Indian singer Kavita Seth is among the most well-known singers in the country and she has emerged as one of the most prominent alternative voices in the playback music industry with hits such as Iktara from Wake Up Sid, Mora Piya from Rajneeti, Tumhi Ho Bandhu from Cocktail and all the songs from Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy. Now, Seth is once again trending because of her independent song Rangi Sari which has been adapted as one of the dance tracks in the soon-to-be-released movie Jugjugg Jeeyo. Seth's son Kanishk Seth who is also a well-known singer and composer has lent his vocals to this song along with his mother. In an interview with Indulge, the mother-son duo talk about the track, their partnership and music. Excerpts:
Why did you agree to offer your independent superhit track to a Bollywood film?
Kanishk: I agreed to offer my song because no matter how hit the song is independently, Bollywood is Bollywood. It has a bigger reach and the best thing about it was generally music directors and composers go to the production house with their songs. In our case, they had already heard it and were already in love with the song. It feels good to have India's biggest production house love and use your song for their project. Varun and Kiara's chemistry looks fab as well.
Did you have to make any changes in the arrangement to suit the requirements of the film?
Kavita: Some changes were necessary because we had produced the song independently. We hadn't thought of it cinematically as to how it would fit in a particular move. The song is almost the same but some changes were made to have it fit well in the movie.
It's more like a disco track going by the video, what are your thoughts on this rendition?
Kanishk: Everyone has their own way of thinking and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We interpreted our way of thinking in the video we made. It's an animated video but it's made beautifully. A movie has quite a large scale and the screen is huge as well. I'm not saying that their interpretation is wrong. I quite like it that a four-year-old girl likes it almost as much as an 80-year-old woman. It shows that we have catered to a large demographic.
How do you both work together, like a mother and son or more like equal musicians and friends?
Kavita: Actually both my sons were raised in a very sonical environment. There were rehearsals that took place, which both of them were exposed to. Many musicians used to visit our place. Both of them have grown up in this environment, so it's really normal for them. I generally see stage fear in many people but both my sons are not afraid of being on stage because they used to sit with me for performances and shows since a very young age. I have a really deep bond with them. Kanishk produces more music, so he records with me more. Whenever we are working on a track we are strictly professional artistes rather than mother and son because we want to produce music of the highest caliber. We don't want to compromise the quality of the track at all. There are no ties of relationship that come between use while making music so our work is never subpar. We work in a really healthy environment with immense mutual respect and trust.
Your independent work is so well received online, are you both working on something new?
Kavita: I feel quite good as the audience is giving a positive response to my art. As they say, all good things take time, I am also working on many projects as of now but I don't want to rush into them. For example, I am working on many poets in the series 'Mai Hoon Kavita'. Many have been composed, recordings have happened, and some need mixing. Many projects are in the pipeline
Kavita, how would you describe Kanishk as a musician?
I think Kanishk is a genius. His approach to music is really deep and he is well-rooted. He takes his art very seriously. The best thing about him is that he gives Indian classical music as much importance as Western music in composition. And, when he fuses both of them together, it's absolutely magical. Not many people can do it at his level and I can proudly say that Kanishk is my son.