Singer Sunidhi Chauhan is enjoying the current phase of her work and personal life. While she gets to juggle film and independent music, she also gets to spend quality time with her son, Tegh. Crediting the five-year-old for making her “a sane person”, Chauhan says, “Motherhood changed me for good. I had a terrible routine until I was a mother. Time management was a huge issue with me. But thanks to Tegh, I’m a sane person now. I wake up in the morning, finish my morning routine and do all that I want to do through the day. Tegh has brought a routine and discipline into my life. I have experienced its benefits in terms of my overall mental and physical health. I sleep well and have the energy to do whatever I wish to do.”
The singer recently came up with a single, Tum Kehte Ho, which has been composed and sung by her. It revolves around shunning societal beliefs and prioritising one’s emotional and mental health. Happy with the kind of liberty that indie music offers, Chauhan says, “We manage to send across such strong messages because independent music is not bound by any script. So, there are no limitations.”
Speaking of mental health, how did she overcome the mother’s guilt when she returned to the recording room just three weeks after welcoming Tegh in 2018? “Maine uss department mein thodi cheating kar li,” she tells us, adding, “I made him travel with me for all my recordings and shows. He was 28-days-old when I took him for the recording of Thugs of Hindostan (2018). Ajay-Atul (composer duo) requested me to record the track as they were running a deadline. I placed Tegh in a room next to the recording room. I’d finish a few lines and check up on him. Phir mujhe iss cheez ki latt lag gayi. Main itni selfish ho gayi ki mujhe uske sath mazaa aane laga. Mujhe laga yeh to best hai. I don’t have to worry about him being at home while I was out for work. I performed my first show when he was five months old and he travelled with me.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking of mental health, how did she overcome the mother’s guilt when she returned to the recording room just three weeks after welcoming Tegh in 2018? “Maine uss department mein thodi cheating kar li,” she tells us, adding, “I made him travel with me for all my recordings and shows. He was 28-days-old when I took him for the recording of Thugs of Hindostan (2018). Ajay-Atul (composer duo) requested me to record the track as they were running a deadline. I placed Tegh in a room next to the recording room. I’d finish a few lines and check up on him. Phir mujhe iss cheez ki latt lag gayi. Main itni selfish ho gayi ki mujhe uske sath mazaa aane laga. Mujhe laga yeh to best hai. I don’t have to worry about him being at home while I was out for work. I performed my first show when he was five months old and he travelled with me.”
{{/usCountry}}However, Chauhan stopped doing that almost eight months ago “because I don’t want him to live my life”. She adds, “He’s got school and his friends. He wants to be on the stage with me (laughs). My team has a tough time stopping him in the wings. He says, ‘Mumma, mujhe bhi gaana hai’. So I tell him: ‘You have to earn it’.”
Speaking of performing on stage, it’s hard to ignore the physical transformation Chauhan has undergone in the recent times. In fact, she manages to pull off some pacy steps alongside singing live during the gigs. “During the pandemic, I decided to learn dancing professionally. It has become a great add-on to my shows as I always wanted to be a singer and performer. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it because singing live alongside dancing live isn’t easy. You have to get the right control of your breath. Also, I couldn’t stand wearing heels, but now I dance in them. I workout daily. I do cardio for three days and weight training for three days. In terms of food, I eat well. I don’t diet. I have my cheat days too, especially when I feed Tegh,” she ends.