HT Brunch Cover Story: Abba knows best

Father’s Day and World Music Day Special: The youngest members of a family that staunchly celebrates tradition, Zohaan & Abeer Ali Bangash take on dad Ayaan on home turf!

Eight years ago, just before Ayaan Ali Bangash’s twin boys made their way into the world, the doctors attending his wife Neema asked him to sing.

Ayaan Ali Bangash’s twins Zohaan and Abeer, 8, have just released their maiden sarod track titled Our Love, a tribute to their grandfather, the sarod virtuoso Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, on his 75th birthday; On Ayaan, Zohaan and Abeer: Kurta pyjama, Nachiket Barve (Shivamm Paathak)

“I was taken aback, but you don’t want to make doctors unhappy at that time, right?” chuckles 41-year-old Ayaan. “It was awkward because I was humming while my wife was screaming in pain, but the doctors seemed to enjoy it and said, ‘If only we could make this happen for every delivery.’”

If those doctors could hang on in their profession a few years longer, they might have the pleasure of repeating the experience when Zohaan and Abeer Ali Bangash grow up and have babies of their own. Because even though the boys are just eight, they have not only taken to music, but released their maiden sarod track titled Our Love, a tribute to their grandfather, the sarod virtuoso Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, on his 75th birthday.

Ayaan says that as a family, music is their way of life

“Music is the greatest wealth we have as a family. It’s a way of life for us, not only our profession,” says Ayaan. “So, for me it was only natural to share it with them. Eventually, though, what they want to do in life is a journey they’ll have to take. At the end of the day, I’m a believer of doing what makes you happy.”

The legacy question

The responsibility of taking forward a gharana puts a certain kind of pressure on kids. “In the case of my brother and I, despite being given a choice, I do feel that standards and expectations were quite set,” muses Ayaan. “By God’s grace, we were received with love and affection, not because we are Mozarts but because the audience develops a certain relationship with the artiste (read: my father) over a period of time. However, with my kids, I’d be more than happy to see them do what they want to and build their own legacy. If either of them or even both of them pursue music, I’ll be grateful for that too.”

Ayaan opens up about his boys

The pressure that the children of the famous feel comes from the expectations that people have of them. “It’s only today, when I look back with awareness of mental health, that I realise I had a lot of anxiety,” Ayaan says. “But I didn’t know what anxiety was then. I just thought it was the pressure of playing because my brother was already a performing artiste and of course, I had my dad’s name. My first solo concert was with big artistes like Zakir Hussain, so I was anxious. I was unable to communicate it, or more likely, unaware how to do so. But it did make me a stronger person. For my sons, there will be many more opportunities of communicating.”

A family portrait with Zohaan, Ayaan, mum Subhalakshmi, wife Neema, father Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Abeer, and brother Amaan

Lockdown, Ayaan notes, has had a good effect on the twins’ music lessons. They’ve gone from strumming to playing since he had hours to give his sons, something he was unable to do before the pandemic because he was constantly touring.

“I always thought that my father would teach them and I’d take them when they were good to go. But after the first phase of the lockdown, my father was thrilled when he heard them sing because it seemed they had found their direction.”

Abba kyu nahi maanenge

Zohaan and Abeer are fraternal twins, and are like chalk and cheese in their behaviour, says the father. “It’s tricky, and you’ve to handle them with a lot of care because they are extremely sensitive. They’re very dramatic actors too and they know how to handle us. They keep doing sketches and suddenly put on a British accent while glued to Ben & Holly.”

Ayaan says that when he looks back today with the awareness of mental health, he realises he had anxiety [growing up] that he was unable to communicate; On Ayaan: Tshirt, H&M; jeans, True Religion; shoes, Nike Jordans; On Zohaan: Shirt, Tommy Hilfiger; pants, Zara; On Abeer: Shirt, Tommy Hilfiger; pants, Zara

Their parents see them as individuals, which is why the boys have hardly ever been dressed identically in their lives. Perhaps, this is because Ayaan and his brother Amaan were polar opposites too. “We were naughty and would prank call musicians and actors,” he laughs.

Adjusting to fatherhood was a little tough, Ayaan says. “The father figure for me is always my Abba (father) and it took me some time to get used to my kids calling me Abba,” he grins. “I’m trying to be a good father.”

He has three roles to play with the twins, father, friend and guru, and says the shift from one to another is organic. “When I’m with them through the day, I’m a certain way,” he explains. “When I tell them, let’s go play, they know they have to be a certain way. Kids are really good listeners and observers, so the shift is very fluid.”

Ayaan Ali Bangash’s grandfather Haafiz Ali Khan

He’s also more open with his kids than his grandfather was with his father. “No parent comes trained and every member’s equation in a family is different. My father’s equation with his father was more formal because of the age difference. With us, Abba was friendlier and that’s how I’d like to be with my kids. While there is a respect element that I’m happy about, I want to be their go-to person for anything.”

The twins take on their dad, Ayaan

Changing rhythms

Ayaan is in complete awe of how his father, who despite being a traditionalist in his music, has always reinvented himself for changing times. “He was a pioneer in his own way,” he says. “My dad was often criticised when he did things like change his kurta between sessions. Why can’t vanity be part of being a musician? Sometimes when we post something on social media, we attract unkind comments. Also, how does being experimental dilute your gravity as an artiste?”

Today, he points out, easy accessibility has changed the ball game for those with talent: you could be in any part of the world and find an audience. “For my brother and me, it was a very lonely journey in school, to skip classes to do concerts,” he reminisces.

Ayaan styling his boys for a shoot

Both Ayaan and his brother Amaan had acted once upon a time in their careers. “When we were offered an opportunity, we decided to take it up. However, the film didn’t go through for many reasons and we just look back at it as a learning curve. Acting and writing are just extensions of us.”

The mother factor

Even as we celebrate Father’s Day, Ayaan asserts that fathers are incomplete without mothers. “The role my mother (Subhalakshmi Barua Khan, a noted Bharatanatyam dancer) played in my life is beyond explanation. My father rightly says that the mother is the first guru of the child and I can see it is the same for Neema and the boys. She has been more patient with them than I have in every aspect, especially with music.”

Ayaan on his latest EP

Even at the shoot for this interview, Neema’s influence is unmissable. The kids listen to every instruction she gives them. But as soon as we tell them to wish their dad a Happy Father’s day, the kids jump on to Ayaan together and scream into his ears. It is obvious that their father is their best friend!

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From HT Brunch, June 20, 2021

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