Feroz Khan Signs Zubeen Garg
Remember Zubeen Garg? He's the voice behind the chartbusting song Ya Ali which has stormed the nation. Zubeen, though a big name in his native land Assam, never made it big in Bollywood till Mahesh Bhatt's Gangster shot him into limelight and made him a household name. And now, filmmakers are not in pursuit of Garg and one such prominent filmmaker has become fida over the young singer's voice. And putting his money where his mouth is, Khan has apparently roped in Garg to sing a special number in his remake of Qurbani. Look out, all you singers out there, here's some serious competition.
Zubeen Garg is suddenly here, there and everywhere.
After ruling the music charts with Ya Ali and making his debut as a composer for the Bollywood production Strings, the Assamese youth icon is planning an autobiographical film in Hindi.
"The film will be about the challenges and struggles of a singer trying to establish himself in the cut-throat music industry. The film will include certain chapters from my own life. I was neither born with a silver spoon in my mouth, nor am I the son of a great singer or musician. I have had to struggle to establish myself in the music industry," Zubeen told The Telegraph from Mumbai.
The singer, who has cropped his trademark curly locks, is not exactly new to a film set. He directed, acted and composed the music for the Assamese film Tumi Mur, Matho Mur, which was moderately successful.
Work on Zubeen's untitled Hindi film will begin in September, marking the fulfilment of an old dream to make a "mainstream" Mumbai film. "I am in touch with some young and veteran actors of Bollywood and will finalise the cast soon," he said.
Although Zubeen had lent his voice to the sound tracks of a couple of Hindi films earlier, it was the racy Ya Ali in Gangster that really pitchforked him to the big league. He has been based in the country's entertainment capital for long and has admittedly made several friends who are now helping him with pre-production work.
Zubeen contradicted the oft-heard allegation that talented people from the region are not recognised in Bollywood. "Many Assamese boys and girls are doing extremely well in Mumbai. In fact, I have dared to venture into filmmaking with the support of friends in Bollywood. There are good and bad people everywhere and in every profession. The same is the case with Bollywood."
For Zubeen the composer, Strings will be the test of his ability to withstand the competition in Mumbai. "I am busy promoting the music of my film. I have received good feedback from people who know music," he said.
The singer will be going to the US in July for a concert.
It's raining offers for 'Ya Ali' singer
New Delhi, He shot into fame with the foot-tapping Bollywood chartbuster 'Ya Ali'. And now, Zubeen Garg, the singer-composer from Assam, is flooded with offers, including Feroz Khan's remake of his 1980s action-thriller 'Qurbani'.
'I have just finished singing two songs for 'Qurbani II',' says Zubeen.
'I am excited at the success of 'Ya Ali'. It was a wonderful song by Pritam (the music director),' Zubeen told IANS over phone from his adopted home Mumbai, where he owns a studio, Sound & Silence.
Zubeen's foray into Bollywood is, however, not new. He has lent his mellifluous voice for songs in 'Fiza', 'Kaante', 'Mudda' and 'Brides Wanted'.
'I was somehow not noticed in my earlier songs - 'Mere Vatan' from 'Fiza' and 'Jaane Kya Hoga Rama Re' from 'Kaante' - though the two films were big hits,' he says.
Zubeen is now busy with two important projects - his own Hindi movie 'Chakra' and a new Hindi music album. Other films in which he will be heard include 'Pyar Ke Side Effects', 'Woh Lamhe' and 'Dekho Mil Gaya'.
'I am working out the perfect cast for Chakra. It will be surely an offbeat film,' says the 33-year-old singer.
He has just finished his maiden Hindi film score in Sanjay Jha's 'Strings', which stars Adam Bedi, (Kabir Bedi's son) Sandhya Mridul and Tannishtha Chatterjee and is set for a July release.
'The music in 'Strings' is a mixture of tradition and modernity. The six songs are of different breeds - there's one inspired by a centuries-old Assamese prayer and one redone from a revolutionary poem,' Zubeen says.
'I have also reworked on the famous song by eminent music composer and director, late Pankaj Mallick - 'Piya Milan Ko Jana'. The lyrics (by Deepak Sneh) are different but I have retained the tune.
'It was great to be part of the 'Strings' team. Sanjay (Jha) is a friend. And the whole idea about making the movie was conceived by him at my home,' he claims.
'Strings' is a crossover film about a guy from Britain falling in love with a priest's daughter during his visit to the Kumbh Mela at Nasik.
Three other Assamese singers - Saswati Phukan (of 'Kaliyon ka chaman' and 'Kaanta laga' fame), Angarang Mahanta, Brishti Saikia - have also lent their voices in the film.
Zubeen broke into the professional music scene in 1992 with his first Assamese album - 'Anamika' that sold like hot cakes. Since then, he has nearly 40 albums to his name. He has also composed music for over 20 Assamese and a couple of Bengali movies.
Apart from playing the guitar, mandolin and percussions, Zubeen is an accomplished keyboard player. He has sung in various regional languages including Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Oriya, Marathi and Nepali, besides Assamese and Bengali.
He acted, co-produced and scored the music in the Assamese film 'Dinabandhu', which won the national award in 2005 for its score.
Zubeen has now set his eyes overseas. He is leaving for the US where he is slated to perform this month and then in August he will fly to the Gulf for a performance in Dubai.
Edited by pradip200 - 18 years ago
Store globally, on the internet. 
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