‘The greatness of a song lies in its characters and stories’: Sukhwinder Singh

Regardless of how Zero (2018) fared at the box-office, for Sukhwinder Singh, its impact will stay even after two years. The Issaqbaazi singer tells us the reason, “Shah Rukh Khan genuinely appreciates you. A film working or not is another matter but it’s an SRK film, so it always excites me.” He has similar feelings for Thugs Of Hindostan, in which he had Vashmalle and Manzoor-e-Khuda. “The thrill for me was to see Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan on the screen,” he states. From Chaiya Chaiya (Dil Se, 1998) to Sab Badhiya Hai (Sui Dhaaga: Made in India) and Kar Har Maidan Fateh (Sanju) in 2018, the passion for singing hasn’t weaned for him, whether he’s singing for superstars or younger heroes. “Behind the mic, I become the character — Salman Khan in Sultan (2016), SRK, Aamir or younger actors like Varun Dhawan and Ranbir Kapoor,” he explains. For him, the greatness of a song lies in its characters and stories.

NO PROJECT IS TOO SMALL

Apart from big films like Salman’s Bharat, Abhishek Chaubey’s Son Chiriya, etc, the Chak De singer has tracks in smaller projects, too. “I never ask who the stars in the movie are. I try to understand the song so that I can perform it well,” he says. Haanji Hunji from I Am Baani with composer Mithoon’s father and music programmer Naresh Sharma is another track that he is excited about. “The film is about a girl who wants do something big,” he says. His fee is also a factor that he’s never obstinate about. “If a newcomer has the passion, I sing for them even if they can’t pay me much,” he says. 

A PASSIONATE SINGER

Though an electrifying balladeer, Sukhi admits that he cannot churn out songs at an aggressive pace. “I cannot boast about having sung too many songs but I can for singing some of the biggest ones,” he avers. He gives the credit for his impassioned renditions to euphony itself. “Unless you’re in love with music and the content is not your life, you cannot bring passion into your singing,” he says. Known for energetic numbers like the title tracks of Dabangg (2016) and Singham (2011), Sukhwinder tells us that he misses rendering romantic songs. However, he takes that in his stride, too, “I’ve decided that I will sing what comes my way. When filmmakers tell me that my vocals are as powerful as four singers put together, it feels great. But I do have a love song in Bharat,” says the singer whose private track Good Morning will release this month or in February.