The city was treated to a night of pure magic as Kitty Su Royale Kolkata Edition ft Usha Uthup and Rani Kohenur, in association with The Telegraph, took over the rooftop of LaLit Great Eastern. The event, which followed successful runs in Bengaluru and Delhi, was a celebration of music and artistry. Uthup’s iconic voice and Sushant Divgikr aka Rani Kohenur’s soulful melodies created a truly unforgettable experience. Uthup’s timeless classics like Dum maro dum, Senorita, and Skyfall were complemented by Kohenur’s versatile range, showcased in songs like Pari hoon main and Ajib dastaan hai yeh. The duo’s powerful rendition of Darling was the highlight of the night.
On the sidelines of a power-packed performance, The Telegraph caught up with the two artistes. Excerpts from our conversation.
We know through multiple chats that for Sushant, it has always been Usha Ma, his idol, and now both of you are touring together.
Usha: She is really brilliant... several people say we rarely find artistes talking good about other artistes so I am funny that way, I guess! Rani is really good and has an excellent range. She has the advantage of singing in the male and female voices and when she does it together, it is really exciting. It sounds very pompous but I am sharing this from a different perspective. Sushant’s mother met me at NCPA in Bombay, where I was performing and she asked me if I could give him his first break. He was 13 or 14 at that time. Of all the songs, he chose I Will Always Love You and I was so scared that he would not hit that last note and I prayed onstage that he would hit it! He did hit that note beautifully and he did complete splits on that. Fast forward to Rani Kohenur, we met in Bombay 10 or 15 years ago and I found her fantastic. She does some lovely things with her voice and it is not just the splitting. Sushant: It is unreal! For me, it is a reminder that you should never give up however old you get. The first city that we did this show in was Delhi, which is neither of our home cities. Now, the Punjabis know how to party! So, I did London thumakda and Saiyyan illegal, which I sang for Netflix’s (Tribhuvan Mishra) CA Topper. Usha Ma looked at me and was like: ‘What a fantastic song! I wish I had sung it” And I could not believe it that she was actually supposed to sing Saiyyan illegal but she did not have dates. Sometimes she pinches me onstage where she has forgotten her line and she will just spread her hand to hug me but then she will pinch me as a cue that I have to sing now! (Laughs) For the audience, it is a sweet thing where we are being cute onstage but here she is pulling my pallu or maybe tickling me!
Honestly, in the past two-three decades, she has just gotten better and it is humanly impossible! It is a medical mystery! Her wit, intelligence and how she reads the room is unparalleled. She is exactly how an icon should be.
From Sushant to Rani and decades of knowing each other alongside mutual admiration...
Sushant: Oh! The first time she saw me as Rani (voice breaking)... at the rehearsals I was still Sushant and she took me to the corner post the rehearsals and told me: “I hope I am seeing Rani tonight and I am sure you will kill it!” How will you not kill it when someone you have looked up to your entire life says that? She was 73 at that time and for someone at that age to say that, it is so validating. I still tear up...
How do you look at the drag scene in India?
Sushant: Even though drag is looked at as a freak show, I have only made sure that drag from an Indian perspective is looked at through a very beautiful and respectful perspective. Yes, there are reveals happening, I also do reveals. If I am removing a skirt there is another one beneath it. I am not being a prude when I say you have to wear your pallu or blouse a certain way. No! It is not about the length of your cleavage. When you are trying to explain drag as a performance art to an audience that has never witnessed it, you have to stay within certain limits where if you overdo things they might get scared and intimidated to come to your next show. They have to be in awe like ‘Oh! That is a man but he looks like a woman!’.
We don’t have to do everything that America does or Europe for that matter. We have our own culture for inspiration. Every artiste’s form of expression is different. For instance, when Usha Ma sang with contemporaries like Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar, she did her own thing and now you can distinctively recognise her voice. Similarly, drag is nothing but self-expression and that is personal. In fact, Usha Ma was kind of a drag artiste of her own time! Usha: I suppose! Even now when I ring up room service in a hotel, they always say “Good Morning Sir”, probably because I have such a deep voice. Earlier, I used to try and clarify but now I don’t care... you can think of me as whatever you want. Several decades back, especially in the Indian industry, people always thought the nice, pure girls had the Lataji kind of voice and the bad girls had my kind of voice (speaks in a deeper voice). So, I am the original item girl! It is never a question of how good or bad a singer you are, it is about how different you are as a singer.
Apart from being unique in your own ways, both of you also have philanthropy in common.
Usha: Yes. I don’t know if you have heard of Gauri... I did Kaun Banega Crorepati and I won ₹25 lakh for her. There has been a lot more behind the scenes and I feel one should not talk about it. God is looking over.
Sushant, you have come up with YANA, an initiative to educate and employ transgender individuals in India. Tell us a little about that.
Sushant: Yana is first, God’s favourite child and second, it stands for ‘You Are Not Alone’. When I met hundreds of children who wanted nothing but a hug or for me to hold their hand, I wanted to do something to help them. I have been helping several kids for a while now but YANA began in 2024. We facilitate individuals with vocational skills and getting jobs that require working from home because that reduces the discrimination they might face in physical offices. We also see to higher education and recently 12 of them graduated! I needed time to have the resources and now there are several shows where I perform and I ask them to transfer the payment to organisations that aid the ones that need the money much more than us.
Ushadi, at the age you are at, like Sushant also mentioned, how are you so accepting of identities and queer people? What advice do you have for people of your age group on acceptance?
Usha: Several parents are unable to come to terms with it but you know the more opportunities we get to be more accepting, we should grab them! You can’t wipe out a community, especially in the world we are living in and if someone cannot accept it, it is their problem. Having said that, I don’t think it is easy. Even though we have progressed so much, it is a mindset that we need to get over to become more accepting. You know many people tell me to sing in Tamil and Telugu and I tell them to not challenge me because I will actually do it. So, it might be easier if parents looked at acceptance like God’s test or challenge for them because at the end of the day, it is your own kid! If you won’t be the backbone, who will? Sushant’s mother is unbelievable and is an inspiration for many.
Pictures courtesy: LaLit Great Eastern