Tejal Sinha
Creating a niche for himself in the industry, singer-songwriter-composer Tony Kakkar, has often been a target of trolls. But that’s not something that affects him anyway! Known for his songs like Mohabbat Barsa De, Khuda Bhi, Coca Cola, Dheeme Dheeme, Kurta Pajama, and Zindagi Bata De, to name a few, gets candid with The Pioneer about his journey, enjoying the trolls coming his way, and more.
There’s something really enthralling about not just Tony Kakkar’s voice, but also how as a human being he is in real life. Well, that is something we got to experience during our fun tête-à-tête with the adept singer.
Who would have known the young Kakkars, hailing from Rishikesh, who during one point in their life used to perform at the ‘Jagratas’, have now created a sensation of their own?
“I would say my journey has been completely magical,” begins the tunesmith, whose journey initially in the industry began with composing and writing lyrics for Mohabbat Barsa De (Creature 3D), which to date will make you humm to its music. “From where we had begun to making a tiny-little name for yourself in the industry, you need to be blessed. And so has it been for us as well. Having god’s blessing and ‘Mata Rani Ka Aashirwaad’ because of which things have happened. It’s been incredible, and I believe it’s been a revolution on a human level. I say this because people don’t know our exact origins and beginnings, how difficult it was to travel from one city to another, and then whatever has transpired has been massive.”
Now when we talk of the ‘Kakkar’ siblings, they are no less than being like three bodies, three different individuals, but are forever one soul. In fact, have created their own mark and image in the music industry. And the Mile Ho Tum singer did see eye to eye, as he says, “Neha and Sonu di have done so well; both have accomplished so much in their careers. I have created my own genre, consisting solely of Tony Kakkar-style songs. Something that has been our specialty is that we haven’t followed. Just the way our upbringing was, similarly our music had also developed. With the conditions that we were in, we didn’t really follow any pattern, so there’s a different uniqueness in our music. There’s also a different personality, which is very much individual. We didn’t really have a role model or fantasized about being like them. We became who we were, and others noticed.”
While some may believe that having siblings in the same industry makes one insecure, this is not the case here at least. They’ve had a name of their own, and so does their own music. But of course, as a brother, the Dheeme Dheeme singer says, “I feel proud that I’m the brother of such a big star, and as a brother, I would want to be known as Neha and Sonu Kakkar’s brother. Because if I’m not their brother, toh phir kaun hai (Then who is it)??? (We laugh).”
Celebrities, being in the public eye most of the time, have been the target for large trolls in addition to the love and fan following. Most people troll for a variety of reasons, including vengeance, attention-seeking, boredom, and personal fun. And the Kakkar siblings, particularly Tony, have been a frequent target of trolls due to their music. The Chaand Mera Naraaz Hai singer does feel that trolls is a way or source of entertainment for the people who make these comment, and in fact, it is an entertainment source for him as well. Hahaha! “Trolls don’t really affect, but at times when it gets really mean, it does affect, and at times make you question humanity. Mera toh mood usse light hota hai (My mood gets lighter with it). I enjoy trolls, getting trolled, and also seeing them trolling others (We laugh out loud). I take it in a fun way.”
But again on a serious note, there was this one troll for which Tony had to give a reply back. Not bashing in any way but in a rather calm and composed way. Back when, he had released a song with Neha called Kanta Laga, a troll had commented saying they would rather consume poison and die than listen to another of his songs. Recalling what made him keep his calm on such a comment, the Shona Shona singer says, “Firstly we’d got to understand why is he saying that. If he is telling it in an entertaining way, then you don’t even have to answer. But again, if even a troll starts speaking of ‘jeena-marna’ (Live or die), tab mera life ko leke gyaan shuuru hojata hai (tab mera life ko leke gyaan shuuru hojata hai ). That is something I keep telling myself too. Life is above everything, and then comes the rest, be it music or any of our hobbies. The basics—Khaana Peena aur Zindagi jeena sabse pehle aata hai. So if anything disturbs that in your life, one has to just remove it off. I don’t take it seriously. Even then, I had just got a random thought and I gave an answer to it. I didn’t really think much about it.”
In fact, people who say that he uses the same tune in his songs—“They need to be fully aware about the fact that what all I’ve been doing. Longe bass ek soch banalete hai but it’s not been like that. Music has been really different, compositions are also different so I don’t think anyone who has a knowledge of music would comment any such thing.”
Well, we agree to this. In such case, his songs like Dheeme Dheeme and Coca Cola, wouldn’t have been used in film, which he feels is a ‘win-win’ situation for the music, the artist, and also the film.
For the unaware, right from the tender age of six, the Tera Suit singer has had it within him to write lyrics. Isn’t that insane! But what’s been his inspiration? Well, there’s no such inspiration as such, he says, but just going with the flow. “For me, writing a song would be something that’s lifted during a conversation and the way we talk. As a music listener and a student what I’ve learned, unknowingly what comes to my mind I write. I specifically haven’t had any writer as an inspiration or studied them, but at large, the filmy songs that have been there, and the music from around the world that has had a great Shayari, I get inspire to an extent.”
Now here’s something for the ‘Tonisha’ fans too— “If any project materializes that both our managements allow and suggest us to do so why not? I would love to work with her again.” We know you guys can’t wait to see them yet again on-screen. Well, all we can do is to wait and hope something comes soon!
With the way he’s pulled himself through the thick and thin situations, we asked about how would he describe ‘Tony Kakkar’ as? To this, he laughs out loud, and says, “ I keep changing my thoughts.”
But there’s also something he humbly wishes for— “I want my listeners to remember me as one of the finest songcreators of our generation, someone who has had a lot of versatility; as a versatile songwriter and composer. Even I think that I feel I’m very versatile as a music composer and songwriter.”
Music is something that he enjoys and does 24/7. So, making it obvious, there’s a lot of music coming for the Tony Kakkar fans.
As we head towards signing off this chat with him, here’s a question for the trolls on a concluding note— “When people can troll a song like Kurta Pajama, making it big, it would have been big though, and making it the talk of the town, then a song like Zindagi Bata De, why didn’t they make it the talk-of-the-town so it would have become the song of the year. The song deserved so much love, and with whoever it has reached is madly in love with it. When they can troll a song like Kurta Pajama why don’t they appreciate a song like Zindagi Bata de?”
