My butter chicken has become machher jhol,” laughs Akriti Kakar. The singer, who is winning hearts as a judge on Zee Bangla’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, is set to captain the Bengal Tigers team in the Indian Pro Music League (IPML) along with Shaan. She speaks to t2 about her Bengal connection ahead of the launch of IPML on February 26 on Zee TV (thereafter, airing weekends at 8pm).
You are captaining the Bengal team in IPML.
I am a Delhi girl, brought up in Bombay and I’m a Punjabi. So I technically cover four teams. I chose to be in Bengal Tigers as I spend so much time in Bengal and my connection to Bengal has become so precious to me. I rarely feel like a Dilliwali.
It’s a new format. What struck you as most novel about this show?
The fact that there are so many well-known singers, including a Padma Shri (Kailash Kher). We have judged different shows but we will compete against each other on the same stage. Yeh kamaal ki cheez hai. My parents were worried. “You are going to compete? Are you okay with that?” they asked me. It is exciting and I will try to experiment with songs like I do in my live concerts. Aisa mauka milta nahin hai on a television show — to collaborate with different people.
With Bengal Tigers teammates Rituraj Mohanty and Shaan. Sourced by the correspondent
Shaan will be captaining the team jointly with you.
When I heard Shaan is my co-captain in Bengal Tigers, I was very happy. From the time I was struggling, he has always given me so much love, respect and credit for the work I’ve done. Very few people do that. To collaborate with him, brainstorm and create ideas for our show where we want to infuse a bit of Bengal in every performance — it’s pushing me to do better and be more creative.
How has your team shaped up?
We have Rituraj Mohanty, who won the contest Raw Star some years back. He is a lovely singer. Also we have Mismi Bose, a fresh voice who was chosen from a talent hunt. It is wonderful that new singers will get to perform with professionals who have been around for long.
How much have you shot?
We have shot the opening. There will be league matches (one team against another) and super matches (where all teams compete). We have shot a super match and have a league match tomorrow.
Who will judge you?
It will be based only on public voting, which will be open for 24 hours after the episode gets over. It is not that if I perform solo I will be judged individually. It will all be in the team’s name. But just so there is a direction to the episode, there will be an internal ranking. We all are ranking the other teams through a secret ballot. So nobody would know who ranked which team as No. 1 and No. 2. That ranking will not be counted with the votes though.
Govinda is the mascot of your team.
Though we’ve met at award shows, I’ve never had a chance to sit and talk with him earlier. Unka music se gehra sambandh hai. His mother (Nirmala Devi, of the Patiala gharana) was such a well-known and respected singer. Unko music ki achchhi samajh hai. He told us: “We will entertain people — woh toh hamara banta hai — gana gayenge full dhamal. But we don’t need to come up with shrewd strategies. We will do achchha music. Hum sur se jeetenge.” It felt good.
You posted a video of a fun interaction with Shaan and Rituraj on your hobbies etc.
This show will have much more than music — kaun kya masti karta hai, kiski mimicry karta hai. You will get to see a lot of bonding. We don’t spend so much time together even in award shows. Bhoomi Trivedi is a good friend. Javed (Ali) bhai ko main kitni saalon se janti hoon. Shilpa Rao is one of my closest friends in the industry. Kailashji ki composition hum ne gaaye hai. Mika (Singh) paaji has seen me grow up. I did opening acts for him in Delhi when I started performing.
You had signed Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa in 2014 but had to bow out because of an accident. Will you do a dance show if one comes your way?
Not. At. All. Never. Ever. (Laughs) That’s why I am scared of dancing. Gaatey gaatey jitna nachana hai nacha lo. Woh kar dungi, par khali dance mujhse hoga nahin. The two weeks I spent on the show (Jhalak) I realised how much I love music. Do hafte mujhe gaana gaane ka time hi nahi mila. Others were already on the show for four weeks. I was entering as a wild card. So I had to learn so much more. I started hating it.
You perform as Kakar Sisters with your twin sisters.
My sisters grew up in front of me. They are eight-and-a-half years younger. They are my babies. We have a designed act and we all sing together, both our own songs and tribute medleys. They will be 26 in May. They are doing well. They have sung in Hindi films and released singles. They are my friends now. Sometimes they are like my mother — “Yeh kyun pehen rahe ho?” (Laughs)
You were humming the opening bars of Aha ki anondo as you waited for viewers to log in to your live Instagram chat on Valentine’s Day.
I was watching Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (on Zee Bangla) just then. Arpita and Arkadeep were performing. I really loved that song. Dimaag mein chada hua tha woh gana. Toh hum gunguna rahe the. Pata nahin tha koi notice karega. (Laughs)
How long back did you return from Calcutta?
Three days ago. The finals will be next month. We shoot seven to eight episodes together.
This time three gurus — Manomay (Bhattacharya), Iman (Chakraborty) and Raghav — have joined. Was it a precaution in the Covid situation in case any of the judges became indisposed?
No. The roles of the gurus and judges are very distinct. Only judges take the call on elimination of contestants. Even if any of judges is not there, gurus cannot step in. That’s not the format. Gurus mentor the contestants.
You have been on Zee Bangla earlier as well.
The first time was in 2013. After that, I could not do a whole season for lack of time. So I would go beech beech mein, for six-seven episodes. This time I am back for the full season. The talent is so incredible that I’m planning to release a single with some of them shortly. Their voices need to reach listeners outside Bengal too.
“My Maltipoo Audio goes crazy when I come home. He is only nine months old. He is a lockdown child.” Sourced by the correspondent
Do you have favourites among the contestants?
We are like a family. I have started calling Anushka and Bidipta my Puchki No. 1 and 2. There is so much more to their personalities. Since September, I am spending time with them. Arpita, Sayantan, Niharika… Niharika is exceptionally talented.
What about your fellow judges and mentors?
I am a huge admirer of Manomayda’s voice. Pata nahin kahan se yeh awaz paaye hai. He sings so beautifully. Ami mugdho hoye jachchhi. I met Iman for the first time. We have a beautiful friendship going. Joyda (Sarkar) and I keep translating for Mika paaji. It is too funny how we listen and translate in real time. He has picked up certain lines. It is cool to hear him speak in Punjabi, make that effort. It is a great atmosphere. It will end in some time. I am already having withdrawal symptoms.
A hiccup in the journey was catching Covid.
Yes, we all got it. Sab se pehle Iman ko hua. Phir Manomayda, Srikantada, Abir, Mika paaji, me…. We were taking crazy levels of precautions according to the rules — doing a Covid test in Bombay, quarantining for five days on reaching Calcutta, then doing a Covid test in Calcutta… It is really frustrating to spend five days in a hotel room alone. Phir shoot shuru hota tha. But you can never tell (Covid) kahan se aayega. This was in end-October. Shoot wasn’t affected. I came back to Bombay and then the day after, the symptoms started — light fever, terrible cough, slight fever, no taste, no smell. But God was kind. My oxygen levels were ok. I was in my comfortable space. It took four weeks but (I) came out of it.
