INTERVIEW WITH DEVANG PATEL - II

Who : Devang Patel
About : Indian singer
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devang_patel

How it happened : Interview with Devang Patel
Interview Date: March,2001
Place: Bahrain
Pic:Below, with him at the hotel where I interviewed him

He is so courteous, humble and polite, that you like him at the very first instant. He can make you laugh, and how! He can act, he can dance, and he can sing and he does all this to provide entertainment at any cost and to stay in the hearts of the people. The man whose songs are huge hits and who actually met Madhuri Dixit rastein mein…Devang Patel given an open heart to heart chat and reveals all his inner secrets, pains and of course, puts a smile on my face.,

Nikhil Taneja (NT) : You were the one time favourite of Govinda. How is it that you don’t sing for him anymore ?
Devang Patel(DP) : My first break was with a song that I sung for Govinda…Madhuri Dixit Mili Raste Mein. The song was very popular. But I was not too happy with the company that released the cassette. Even though the song was popular, the film was popular, and Govinda became popular too, they did not popularise my name. There was no Devang Patel in the credits. Everyone kept on asking that who has sung this song. I was not too happy because of this. And basically I am an album making person. The song I did for Govinda was in an album actually. And after it got successful in the album, it was taken for the film. And as I said, I am into these private-albums thing. And we earn lots and lots by making songs for albums. And they picturise on us, the video is shot on us. So we get more publicity, fan following and all that. So it’s more beneficial to be on screen, and for that reason I like to do private albums.

NT : Who or what inspires you to write the lyrics of your songs ?
DP : The thing is that even I am trying to find out that what inspired me(grins). I used to do a lot of comedy dramas when I was in school as well as college. So I am like that only. I am a real life funny guy actually. I take life too easily. I think that Aish karo yaar. So I always look to the different side of anything. Whatever song is there, whatever person is there…I will go behind it. ‘Ahh…what is this person from behind.’ That is the thing. So I always look at these sorts of things. And they just stick in my mind, and eventually, I pen them down.

NT : You have only sung 3-4 songs in Hindi movies. Why don’t you play back for Hindi movies now-a-days ?
DP : The thing is that all singers get offers from music directors. The music directors think that when they call me, they will tell me to write the lyrics, they will tell me to compose the music, they will tell me to render the song, to make me sing the song , and after that they’ll take the credit themselves. So, if Sonu Nigam is going, if Udit Narayan is going, some other lyricist will write the lyrics, some other composer will make the tune and they will sing and the music director will get the credit of only composing the song. But if they call me, they get the work done by me only, but they don’t give me credit at all. So I don’t want to work for them. I am open to do Hindi movie songs, if somebody else is writing, if they compose and they take me as a singer, then I will sing.

NT : How do you select which song you are going to make a spoof on ?
DP : (Laughs) See, two things can happen. Sometimes, I get attracted to a song. So, when I heard ‘I am a Barbie Girl..’, it was very popular, so I thought something should be done on this song. So I chose that song. And as for the Alane number, I had one thought, that I want to make a song of Eunuchs, because all the popular songs of these people have become rather old. So I thought that there must be some new songs for Eunuchs. So when I was selecting the song, and thinking that whom should I make a spoof on, I finally decided on the Alane number, because the song sounded like Eunuchs are singing ! (He sings the song in such a funny way, which makes me burst into laughter). So I chose this one.

NT : When you first thought of this album, Patelscope, did you think that it would work ?
DP : I was a little bit confident about the success of this album, but the response I got was above my expectations. I didn’t expect this much success.

NT : Do you like being labelled as a desi Jim Carrey or Mr. Bean rather than an established singer?
DP : Actually I like all these things. I get proud of this. At least they compare me with Jim Carrey or Mr. Bean! I often go to UK to perform for shows. I see lots of die-hard fans of mine. And most of them are children. I love children very much. So I love doing something for them. And so I am very happy with my image. Actually there are so many established singers. But there is no one like me. So it is a monopoly thing also. So I like it!

NT : What role does a video play in promoting songs like the ones you sing ?
DP : Video is the most important part right now. It is a difficult thing to make people laugh only through the audio. But in my case, I was successful through the audio also(smiles) ! But the video adds in promoting a song actually. Like in Patelscope, some people liked the video, that’s why they bought cassettes of my album, some liked the lyrics, so they bought the cassette, some liked the music, so they bought the cassette. So basically, it can add in promoting a song. People recognize the singer through the video only. And it is important for the singer to be known by the people. So it is quite important to have a good video.

NT : You are also doing a lot of Gujrati films. Does this divert your attention from singing ?
DP : No no. Not at all. My ultimate aim is to become a Kishore Kumar. In his time, he was a singing actor. I think his place is empty now. And I want to capture that place. Basically, I like to do different things at any given time. I don’t want to be a busy singer all the time. In the morning, he will do riyaz, at noon, he will go to the studios and will be singing and at night he will be in concert and will be singing again. The thing is that I love to act also. What I like to do is that for 2-3 days, I will act, for the next 2-3 days, I will record, after that, for 2-3 days, I will sing at concerts. So I love to do all the different things.

NT : What do you prefer the most ? Singing, acting or composing ?
DP : I can’t put them that way. I love all these 3. I love doing all the 3 at the same time.

NT : You wanted to name your album Medicine. Then how did Patelscope come into being ?
DP : Medicine was suggested by me. The name Patelscope was given by my video director. He gave a good reason for keeping this name. He said that people see through Bioscope, people see through Kaleidoscope, so let people see through Patelscope I laugh and so even he laughs)!And I found it good ! It matched with my name also. But medicine is still there. I will use that name somewhere.

NT : Who are your idols in the fields of singing and acting ?
DP : In singing, I love Kishore Kumar. In acting, my personal favourite is Kamal Hassan. I want to be like him. And as a normal fan, I like Amitabh Bachchan a lot.

NT : What will you call as the ‘turning point’ in your career ?
DP : I got a chance to sing in a film once. That was the first song I sang for any film. The so was ‘Madhuri Dixit Mili Raste Mein’. It turned all the things around for me. Before this song, only some part of Gujrat was knowing me. But after this song, the whole of Gujrat knew me.

NT(I ask for fun) : So did you ACTUALLY meet Madhuri Dixit ‘rastein mein’ ?
DP : Yes ! Actually, after the song became popular, we once had Dandiya in a big way in Ahemdabad. So I requested Govinda to come at the Dandiya. As a good friend of mine, he said okay, I will come. And when we were on the way to Ahemdabad, on the Mumbai airport, I saw a girl standing next to us. She was wearing this big hat. I didn’t recognize her. And then suddenly, Govinda shouted, ‘Aye Madhuri !’ And she turned around and he said again, ‘Woh gaana hai na, Madhuri Dixit mili raste mein…woh inhonein hi gaya hai !’ (he enacts the whole scene for me is such a typically funny Devang Patel way, that I keep on laughing till my stomach aches!) And she turned around and said, ‘OKAY ! So you were the one who sang this ! How dare you put my name in the song!’ And she said it in a stern but friendly way, and she was smiling at me. So I literally met her, but not ‘rastein mein’, but Airport mein ! (I keep on laughing for a good 5 minutes, until I gather breath and ask him the next question!)

NT : Your songs from Gambler were huge hits. But you came into the limelight only with Patelscope. How did you go unnoticed during this long time ?
DP : 2-3 years after those songs in Gambler, I made an album ‘Aish Tu Kar’. It was quite a hit. But after that, due to some family problems, I had to go underground from Mumbai(chuckles)! So I went back to Ahemdabad after that. For another 2-3 years, I stayed there. I kicked out some big-big things because of this, like a typical Scorpian, that I am. I don’t want anybody interfering my aim. There were some big scripts that came my way, but I had to kick them out. So I came back after 2-3 years only. Everybody was saying, ‘Yaar, you should not have gone to Ahemdabad, this, that.’ But I was very confident. I had thought that whenever I will come back, I will come with a bang. And I came!

NT : Have you taken any formal training in music or acting ?
DP : No no no. I am a radio singer. I sing through radio, through tape recorder and through TV only! Even now, I don’t do any riyaz, because I don’t like it only! I want to be a simple singer only. I don’t want to do any riyaz, sitting on a mattress for 2-3 hours, with a harmonium in hand, doing ‘Aaaeee’(laughs, and makes me laugh too, because of his funny acting). I don’t like that at all! I like Jagjit Singh the most. He is a very good Ghazal singer. So I put on his ghazals and sing along with it. That is my riyaz. And even while I am travelling, while I am sitting right here and singing anything, that is a riyaz in itself right ?

NT : Why only comedy ?
DP : The thing is that I am a totally funny person. I love to make people laugh. By making one laugh, you can easily get into their hearts. When people see other singers, and when the look at me, I can see the difference. They will say, ‘Oh…he is the same guy who makes us laugh.’ Everyone from a child to elder persons, all love these things. And I want to be in the hearts of the whole of India and the whole of the world. So that’s why I chose comedy.

NT : What is your aim in life now ?
DP : My ultimate aim is to become a successful singing actor, like Kishore Kumar(we both say Kishore Kumar simultaneously and start laughing).