17 August,2010 09:49 AM IST | | Payal Kamat
Who said that ghazal singers couldn't be experimental? Pankaj Udhas, who has recently released Shaayar, a tribute to the legendary poet Daagh Dehlvi, is very keen on recording English ghazals. He talks to CS:
Dehlvi delight
Daag revolutionised Urdu poetry. His language was more adapted to Indian local languages; it was a mix of Urdu and Hindi. He's inspired an entire generation and you can come across his influences in many Bollywood songs. This album is like a homage to this classical poet.
Chitthi tale
Many ask me why I haven't made or sung another legendary song like Chitthi Aayi Hai. But you can't really sit to make a song like this. Chitthi ufffdu00a0 happened at the time when the process of making music was different. Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Anand Bakshi, Mahesh Bhatt and I would conduct so many sessions to discuss the lyrics, composition and how to get the mood right.
Going global
I have recently revived Anand Shankar's album. He was a pioneer of fusion music in the 70s and this album is the right combination of fusion music and poetry. I also want to bring out an English ghazal album. I want to select eight ghazals of famous Urdu poets, translate and sing them in English.