MUMBAI: Sony Mix's 'Raina Beeti Jaye: Jashn' has been getting both viewers and industry accolades for its unique presentation of retro songs. But, it's not just the ones viewing the show enjoying it. The makers of the show too are loving the process. In fact, Sumeet Raghavan the anchor of the show calls his experience with 'Jashn' fantastic. We got chatty with him this festive season.

"Music is my passion and retro is extremely close to my heart. I have grown up on retro songs. My dad used to play them to us and now, I play them to my kids. My children too are ardent fans of retro," says Raghavan.

He adds that we have a rich heritage in the form of retro music and we shouldn't let go of it. When the 'Raina Beeti Jaye: Jashn' offer came his way, he naturally jumped at it. "It's great to learn about never heard before trivia. I've come across song stories that I have never heard before," confesses Raghavan, who once aspired to be a singer himself.

"Singing is my first love. I wanted to be a singer and I used to learn Hindustani Classical. But, then I started as a child actor. There was a time when I was offered a Marathi play and I had to choose my career path. I chose acting. You cannot be a jack of all trades, one needs to give 100 per cent to one art," confesses Raghavan who, however, still hasn't parted ways with music.

The actor has been taking guitar lessons for the last one and a half years from Trinity College. He also went on to pass his first exam with distinction, scoring 89 marks out of 100. "I want to keep the passion of music alive," states the TV star.

In fact, he has been keeping the passion alive with the Sony Mix show. "There are so many things that I enjoy doing on this show. We have this unplugged session at the end of every episode and if it's a female song, my co-host Akriti Kakar, who is a fabulous singer sings it and if it's a male song I do. Otherwise, it is a duet. The trivia and anecdotes too are something that we have been enjoying. It's great to know the birth of a song because when you hear it, you look at it in a different light."

He adds, "These singers have sung songs in spite of having a death in the family. Like Rafi Saab went to record 'Din Dhaal Jaye' from 'Guide' while he was flying kites. He went to the studio for an hour recorded the song and got back to flying the kite. Manna Dey who happened to be staying in the same locality asked him if he even went for the recording. Today when you hear that song you are completely in awe of it."

Raghavan personally too has good knowledge of retro songs and their lyrics, something that he puts to good use during the show's creative discussions. "I have corrected song lyrics and facts at times. My dad had come to Mumbai in the 60s and though he was a South Indian he loved Hindi music. He used to tell us the stories behind the making of these songs," reveals the anchor.

Furthermore, he is thankful to Sony Mix for creating a show like 'Raina Beeti Jaye: Jashn', overall it is great fun to do this show. That too on a channel that is dedicated to music."

Watch the show on Sony Mix every night at 10 pm.