Rahul Sharma always takes stage with elan. And when he did the same at a concert titled ‘One world many music’ in Mumbai last week, the santoor player made sure sounds of harmony run through his rare fare.
He called the concert rare because it gave him an opportunity to showcase the journey of santoor through the years. “It was a Kashmiri folk instrument before my father, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, introduced it into classical music. But it’s now a part of contemporary classic and world sounds. That’s what I presented through the concert in Mumbai,” he said.
The healing touch Sharma, who feels music is a universal language that can be used to bridge the gap between people and countries, dedicated the performance to the victims of 26/11 terror attacks that struck Mumbai last year. “I dedicated the concert to the victims of the terror attacks since it was scheduled to take place a day after its first anniversary. Besides, the venue of the concert was very close to the places where the attack took place, so I felt it should be done that way,” he said. But Sharma refrained from composing anything special for 26/11. “Though I didn’t compose anything which is 26/11-specific, the overall mood of the concert had a healing vibe,” he said.
Rahul, who scored music for Yash Chopra’s Mujhse Dosti Karoge, said he turned down the offer to score for Hum Tum as “it’s difficult to take on film assignments while travelling for my live concerts”. He said that back then he wanted to focus on the santoor and establish himself. “Perhaps, next year I’ll get back to doing film music but definitely not at the cost of my stage performances.”
Rahul, who scored music for Yash Chopra’s Mujhse Dosti Karoge, said he turned down the offer to score for Hum Tum as “it’s difficult to take on film assignments while travelling for my live concerts”. He said that back then he wanted to focus on the santoor and establish himself. “Perhaps, next year I’ll get back to doing film music but definitely not at the cost of my stage performances.”
Bollywood brouhaha The dapper, however, doesn’t take Bollywood as seriously. On the notion that composing for Bollywood films means that one has truly arrived, he said, “Bollywood is so in-your-face now that there are some people who want to run away from it. There’s nothing unique about you any more if you’re a part of Bollywood. And I’m one of them.”