‘Roy would have loved the bhangra version’

Barbara, wife of late singer Roy Orbison of ‘Pretty Woman’ fame, admits she is an Indophile.

 

After soaking up the sun in Kerala for a couple of weeks, Barbara Orbison, singer Roy ‘Pretty Woman’ Orbison’s widow, is in Mumbai these days.

 

“When Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy got in touch with me for permission to use Roy’s song (‘Pretty Woman’) for ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’, I felt pretty honoured. This was almost two years ago. I’ve been wanting to come to India since. I love India,” says Barbara. 

 

Apart from a dinner plan with Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, Barbara’s social calendar during her four-day Mumbai visit seems to be pretty choc-o-block. “As soon as I landed on Friday night, I went for a party with my friend Devika Bhojwani. It was quite incredible that people at the party knew Roy’s other hits like ‘Only the lonely’ and ‘Ooby Dooby’.”

 

From Mumbai Barbara will travel to Delhi for about ten days. “I have been travelling with Rita and Deepak Chopra, who are here for Vikram Chatwal’s wedding.”

 

Back in the US, Barbara is in the midst of getting a commemorative stamp issued in the memory of the singer. “We started a petition some month ago which has been signed by the likes of Bono and Brad Pitt. Roy’s music has stood the test of time so I don’t think his songs will ever fade from public memory.  And with composers like Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy using his songs in their compositions, the world will never forget Roy.”

 

So, what did Barbara think of the bhangra version of ‘Pretty Woman’? “Roy would have loved it.”