Vishal Bhardwaj: Gaana Rekha ko hota hai aur gaa main raha hoon

This week, Vishal Bhardwaj was expected to perform at Safdarjung Tomb, but security restrictions in central Delhi necessitated a change of venue. Instead, he performed at a baithak for a small gathering, sharing an evening of conversations and songs. “Last moment pe kisi wajah se hamara venue change hua aur hum yahan pe mil rahe hain. Mujhe lagta hai jo hota hai achhe ke liye hi hota hai ki hum yahan mil rahe hain. Yahan intimacy aur zyada lag rahi hai. Ghazalein aur baatein,” he told the gathering.It was an evening that offered a glimpse of Vishal Bhardwaj the director, screenwriter, lyricist, poet and composer, but foremost, the singer. Seated across from him in the front row, Rekha Bhardwaj listened to his songs from the audience.Mujhe aisa mauka kabhi kabhi milta hai jab main gaa raha hoon aur Rekha sunein: Vishal BhardwajThree years ago, Vishal and Rekha Bhardwaj performed live together for a Delhi audience for the first time. Back then, they spoke of how sharing the stage had been a dream for years. Since then, the two have performed together in Delhi a couple of times. However, this evening at Ibtida-Ek Mehfil belonged to Vishal Bhardwaj, the singer. The stories he narrated drew from his many worlds, while an attentive audience listened, hanging on to his every word.He began the evening with the ghazal “Jaana tumko jaana ho toh mat aana” from Khufiya (2023) and said, “Rekha sang this ghazal. I'm very happy that Rekha is late. She is going to be sitting in the audience today. Mujhe bhi aisa mauka kabhi kabhi milta hai jab main gaa raha hoon aur woh sunein. Usually, ulta hi hota hai. Obviously, hona bhi chahiye. Rekha bahut hi zyada achhi singer hai. Main uske aas-paas bhi nahi hoon. Par ab Rekha nahi hai toh aur bhi mauka banta hai sunane ka.”Sharing a joke, he said, “Gaana Rekha ko hota hai aur gaa main raha hoon.” Later in the evening, when he invited Rekha Bhardwaj on stage, she told the audience that Vishal had been doing more riyaaz than her these days. Vishal added, “Rekha meri guru hai.”Waise maine Meerut se schooling ki, main apne aap ko Dilli se zyada maanta hoon. Mujhe lagta hai main zinda hua ya artiste bana, woh main Dilli ki badaulatMain apne aap ko Dilli ka bashinda maanta hoon: Vishal BhardwajBhardwaj is an alumnus of Hindu College. Whenever he performs in Delhi, he invites his friends to the evening and introduces them to the audience.“Main apne aap ko Dilli se zyada maanta hoon. Waise maine Meerut se schooling ki. Mujhe lagta hai main zinda hua ya artiste bana, woh main Dilli ki badaulat. Main Dilli ke college mein padhne aaya tha Meerut se,” he shared, adding, “Composer toh tha main lekin iss profession mein aane ka mera bilkul bhi iraada nahi tha. Cricketer banna chahta tha, isliye main Delhi University mein aaya tha. Main kharab student tha bahut. Jo admission bhi hua tha, woh sports quota mein hua tha. Isliye Dilli se mera bahut hi alag rishta hai. Main apne aap ko Dilli ka bashinda maanta hoon. Uss daur mein mehfilon ka concept bahut hua karta tha, ki uss waqt ke jo bade-bade artistes hain, woh gaddon mein baith ke gaaya karte thay saath mein. Gaane mein aur sunne waale mein faasla hota gaya. Aur hum log uss cheez ko bhool gaye.”Talking about the concept of a baithak, he said, “Jab audience ko achha lag raha hai toh pata chalta hai, jab achha nahi lagta hai toh pata chal jata hai, toh ye bahut khoobsurat hai.”‘Pata nahi aakhiri baar mohabbat hoti hai ya nahi. Pehli baar toh zaroor hoti hai’Bhardwaj would often stop singing to explain the nuances of the words and the origins of a song. Before singing Pehli baar mohabbat ki hai from Kaminey, he said, “Gulzar sahab ne separation sun ke ye line di thi - pehli baar mohabbat ki hai, aakhri baar mohabbat ki hai. Bahut hi khoobsurat line hai. Waise pata nahi aakhri baar mohabbat hoti hai ya nahi. Pehli baar toh zaroor hoti hai.”He recalled that after recording the song Raat ke dhaai baje, he felt its soul was demanding something else. He then recorded another version of the song.Before performing Paani Paani Re from Maachis, he recalled his lifelong friendship with Lata Mangeshkar, who had asked him to treat her like any new singer, not the legendary artiste she was. He remembered her sincerity, grace and humility.'Pyaar mein itni bhi khamoshi theek nahi, gussa ho toh emoji mein bolo na'Two poets who have left a deep impression on the country, Bashir Badr and Gulzar, kept coming up in Bhardwaj’s anecdotes. Both are immensely close to him, he said and shared, “Bashir Badr sahab mere ustad rahe hain aur woh kehte thay ki ghazal jo hoti hai woh contemporary hoti chali jaati hai aur uska maza bhi tabhi hota hai jab rozmarra ki jo bhasha hai woh usmein use ho. Uska connection tab banta hai. Koshish ye hai ki rozmarra ki baatein ismein ho.”He then sang songs that had references to live location, Gmail and Google Maps. As always, he left the gathering in awe when he sang, “Pyaar mein itni bhi khamoshi theek nahi, gussa ho toh emoji mein bolo na.”'Mujhe toh lag raha tha maine aap logon ko phansa ke rakha hai'Bhardwaj had prepared some new sher by the poet Farhat Ehsas for the audience. He spoke about discovering the poet in Lucknow, and recalled a sher his friend had recited: “Hum log ke umr mein pahunchne ke baad bahut doctors ko consult karte hain. Toh woh tha — ‘Ilaaj apna karate fir rahe ho jaane kis-kis se. Mohabbat karke dekho na, mohabbat kyun nahi karte?’”The audience applauded. Bhardwaj said that he bought the poet’s book afterwards. Towards the end of the evening, he sang two or three ghazals based on his own shers that he had not performed before.“We (all the musicians with me on stage) have been singing all these film songs and looking at each other again and again, thinking that we didn't sing those that we had been preparing,” he said.When he ended the evening on a high note with Chappa Chappa Charkha Chale, requests written on tiny chits began arriving one after another. As the requests kept coming, Bhardwaj said, “Mujhe toh lag raha tha maine aap logon ko phansa ke rakha hai.”This evening reminds me of Gulzar sahab's Dil Dhoondta HaiBhardwaj said the evening reminded him of the old times Gulzar wrote about in the song Dil Dhoondta Hai. He said,“Ghalib ka unhone ek sher leke usko aisa khola ki ‘Dil dhoondta hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din’. Ki woh jo waqt hai na, ki kuch nahi hai karne ke liye, aap apni jaanam ke tasavvur mein bas baithe hue hain. Woh dil dhoondhta hai. Zindagi mein jab hamare ambitions, hamare greed humein itna uljha dete hain, hum wohi lamhein yaad karne ke liye gaane sunte hain. Wohi lamhe yaad karne ke liye hum aisi mehfilon mein saath mein milte hain.”He said,"Ye experience mere liye itna zyada maayne rakhta hai ki main iss mental state mein kabhi-kabhi jaata hoon ki jaise abhi hum log aise baat kar rahe hain, ye itna casual ho gaya hai ki jaise hum log apne drawing room mein baithe hain."Get the latest Bollywood & Entertainment News, and more. Download the TOI app.Give your child the gift of confidence! Claim your exclusive TOI Masterclass spot today!