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Babul Supriyo on his 7-year hiatus from Hindi music: My permission to sing was…
Babul Supriyo talks about his comeback to Hindi music and collaborating with Shaan on Ankhiyaan, the reason behind his hiatus and bringing music into politics
After a gap of seven years, singer-politician Babul Supriyo made his musical comeback in Hindi recently with singer Shaan in the song Ankhiyaan, and he is elated to be back to his first love. “Luckily, I get a chance to split my time between Mumbai and Kolkata. While I was in Delhi my permission to sing was kind of laid down so I didn't get a chance to do tours and sing. But my Chief Minister has given me full liberty to do anything. So I spend a lot of time in Mumbai and Shaan has been a great composer for a very long time. I keep hearing his work on Instagram, so how long would I just like it? I knew it would be a yes from him,” he says.
Reflecting on his break, Babul Supriyo shares it was not voluntary. “The last song I sang was Sarphiri for Imtiaz Ali's Laila Majnu, but then what could I have done. I was not allowed to sing and then anywhere I'd go, even on a serious platform, people always wanted me to sing. Even if I’d go and give a good speech which is appreciated, what comes on TV would be the two songs that they forced me to sing. That got portrayed in every place, every big conference. Everyone was seen giving a good speech but Babul Supriyo's song was being put there as an entertainment quotient.”
He adds, “It's about what your boss allows. When Navjot Singh Sidhu wanted to carry on with his TV gig, his Chief Minister at that time agreed to it and didn't have any problem. Our Prime Minister did not want me to do that because he felt that dilutes my position as a Union Minister, so I had to abide by that. My Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, she actually promotes music. She writes, she tunes, so we have to sing so much. Even at the assembly, every time it ends, the speaker says it has to end with a Babul Supriyo song.”
The singer says it is now the start of something new for him: “This is Babul 2.0. Music is my passion, it is my better half. I resigned once in 2017 because I couldn't take the fact that I have not been given the permission to sing. My American tour was cancelled and it's a lot of money as well. So, I resigned in 2017 with a hand-written letter that was not accepted. But then, the thing is that any day given a choice, I would leave politics because I am not into power. I don't flex it and my friends know that I'm not into any kind of hanky panky, I just like taking decisions. I take good decisions and I'm proud about it. I enjoy it but politics is very vitriolic, so I am trying to bring some music in politics.”
