Anoushka Shankar’s lullaby goes to Hollywood

Anoushka Shankar may have made up her mind about acting for filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children a year ago, but the British Indian sitarist, who later backed out due to pregnancy, is clear she has no plans to act for now.

Anoushka Shankar may have made up her mind about acting for filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children a year ago, but the British Indian sitarist, who later backed out due to pregnancy, is clear she has no plans to act for now. “I have no plans to act at present,” says Anoushka, denying that she’ll even act in husband, English filmmaker Joe Wright’s future projects. She has, however, composed a track for Joe’s film, Anna Karenina. “I didn’t actually compose the song for the film. It was a lullaby I made up whilst singing to Zubin (her 19-month-old son). Joe heard it and liked it. It is very meaningful for us that a song for Zubin has ended up in the film,” says Anushka who will perform in the city next week.

HT Image

Indian connect excites Anoushka

British-Indian sitarist Anoushka Shankar loves to flaunt her Indian roots. After turning up in a Ritu Kumar ghagra-kurti for her

husband, filmmaker Joe Wright’s film, Anna Karenina’s London premiere, Anoushka is ready to blend flamenco music with Indian music at the upcoming Bacardi NH7 Weekender.



"I’ve been performing classical shows for nearly twenty years now, but a huge part of my career has been non-classical and experimental in the last decade, and a much higher percentage of my shows in that time have been non-classical. I’m very excited to bring the Indian-flamenco Traveller band to this festival. Perhaps not many people coming to this festival would have heard much flamenco music and seen how beautifully it connects with our Indian music," says Anoushka, who is also excited to reunite with her Indian musician friends at the festival.

Anoushka also has the upcoming second season of TV show, The Dewarists, on her plate. "It’s an innovative show, highlighting the musical creative process, and I’m very excited to be working with Gaurav Raina again. I’ve worked with him so extensively with his group, Midival Punditz, but it is the first time that we are working together with his new solo avatar Grain and I’m curious to see what we’ll come up with. We will also be working with two extremely talented musicians, Pirashanna Thevarajah on south Indian percussion and Sanjeev Shankar on the shehnai. They are like brothers to me as I have worked with them for many years," she says.

Anoushka also has a new album on the anvil. British-Indian music composer Nitin Sawhney is producing it. "I feel incredibly lucky to be working with someone who is not only an incredibly talented musician and producer but also a dear friend," she says.

Catch her here
What: Anoushka Shankar on The Dewarists Stage at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender
When: October 13, 9pm onwards
Where: Buddh International Circuit, Noida
Entry fee for the festival: R1,500 (Saturday); R2,000 (Sunday)
Tickets available on: www.nh7.in/weekender