‘Playback is ridiculous’

Playback singer Alisha Chinai, with chart-busters like Kajra re (Bunty Aur Babli) and Tera hone laga hoon (Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani) to her name, thinks playback singing is ridiculous.

Playback singer Alisha Chinai, with chart-busters like

HT Image

Kajra re

(

Bunty Aur Babli

) and

Tera hone laga hoon

(

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani

) to her name, thinks playback singing is ridiculous and says she can’t do it any more at any cost.

“Aishwarya and Katrina are beautiful women. But sorry, I didn’t enjoy watching them pretending to sing my songs

Kajra re

and

Tera hone laga

. My God! It’s so ridiculous!,” she said.

Alisha’s latest grievance over the tradition of ghost voices is the chart-buster

Munni badnaam hui

. “Who knows it is sung by Mamta Sharma? Everyone sees it as Malaika’s song,” protests Alisha.

So what’s her solution? “I’ve none. I can’t fight the system. Things have come to such a pathetic and sorry state for playback singers that no one knows the singers’ identity any more. Who knows I sang

Tera hone laga

for Katrina and

It’s rocking

and

Bebo main bebo

for Kareena? In fact, many people think they sang these numbers!” she said.

Alisha finds this continual neglect of playback singers degrading and thoroughly unacceptable. “In the past, I saw Sridevi walk away with all the raves for my song

Kaate nahin kat-te

(

Mr. India

). I’d rather sit at home jobless than allow my talent to be used to further any actress’ popularity,” she said.

Alisha said she hoped to revive the era of non-film albums. “I know I’m being unrealistic, but I can’t help it. Either I’ll sing in non-film albums or otherwise let the singer also do music videos of songs that heroines lip-sync on screen,” said Alisha, adding, “Pay me and give me my due credit. Or I am out of here.”