Prithvi Gandharv mesmerized everyone with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s revamped rendition of Albela Sajan in Bajirao Mastani. The musical talent, who has previously collaborated with celebrated music composers like Shantanu Moitra and Pritam, has added another feather to his hat. Prithvi is performing live alongside renowned Pakistani Ghazal singer Ustaad Ghulam Ali sahab and his son Aamir Ghulam Ali at dedicated Ghazal evenings across six cities in Australia. As part of the show, the trio are also highlighting the India-Pakistan friendship while spreading the message of love.
In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Prithvi Gandharv expressed what it means to be performing live alongside a legendary vocalist like Ghulam Ali. He stated, “It was like a dream come true because we’ve grown up listening to him and his music. He is the God of ghazal gayaki. And one of the singers who actually brought the pillars of the genre to the masses. I was excited and this was like the culmination of all my efforts. And when we started touring, I got to learn a lot from him, the musicians. I am very fortunate and blessed. And his son is a gem of a person. He’s a very talented musician and we are planning to do more future collaborations with him.”
The tour is also imperative as it speaks about the unity between the neighbouring countries Pakistan and India. When asked if music alone can solve the rampant problem of divisive politics, Prithvi answered, “100%. It’s love, music and sports. All these things have always brought the nations together. Otherwise, things would have been worse. And there is no point in fighting over the same things. It’s like the ‘eye for an eye’ concept. You have to end it somewhere. There are millions of people whose families are living this side. We listen to the same song, eat the same kind of food and wear the same kind of clothes. And we have the same heart. And especially abroad, in other countries, people from these two nations get together all the time.”
With the art of ghazal gayaki slowly fading and with only a handful of people who are taking the legacy of Mehdi Hasan, Farida Khanum, Iqbal Bano, Begum Akhtar, Jagjit Singh forward, the future of this genre dangles by a slim thread. Prithvi Gandhar explained if ghazal gayaki is going to get obscured by other genres. He stated, “It is not fading away. People are not willing to devote their time and energy. Because it takes your entire life experiences and then puts it in this art form. It takes certain years. For example, if you talk about classical music, by the time you turn 55 or 60, that is the time when your music is mature and at its peak. But you’re old by then.”
He added, “There is a particular art form that take a certain number of years. It also takes understanding of the poetry and understanding of the depths of the poetry. Not just singing it but being in sync with the essence of it. It’s too deep of a subject that can’t just be performed on a solo guitar. It’s intricate and nuanced. There is a way you do it. I see a very few ghazal singers at this stage even in Pakistan. Even they don’t have good ghazal singers. Because everyone including Ali Sethi wants to become a rockstar. And even if they are bringing back Ghazal, the purity of it is lacking. And when you introduce it differently, the whole attire changes. Keeping it the way it is also important. Also bringing some newness to it in this day and age is essential. Keeping it somewhere between these two tangents is the right way to balance it out. That you don’t lose the essence of it but also bring something fresh.”
Emphasizing his point further, Prithvi Gandhar said, “There are hardly any singers who want to pursue this genre. But the love of Ghazal has suddenly grown. It’s always been there. The kind of response we are getting is beautiful. And there are singers like Pratibha Singh Baghel, Jazim Sharma, Himani Kapoor, Meenal Jain who people love for their music.”
Meanwhile, Bollywood has time and again churned out ghazals for its musical albums. Whether it was Phir Le Aaya Dil in Barfi or Aise Kyun from Mismatched, the genre has been explored countless times and has received positively. On being asked if Bollywood can give a new lease of life to Ghazal gayaki, Prithvi explained, “Bollywood has the power to bring anything into the trend and serve the bigger audience and the art form. They have been doing it. I shouldn’t blame Bollywood because whenever they get a chance, they always like to bring good music. Especially the music composers. But then Ghazal is an art form for a certain niche audience. You cannot expect everyone to like it or listen to it. However if you promote it on a big scale, it reaches and educates the audience.”
Prithvi Gandharv also praised Sanjay Leela Bhansali for whom he had sung for Bajirao Mastani. He shared, “I was very happy when he had called me for the film. He is actually a very, very talented guy in terms of music as well. We all see him as a legendary director but musically as well, he has knowledge about how a song should sound and he has a picture in his head. And he composes his music and then he has a very good team around him that makes it even better. I have really high hopes from him since he has been bringing very good music for the mainstream listeners. Even the classic and traditional touch to his movies and music makes it regal.”
Prithvi Gandharv has assisted Pritam and Shantanu Moitra. While his love for ghazals remains to be unadulterated, he is also quite big on music composition. He expressed, ”
I have been working on the craft of music composition for a while now. I also released a Ghazal album and was a part of Bandish Bandits team where I composed a couple of songs there as well. I see music as music. I love to do ghazals. That’s the main thing. But If I had to make an item number, I would do that.
For example, a good item is a good item number regardless of its genre. Like Beedi Jalaile, Kajra Re, Sheila Ki Jawani is good music. If you do mediocre stuff and lower the standard of a song lyrically, musically and poetically, then of course that’s a recipe for disaster. Udta Pyjama Kala Kala Kala is not good music. There is nothing extraordinary about that song. So one should do good music without any filters of genres or styles.”
Weighing on the things he likes and dislikes about the musical landscape of Bollywood, Prithvi Gandharv quipped, “I really wish that corporates, producers and actors interfere less with the process of music composition then we’ll have better music. Because we got very talented composers who are throbbing with music. But they are just not allowed to flow with creativity. They come to us and for a classical bandish they suggest the name of a singer who might not be classically trained but enjoys popularity. So the whole number game involving views and likes is killing music.”
He added, “You shouldn’t judge someone’s calibre by the number of views they get. You cannot expect Anoushka Shankar and Prithvi Gandharv to have that kind of pull that other popular artists have. Because our art form is limited to a niche audience. Then you judge over that which is unfair and wrong.”
Prithvi Gandharv has also toured with Shreya Ghoshal in major venues around the world besides performing with musical stalwarts like Zakir Hussain and Ranjit Barot. Talking about his experience, the artist shared, “it’s been a great learning experience. I was just budding when Shreya picked me. I had zero experience of doing live concerts. And Shreya took me to major arenas in Singapore, Sharjah cricket stadium which easily fits 30000-40000 people. Too much all of a sudden came my way and I learnt straightaway. Thanks to her that I know when I am facing an audience, I don’t get carried away by my emotions. And with the other artists like Richa Sharma, I’ve done two tours with her. Then a song as well which won Best Sufi Song Of The Year BBC Punjabi Awards. They all have been loving and caring and they saw potential in me so they really wanted to push me. And they did it. Huge respect to all the artists for recognising and nurturing good talent.”
The singer finally concluded by talking about his Guru Hariharan, “I always had music in my family. I had no issues with the basics and fundamentals of it. I wanted somebody who had mastery over these vocal exercises. So Hariharan Ji was the only name that I resonated with. I wanted to learn from him so I started chasing him. He was also working at that time so it was a big NO since he was too busy. But then the minute he heard me sing, he was like I want to teach you. I was the only male student under him. Felt so fortunate. The life lessons he gave me were how an artist conducts himself, how to present one’s art properly and preserve it for future generations . All that integrity has come from him. And he has been like a pillar in my life and he’s still there,” said Prithvi Gandharv.
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