Mohan Kannan on being the voice behind Laal Singh Chaddha's poster song Kahani

Does the baritone voice behind “Naav” from Udaan or, “Chaandaniya” from 2 States strike a chord of your soul every time you hear them? If your answer is yes and you still haven’t come across “Kahaani”- the soulful poster song from the much-awaited release Laal Singh Chaddha, we tell you it’s a must. Mohan Kannan, popularly known for being the lead vocalist of Pune-based rock band Agnee has yet again created magic with his voice for this track. We caught up with the banking executive turned musician to get some insights into the Forrest Gump adaptation, and the cultural influences of his hometown Kolkata he wears on his sleeves

What made you take up Kahaani in the first place?

I truly was not aware I was taking up the poster song for Laal Singh Chaddha in the first place. It was just another call from my friend and music composer Pritam in 2019 that turned into a conversation about this song. He asked me if I would like to lend my voice to it and I immediately agreed. It was only a few days after the recording session that I learned that the film has Aamir Khan in the lead, and he really liked the outcome. However, I wasn’t still aware which movie it was for until a few weeks ahead of the motion poster release around Christmas of 2020.

The song has an extended version in the film and builds the soul of this project. I am quite excited about the unplugged version of this song that I just recorded a few months ago and is due for release soon.

If you had to describe this song with a few adjectives, what would they be?

Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is innocent; as the song has a very pure and serene feel to it. Secondly, I believe it establishes the philosophy behind the film and builds its soul. Thirdly, it is extremely relatable. Amitabh has breathed life into this track with his meaningful yet simple words and the way it has been composed, or the way I have perceived this song all work towards making it as connectable as possible.

How important is visual representation in an era of digitisation?

Visualisation is extremely important in today’s times and musicians must plan it ahead if they have the resources. Visualisation either adds or substracts X-factor from the song that in turn builds curiosity amongst the audiences. Only big houses or big names with huge traction over the internet can risk experimenting and focussing just on the audio.

Since Kahani has initially released on YouTube with a very simple visual representation and the focus was mainly on audio, I had to be very cautious about making every lyric, and every transition prominent.

How is it balancing between Agnee and individual projects?

It seems a lot easier to balance both because of my bandmate Koco as we share a common understanding. We do have arguments and dicey situations to tackle, but it’s very clear for all of us that none of us treat Agnee as a passion or side project. We have just completed 15 years of Agnee this month and looking forward to celebrating 15 more.

Do you believe Kolkata has influenced your music?

I hail from a family full of classical musicians but becoming a vocalist was never on my cards. I only turned to music after a brief corporate stint in the banking sector. I remember to and froing the ghazal scene of Kolkata while growing up with stalwarts like Ghulam Ali coming to perform in the city. I am equally fond of Kishore Kumar’s classics.

Upcoming projects?

I recently collaborated with Indraadip Dasgupta again for the upcoming movie Habji Gabji’s song “Eka Eka Ami Ar Thakte Parina” and have two Bollywood feature film songs down my pipeline. Apart from this, we are leaving no pages unturned to celebrate Agnee’s 15^th birthday.

Kahaani is now streaming on YouTube.