|
 In an industry where you're only as good as
your last hit, it's gotta kill you when
'extenuating circumstances' prevent you from
far-reaching success, especially when you do
have a couple of hits under your belt. Take
Chandana Dixit. Who didn't gyrate to Coolie
No. 1's 'Husn Hai Suhana'? And then, a couple
of years later, to the captivating 'Shehar Ki
Ladki' from 'Rakshak'. Post-both
super-sensations that were these songs,
Chandana missed some golden opportunities. For
no fault of hers. Yet there's not a bitter
bone in this young singer's being. A little
disappointment, maybe. But no bitterness.
In 1994, she entered into a
contract with TIPS to do cover versions. Most
people look down on a singer who does that.
How did she deal with that? " Yeah", she
agrees, " people do run them down a lot. It's
tough. But I just did what I felt was right."
While her contract with TIPS might have ended,
her singing of cover versions for them hasn't,
her most recent album being 'Whispering
Melodies' with Babul Supriyo. " People look
down upon cover songs but the fact is that
they go out and buy that stuff. That means
they really want to listen to those songs."
At any rate, in 1995, TIPS was co-producing
their first film, 'Coolie No.1'. On the day of
the recording of 'Husn Hai Suhana', the
original female singer didn't show up for some
reason and Chandana, being in the studio on
that day, was asked to step in for a scratch
recording. " You really cannot plan anything
here", she says, " I didn't go after this. It
came to me." That it did. The next day,
Chandana was called and told that she would be
singing on the final take of the song. " I was
elated!" she recalls of her reaction. " I
remember we were driving to Pune and we
stopped at Kopoli at about nine in the morning
for a cup of tea. And suddenly, the panwalla
started playing that song. It really made my
day!" 'Husn Hai Suhana' made a lot of other
people's days as well.
But what happened after that? " The contract
with TIPS prevented me from singing for
anybody else", she says, " A lot of people in
fact did say that they tried to contact me for
songs." That was really too bad and she
agrees. " "You have to strike when it's hot.
After a while, everything sort of peters out."
One thing that was good in a way was that at
that time, she didn't feel any real pain from
'an opportunity missed'. " I was pretty caught
up in what I was doing. It really didn't sink
into me."
|
|
Sound & Lights |
4 cordless, 14 Mike, Mixer, Dat, CD, Lights as per Setup
|
