If Pakistani singers are making money in India... - Sonu Nigam

Sonu Nigam is back on television in his most popular avatar – as a judge on season 2 of Star Plus’ Chhote Ustaad. Sonu will be sharing screen space with noted singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan from Pakistan. This show will identify the best musical talent which has been handpicked by the two judges from both the countries. Post 26/11 this will be the first show where participants from Pakistan will perform in a reality show on Indian television. TellyChakkar spoke to Sonu at length on his absence from TV, return to TV and future plans. On his long absence from small screen I owe a lot to the small screen. People knew me through television. But in the last couple of years I did not like the shows being offered to me. Either there was a problem in the concept, or there was an issue with the way reality shows were changing. When I did Indian Idol 2 there were no mock fights between the judges. But today, it is different. When I judged Little Champs, I was very particular I wanted Suresh Wadkarji. We never fought in the show. I guess these are the reasons why I didn’t do TV. On the USP of Chhote Ustaad Contrary to popular belief, kids of India and Pakistan are not competing against each other in Chhote Ustaad. Each team compromises of two singers -- one each from India and Pakistan. That is the highlight of the show! On whether such a show can help build Indo-Pak relations I personally believe kids are like God and they can create the right ambience to help the next generation think differently. At the end of the day my son will not ask why the two countries only talk about terror attacks. The format of the show is very unique and will help in that. I took up this show because Gajendraji (producer Gajendra Singh), Rahatji and I felt with this show we could do some seva for music which means a lot to people like us. Few years back in Karachi when I was performing, there was a bomb blast which shook me and my family a lot. It took a long time for me to come back to normalcy. India and Pakistan are like two brothers where one is rich and another one is poor. In this case India is much richer then Pakistan in terms of music and films. There Indian music rules and Hindi films are watched by everyone. Their own film industry is not so popular, so we should help them spread the culture. On whether reality shows are good for kids Why not? In India we have this strange system where you first study to become an engineer, doctor or any other professional and when you finish your studies, you start singing. I believe you should start your training as a kid. You need to have a proper Guru and follow his or her guidance. On Pakistani singers making money in India I don't want to comment on this. I have no right to stop someone's bread and butter. If they are destined to make money in India despite their lack of talent it's their luck. I guess everyone has their own journey in their life and one has to follow that. On why he deleted his Twitter account I have not deleted my account permanently. I will use it as my workshop for music and connect with aspiring singers whenever I need to. I like to do everything correctly. When I took up Twitter, I wanted to make a difference. I feel I am good with my words so when someone wrote about me, I used to react and react the right way. That way, Twitter became a dangerous tool for me! On Facebook you have a choice, unlike Twitter. I made a change in my settings when I joined Facebook. After the death of Michael Jackson, I created a whole song in his memory with the help of my fans on Facebook. On the amount of time he spends grooming himself Honestly, though you are seeing me in a new look, I do not spend too much time grooming. Frankly the only change is the long hair and for that I do not need much time. I spend a lot more time on riyaaz. On days I even practice for four hours at a stretch and then there are days when I do not practice at all! On singing less for films When I announced that I will be reducing my commitments, I did not mean that I will not work with good composers. Somehow I reduced my work and composers stopped working with me! I have not sung for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for four years. Not worked with Pritam for two years. The last time I sang for Vishal-Shekhar was in Om Shanti Om. I feel when you are exclusive, good composers should respect that and should come to you with good compositions. But the abovementioned composers never came to me with their compositions. It's sad but true. I haven't refused them. I declined bad songs. I had worked with AR Rehman and Salim Merchant. I don't want to sing B grade songs. On being scared of criticism I don’t think this is true. When people criticise they should also accept the criticism. I just try to establish my point of view. But I guess that is not correct. One should just let them do whatever they want to. It's their (read media) job. My profession is something else. On his son Nevaan is very musical and humorous at the same time. He can speak in English and Hindi and understand Bengali. He sings and dances a lot and tries to play some instruments as well. On his new album I am working on a new international album with famous tabla player Bikram Ghosh. It will be in English and Hindi. I am also toying with the option of scoring music for an US film.