With a career of over two decades, legendary singer Shaan has lent his soulful vocals to a wide range of Bollywood hits, from romantic ballads to energetic dance tracks
Shaan, Maahi Pic/Instagram
Bollywood’s legendary singer Shaan celebrates his birthday on September 30. Born as Shantanu Mukherji, he is one of India’s beloved playback singers. With a career of over two decades, Shaan has lent his soulful vocals to a wide range of Bollywood hits, from romantic ballads to energetic dance tracks like "Chand Sifarish" from Fanaa, the soulful "Tanha Dil" from his solo album, the heartfelt "Jab Se Tere Naina" from Saawariya, the peppy "Kuch Toh Hua Hai" from Kal Ho Naa Ho, and the melodious "Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh" from 3 Idiots. On this special day, his younger son and singer Maahi reveals what makes the singer a cool dad.
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Shaan would get embarrassed when his songs were played at parties
Maahi realised at the tender of 9 that he wanted to be a singer, however, it was only when he became a teenager, that he understood the gravitas of the craft. Growing up in a melodious household, he shares, “A son takes a lot of inspiration from his father. He was never like, 'Mere ghar mein sirf mera gaana chalega’. He (Shaan) would get embarrassed when we played his songs at parties. I've sung with him on stage. But otherwise, I was just learning from him. The entire point is to not be an accessory to him. You’re not supposed to just be a sidekick. I still have good memories of Dad and me on stage.”
Shaan told son Maahi ‘I didn’t wake up like this’
Speaking about the conversations he has with his father Shaan and how their relationship seconds as a teacher and his student, Maahi shares, “Dad has that complete mastery of whatever he wants to do with his vocal cords. He tells me, ‘I didn't wake up like this’. And when you see that goal so close by it keeps you motivated to reach that level. It keeps me grounded because if he can reach those heights, he can sing those notes, those songs, be who he is and he can stay grounded, why would a singer who sang two songs think of leaving his feet off the ground?”
Maahi admits to having an easier route than Shaan
Shaan was among the few artists back in the day who ventured into independent music. The singer chose to lend his voice to tracks that were ahead of his time such as ‘Bhool Ja’, and ‘Tanha Dil’ to name a few. Maahi, who also took a similar route decades later asserts that there is a stark difference because things are easier for him than they were for his dad. He explains, “To get onto the CD in the first place back then you needed someone to invest a lot. Today, someone can pull out a song, we can mix it, master it all on our laptops, and dub it with a mic, upload it. There's a lot more competition in terms of content. But to just present and put yourself on the field in the first place back then was like a ridiculous feat.”
“If you're looking at specifically the case study of Dad and me, obviously I will have an easier route, right? I would be stuck but I have someone who has been through this to guide me. He didn't have that. So in that sense also I'm blessed. Now it's up to me to seize the opportunity,” he concludes.
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