They love Bollywood so much, they have decided to make sure Sydney loves it too. Two second-generation immigrants will pay ode to Madan Mohan and RD Burman next Sunday
Sagar Nagaraj
Next Sunday, the iconic Verbrugghen Hall in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music will echo, not with the music of Tchaikovsky and Mahler, but of Indian legends like Madan Mohan, RD Burman and Jatin-Lalit.
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The first-ever concert featuring Bollywood music in Sydney is the realisation of a dream shared by two brothers who may been born in Australia, but have Bollywood in their veins. Sagar and Suraj Nagaraj are second generation Australian immigrants; their parents settled in Australia in 1993.
“India never really left us, though,” Sagar, 26, tells mid-day over a video call from Sydney. “Our childhood is full of memories of coming home from school to our father whistling tunes of his favourite Hindi songs. Plus, Bollywood films were always playing on TV. Shah Rukh Khan and O Saathi Re from Muqaddar Ka Sikander are a big part of our lives.”
Suraj Nagaraj
Sagar was already a budding violinist by this time, having discovered his love for strings in school, after which he enrolled into his school’s music programme. One fine day, he played O Saathi Re, which he had heard his father whistle countless number of times. His father was surprised but also loved it, and playing Indian music became a regular activity in the Nagaraj household.
“I fell in love with the violin at the age of four when I heard Sagar play and begged my parents to get me one as well,” says Suraj, 20, between spoonfuls of his evening snack. He is at home, lounging comfortably in a tee, while Sagar, all suited up, is at the Conservatory, gearing up for the first-ever rehearsal for the concert, scheduled for three hours later. Both brothers are very obviously excited about the event, which they have named Sydney To Mumbai: Bollywood Meets Symphony Orchestra.
The idea for the concert was born in November last year when, during a concert, the Nagaraj brothers played select Hindi songs after playing the usual string orchestra favourites. These included Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein, Kal Ho Na Ho and Humko Hamee Se Chura Lo, and were met with thunderous applause. Dil Ke Jharoke Mein, Shankar’s legendary composition from Brahmachari (1968), was particularly well received, the brothers tell us.
The overwhelming response from the audience, which was a mix of Indians and Australians, led to the brothers launching their own outfit—the Australian Indian Orchestra—which will perform for the first time on August 13.
Suraj, who has put together the line-up for the concert and is the Artistic Director and Conductor, has put all his knowledge about Indian music into the effort. He describes the process as “a lot of listening, reading, writing (of notes) and playing”.
“I have been to India earlier. We keep visiting our native Mysore, and I studied a great deal of Carnatic music during my trips, which helped a lot in writing the musical notes for the songs. I also performed in Kochi as part of the Sydney Youth Orchestra in 2017,” he says.
Sagar, who has played with the Australian World Orchestra and is the Concert Master for Sydney To Mumbai, adds that the concert will transform all your favourite Hindi numbers through a majestic 60-piece symphony orchestra.
“String music has always featured in a big way in Bollywood music,” he says. “In most Hindi songs, you can hear a violin or a cello.”
The only aspect of the concert that the brothers are not willing to talk about, though, is which songs they will play.
“We’re purposely keeping it under wraps, but I can promise you that it is going to be a trip through time,” is all that Suraj is willing to reveal.
The brothers do share, though, that the there will be a wide range of songs, from singes like Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh. Apart from four known Indian origin vocalists from Sydney, the concert will have a table, sitar, santour, guitar, piano and keyboard.
As the brothers put it, Bollywood music is their “home away from home”. They hope that the next Sydney to Mumbai concert will be in Mumbai. And, frankly, so do we!
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