kumar Rathod likes to maintain a low profile as he feels over exposure bores the listeners.

Roop Kumar Rathod

Rathod's last Bollywood number was the hit 'O Saiyyan' from 'Agneepath' in 2012 followed by 'Kahe Sataye' from Randeep Hooda starrer 'Rang Rasiya' but the 'Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hain' crooner does not

feel tempted to join any race and prefers to maintain an exclusivity about his music.

"My absence from Bollywood is not deliberate or intentional but I am a little choosy about my music. Whatever I do, I want to be there, I want to play a long innings. I don't want to be outdated after singing for

two years. I don't want that. I think intervals should be there between songs so that people wait for my music," Rathod told PTI.

The singer feels Hindi music industry is going through a phase where the craze for a musician is temporary.

"That's the problem in our industry, nowadays one whole era is changing in six months. Singers are changing in six months. First it was Himesh's (Reshammiya) time, then came Mohit Chauhan and now it is

Arijit Singh. but I think these phases are temporary. I am worried about that.

"I don't want this to happen to me. I am singing for the past 25 years and even today people wait for my songs, that's a very good thing. I am happy that I have an image," he said.

Having lived on ghazals before making his cut in Bollywood, striking balance between filmy and non-filmy songs means a lot to Rathod. The singer is bringing his new ghazal album 'Zikr Tera' with wife Sunali

Rathod after a gap of five years and is naturally thrilled.

"After five years we have done a ghazal album called 'Zikr Tera'. Not much is happening in ghazals these days so we have tried and we will keep trying to create ghazals for its listeners. Nothing beside

Bollywood music gets promoted today.

"Four different poets have written the songs in the album-- Shakeel Azmi, Sahani Aslam, Madan Pal and Parveen Kumar Ashq. There are eight ghazals," he said about the album.

Rathod said four out of eight music videos have already been shot in Udaipur and one of the songs is now online.

The 'Maula Mere Maula' singer said the competition between artists in the industry has become fierce today, which has resulted in making them insecure.

Rathod blames the lack of training among singers and sole dependence on Bollywood music for their survival for the insecurity.

"Singers consider themselves weak. There was a time when singers used to rule the industry. Today singers don't think high of themselves. Maybe they are insecure of their future.

There is desperation in them.

"I have never been insecure because I don't solely depend on Bollywood for my living. I am trained well. I do fusion, devotional songs, ghazals and live performances, so I have never felt insecure," he said.