Darshan Raval’s Chogada and Kamariya were already ruling the Navratri playlist and this year he made a new addition to it with Dhol bajaa. The song, penned by Danish Sabri and composed by Javed-Mohsin, has already clocked 10 million views on YouTube. “All of us will be celebrating Navratri properly after two years and since the excitement in all of us is high, the intention was to create a high-on-energy number, better than Chogada,” says Raval who has partnered with Chogada’s lead actor Warina Hussain again with this track.
A tete-a-tete with the star crooner who collaborated with singer Prakriti Giri for the latest number.
Chogada was a huge hit and so was Kamariya. What was the idea behind Dhol bajaa?
Chogada from the film Loveyatri starring Aayush Sharma and Warina Hussain turned out to be one of the biggest hits of my career. The intention was very simple — to make a song that will uplift people’s mood during Navratri as we have survived pandemic years and can now celebrate full-on.
Chogada and Dhol bajaa are both Navratri numbers. How is the latest one different?
I didn’t want to make something very similar to Chogada but a little more energetic. So Dhol bajaa has more energy. The excitement is high this year and I wanted to match that vibe with my song. A lot of credit goes to composer Javed-Mohsin who did a commendable job with the beats and rhythms. They are one of my favourite composers and I have worked with them in Dil mera blast, which was a huge hit, and then in the song Kabhii tumhhe in the Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani-starrer Shershaah. I had told them that I would want to do a song with them independently and I am glad we could team up again.
It must have been challenging for the musicians given Navratri songs follow a certain rhythm?
When you are making a Navratri song a certain set of styles needs to be followed so that it allows people to groove and dance to a rhythm. A 6-8 rhythm song has a typical style but it is here when the creativity of the composers come in. What more can you do with it without dramatically changing the set style? That’s when music producer Jackie Vanjari showed his finesse and created something that is different but stays true to the theme.
How do you generally celebrate Navratri?
Navratri is one of my favourite festivals. I am the most excited this season because it means going out with friends and family and dancing all night and not worrying about anything. The idea of preparing and planning for the nine nights filled me with joy.
How do you intend to celebrate it this year?
It’s difficult to enjoy the way I used to do earlier but I plan to go to the Navratri event with a mask on so that no one will recognise me and I can dance freely.
Falguni Pathak’s songs have been ruling the floor and now it’s yours. How does it feel?
Falguni Pathak can never be replaced. I don’t perform at Navratri events, I have never done that but I have huge respect for artistes who do that. It is an amazing art where you make people dance for a lot of hours. The experience of dancing on Falguni Pathak’s songs is alive in my heart and it will never fade.
The music video is equally vibrant. Tell us more about it.
All the credit goes to choreographer Aadil Shaikh. I have worked with him in Dil Mera Blast. I consider myself as a non-dancer and knowing that I get nervous he still pushed me to dance. He told me: ‘You know Garba right? Then you can do this.’ I must have rehearsed for three days and it’s the least I have rehearsed for any song and I really enjoyed it. It has improved my confidence in dancing. It’s beautifully shot both during the day and night. Also, it was good to partner again with Warina who I worked with in Chogada.
What comes next?
More independent numbers coming this year. Also, I am working with a few friends for a non-indie project. I can’t reveal much about them though.