'MELODY IS MAKING A COMEBACK'

Some time back, music was just noise. Producers wrongly think item songs sell better. Audiences are intelligent, they accept whatever you give, but that doesn't mean you can fool them.

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Do you know who sang Ae Zindagi Gale Lagale (Sadma), Lagi Aaj Sawan Ki (Chandni), Chhod Aaye Hum (Maachis) and Sapne Mein Milti Hai (Satya)? It's Suresh Wadkar, who turned 70 on August 7. "I should have got a National Award for Seene Mein Jalan, Chandni, Prem Rog," "but who knows what the criteria were? But it's okay, I was never in that race."

Tell us about your early years.

My father was a mill worker. He was fond of music and would sing bhajans.

We lived in the mill area for workers, and everyone was culturally aware. If someone had a baby or there was a festival, or someone's anniversary, programmes would be held and bhajans would be sung.

My father would take me with him, so that culture was instilled in me. I have been learning music since the age of four. At nine, I started learning from Guruji Pandit Jialal Vasant and stayed at his home. I studied till the first year of college. After that, I couldn't focus.

I graduated in singing and tabla from the Prayag Sangit Samiti. After that, I took up a job as a teacher at Arya Vidya Mandir school for two-three years. Aishwarya Rai was my student.

In 1976, there was a competition, Sur Singar Samsad. Participants came from all over India, and 40 were selected. They had to sing live. Among those 40, Hariharan, Rani Verma and I won.

I received the Madan Mohan award, Hariharan got the S D Burman award, and Rani got the Vasant Desai award. Ravindra Jainsaab announced on stage that he would give a break to the winner, which was me. At that time, Rajshri Productions was making Paheli and Ravindra Jain was its composer. I sang Sona Kare Kaise Jhilmil Jhilmil for the film and did a couple of movies with him.

What was your first salary?