A familiar voice in Rahman’s composition Sujata Bhattacharya a.k.a Madhushree who shot to fame with her single 'Kabhi Neem Neem' (Yuva) has recently crooned a duet with legendary composer for Ekk Deewana Tha.

The classical trained singer from Kolkata has earned gamut of bollywood hits like ‘In Lamhaon ke damaan mein (Jodha Akbar), Pal Pal Hai Bhaari (Swades), Tu Bin Bataye (RDB), Hum Hai Is Pal (Kisna) and more’.

The singer has also rendered tracks in other regional languages including Tamil. In a quick tete the petite singer shares her experience on recording her first full-fledged duet 'Sharminda Hoon' with Rahman.

Excerpts:

How was the experience of working with AR Rahman for Ekk Deewana Tha?

Rahman is the music director who guided me in this industry, his style of working always fascinates me. The experience was magical like the compositions for 'Ekk Tha Deewana' which oozed romance with every note. I feel honoured that he has faith in my singing and he involves me in his projects.

Tell us about your duet ‘Sharminda Hoon’.

Sharminda Hoon is my first full-fledged duet with Rahman. It’s a romantic melody with the subtle variations in the heart rendering orchestration and musical arrangements. The lyrics penned by Javed Saab takes the song to a different level. The song produces sheer magic which only a legend like Rahman could conjure up. I just hope we get to sing such songs as often as possible.

You have been associated with Rahman for over an decade. How has he evolved over the years. Comment

Over the decade his treatment and arrangement of the songs has evolved and his music in Rockstar is a proof. Rahman has learnt to move with the times and has become quite media savvy. He now seems to know a lot more about camera angles and the way he projects himself.

Apart from Rahman, which other composers would you like to collaborate with?

Every composer today has a different style Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, Salim-Suleiman, Pritam, Soheil Sen or anybody else. I would love to sing their compositions for their sheer variety.

How has your musical journey been?

It has been an enriching period; I got to learn a lot of things. My journey is still going on. I am looking forward to work on challenging compositions with renowned music directors in the coming years.

Ironically item numbers have become rage in Hindi films. As a trained classical singer, what’s your reaction on the recent Bollywood trends?

Item songs are part of a movie today. Now, even the topmost stars do not hesitate to do such songs. So people have to move with the times.  It’s now the race for item songs as previously it was for romantic songs. Every situation demands a different type of song.

Which are your future ventures?

I’m working on some exciting projects, but as of now things are very unpredictable in this field. I would talk about it when things are finalized and set for a release. But yes, I’ll be singing a lot more songs this year.