The sitar is better than the guitar

Like everything else about Yeh Saali Zindagiu00a0-- from the cast (Irrfan Khan, Chitrangada Singh, and Arunoday Singh), to the theme, the upcoming film's music too is unconventional. Sunday Mid Day chats with LA-based sitar player Nishat Khan, who makes his Bollywood debut in the Sudhir Mishra film



Is Yeh Saali Zindagi your first project with the Hindi film industry?
Yes, and I'm excited. Music has been part of our family for seven generations. It wouldn't be wrong to say that my family played a part in the evolution of the sitar. For many years, I have collaborated with various artists, and have performed at venues ranging from Albert Hall to Carnegie Hall.

You've had the opportunity to play with Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana, we hear.
Yes, I have performed at Eric Clapton's guitar festival, Crossroads, where I was the only sitar player, and it was at the same event that I jammed with Santana.

How did you team up with Sudhir Mishra on Yeh Saali Zindagi?
I had met Sudhir in Mumbai a few years ago. He had liked my work, and we discussed working together. We became friends over time, and that's when he offered me the chance to compose music for a thriller. The genre amused me. He sent me a synopsis of the film, I read it, and said, yes.

What's the soundtrack like?
It's a fusion of new sounds, and what you feel you have heard before. The album includes a romantic song, a jazz-based number, and a pop track. Chitrangada (Singh) plays a singer in the film, so we had to throw in a pop song.

Does the sitar feature in the tracks?
The film is about a guitar player, but I cheated a bit (laughs). I have used a bit of sitar in a couple of places.

And how were you initiated into playing the sitaru00a0-- natural proclivity or family tradition?
I was about three years old when my father gifted me a toy sitar. I would play it, and he would take it away because kids have a short attention span. When I would ask for it, he would hand it over to me. And that's how it all began. I take lessons only from my father, Imrat Khan Saab.

You are based in Los Angeles. Are you in touch with Hindi film music?
I love Hindi film music; I have grown up on Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) and Dharamji's (Dharmendra) films, and music by RD Burman, Laxmikant Pyarelal and Naushad Saab. I'm fortunate to have been part of a jugalbandi with Ustad Bismillah Khan; it was a dream come true. Khan Saab used to play with my father, and my uncle, Vilayat Khan Saab.

Classical musicians find it difficult to find success in Bollywood. Does that deter you?
Shivji (Shiv Kumar Sharma) and Hariji (Hariprasad Chaurasia) had a fabulous career as Hindi film music composers.
Bollywood News Service