'Yes! I listen to my song everyday,' says 'Laila Main Laila' singer Pawni Pandey

A freewheeling chat with Pawni Pandey, now popularly known as the Laila Main Laila (Raees) singer,  isn’t what we were expecting, but that’s exactly what we got from the singer who most recently featured in Phillauri. Here's how it goes...

What’s the story behind your name?
(Laughs) My name means pavitra karne wali. Pawni is a synonym of the river Ganga and Ganga river is also known as the purifier.

So would you say that your name has had any kind of influence on you?
I don’t know (giggles). You’ll have to ask my friends and family for that whether I am able to do any good to them in their life.

You have worked with big names in the industry like Uttam Singh, Himesh Reshammiya, Ram Sampath, Sandesh Shandaliya and recently with new comer Shashwat Sachdev in Phillauri. What difference did you feel while working with the veterans and a first time composer?
Omg! It’s a very tricky question. Honestly, working with every music director is really different from the other and with God’s grace I have never had any bad experience with any music director. They have been so kind and so encouraging in their own way. 

Uttam Singh ji, was the first person to make me sing a film song and I have really high regards for him. The things that he has taught me, I was really like a child, I was just 11 years old when I worked with him. So at that point of time I was not matured enough to understand things.He was so kind and really very sweet to me.

Then I worked with Himesh sir. I really adore him as a person as well. I have met him quite a lot of times. I have travelled with him quite a lot of times. And he is so humble and a very caring person. Many people don’t know this about him that he really cares a lot about his singers, he really cares for his artists. When I was working on Bodyguard, I had got the call from Himesh sir’s studio at 11 in the night that there is this song that needs to be dubbed and we need to dub it urgently because the song needs to go for shoot.  So you have to come for the recording of the song at 7 in the morning, which is very uncanny for our field, because we are used to recording at 10 in the night, 11 in the night or probably 7 in the evening but nobody records at 7 in the morning. So I was like Oh My God! But when I reached the studio, Himesh sir wasn’t able to make it to the studio but I remember he was constantly on the call with me. He made it a point that he was available for the recording. I don’t know where he was, but we were recording like that. So that really affected me a lot that he is so concerned. He appreciated me a lot, even after that he was really sweet.

With Shashwat, it has been like Shashwat is a very dear friend of mine. We hail from the same city that is Jaipur and we are very old family friends. So Shashwat basically shifted to Mumbai 2 years back and he started his journey as a music composer in front of me. It is very heart-warming to see him doing such great music and being associated with such good projects in such a short period of time. And he told me that 'you know whenever I do my first film, I will definitely make it a point that you are there in the film' because he’s really fond of me and so am I. So working with him is like working with a friend, working with a brother. He’s just like an elder brother to me.

With Sandesh sir, I have to say that he pays a LOT of attention to the detailing of any song while singing. So I get to learn a lot from him, from the singing point of view. He’s a really great teacher and he brings out the best part of you.

So you have done two songs for Dabboo Mallik, why is it that you have never sung for Amaal or Armaan Mallik?
Actually that was my first Hindi film song and they have given me my break. Me and Armaan were together in Li'll Champs. There only Dabboo uncle heard me and he was very impressed by my singing and he had said to me that he will give me my first break and then he kept his promise. Me, Armaan and Amaal are really good friends since our childhood. It’s so good to see them grow so much and they also tell me that they are very happy for me. So, we always chill out and it feels really great to be associated with such people and they hold really an important part in my life. So it’s a very feel good factor that emotionally also they are very close to me.

Have you ever approached them or have they ever approached you?
So, it’s never been like that, we have been very good family friends as I mentioned earlier. So our equation has never been that of professional kind. That I am singer and he’s a music composer so he has to approach me or I have to approach them, it has never been like that. It has always been on a very friendly note that I know that whenever they feel that I am right for a song he will call me and he knows that whenever I need something I will give him a call.

You’ve sung Sahiba with Romy in Phillauri. What was the chemistry like between you two since both of you have sung together for the first time?
So, to be very honest, when Romy sang the song, like he sang the song after I had sung for my part. He came into the picture later, after I had already sung for my part. But when I met him, even at that time it was not finalised that it will be Romy who will be singing the song. So he had sung it, but then he was asking me. So me Shashwat and Romy, we were just sitting and we were just discussing that how can we make this song better. So I really liked the thing that Romy has got some 2 or 3 songs in the film and I have a very strong faith in the songs. He was so sweet and he was asking me that aap mujhe bataiye, ke main kya karun, main kaise theek karun, aapko kya lag raha hai. He was so inquisitive about everything, he wanted to know things, he wanted to make it better. And I really liked that thing about him. And whenever I’ve met him, he’s a very nice person and a very warm person.

You’ve sung songs in movies like Maanjhi, Kisaan and most recently Phillauri. What do think is there in your voice that appeals to the makers of such movies and you get to sing the songs that are very attached to the soil and are very earthy in their feel?
I don’t know yaar. To be very honest I have never limited myself to anything, It’s just destiny that’s doing all this. It’s not at any conscious decision. And you can say that it’s a coincidence. May be the music directors like my voice, which is very bold and it has got a certain rustic feel to it. I have worked on my voice so that I can give any feel or any expression to any song. I have worked like that. So probably the versatility that I have been working on is maybe the thing that the directors are liking. As long as it’s doing good it’s all good.

How has your life changed after Laila?
I’ll have to say that earlier I didn’t get calls from DNA (chuckles). Now, I am getting those calls. But yeah definitely life has changed. It has changed for the good. It has made my life more busy and it has made me more self-aware as well as aware of the competition I have got. The positive changes are quite obvious that now people know my songs and are now listening to my songs. They are dancing to my songs. So, it’s a very feel good factor but other than that I feel more responsible as an artist, I feel I have got a certain level of responsibility in me that people will be expecting something really good out of me which is at par with Laila or Phillauri or Anarkali of Aarah. Whatever choices I make now are really going to affect my career be it good or bad. I really feel responsible for it that I should bring out good music and I should be able to project myself the way I have always dreamt of.

People tend to associate the hit songs with the face they see on screen while the singers take a back seat. Comment.
You know the credit is given to the singer but you know our country is a very star-struck country and the actors/star power is really huge in our country. We really give a very high regard and credit to all the actors but I really feel being a singer, that a singer should get a little more credit. Like in earlier days, both the singers and actors were given equal credit for the songs. I really feel that that should be the way how it should work. Not that I did not get any credit for Laila, of course I got a lot of credit for it. But this is also true that in our country actors will always be at a pedestal. I feel the same is faced by the directors, producers and all the other technicians in a film. The people behind the camera do not get as much credit as the ones on screen and I don’t even blame the actors for it because it’s their job and they work really hard for it. But it’s natural, whatever will be seen will be sold. Jo dikhta hai, Woh bikta hai.

These days, before even the film is out, the entire album is out. If a song is from a big banner or have big names associated with it, do you think it will do good anyway?
It works both ways, actually. If a song does well, it is often from a good production house. It is all about the promotions. Even if it is from a big film or a small film, if you promote it well, it will do well. But obviously, it has to be a good song.

You have come from a reality show and made your name in the industry. Do you think reality shows really help you in the industry?
See, reality shows don’t train you. They don’t teach you how to be a playback singer. What they do is build up your confidence, build up your face value and teach you a lot about how reality actually is. You do not learn about that when you are in the show but once when you are out of the show. When you’re in it, it’s about how to carry yourself, how to be confident, how to perform in front of so many people, it really teaches you a lot. But for playback singing and recording, it does not really train you.

But do you think reality shows help the aspiring singers in getting their break?
It depends on how the singer is singing. If you are not a good singer, if you cannot execute anything properly, even if you win the show… it is not going to help you. See that is why Arijit Singh made a name for himself. He was not the winner of any reality show. But his skills, his hard work made him what he is. Whether you are a winner or not a winner, whether you are part of a reality show or not, you will really have to work hard.

Now, we will talk about your bucket list. Any singer you would like to sing a duet with?
Arijit Singh, for sure.

Any actress for whom you would like to sing?
Rekha ji.

Music composer you would like to work with?
Oh, there are many. I have a long way to go. A R Rahman, Pritam da, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Amit Trivedi, Sachin-Jigar… Oh there are so many! I want to work with everyone!

The singer with whom you would like to share the stage?
There are many. Arijit Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan.

Have you been touring for concerts?
Yeah, but not many because of my studies. I have been studying so did not get many holidays.

Any anecdote you would you like to share?
I toured with Sukhwinder Singh. We were travelling from Mumbai to New York, where our first concert took place. My mom was so concerned meri beti khayegi kya so she packed some aloo pranthas for me. But since I got some interesting food on flight, I did not eat the paranthas. When we landed in New York, Sukhi ji was very hungry, 'Itni bhookh lag rahi hai yaar' he said. I was scouting for something else in my bag when he said, ye paranthe ki khushbu kahan se aa rahi hai. Aaloo ke paranthe, kahan se khushbu aa rahi hai. I said, mummy ne diye thhe but purane ho gaye, 20 ghante ho gaye. He said, arey la idhar de tu, paranthe kabhi puraane nahi hote. Then woh airport par hi neeche chaukdi maar ke baith gaye and we had our dabba. Next day, we were getting late for shopping, he had an orange shawl that he used for yoga. He just wore that and said ki chalo main bhi chalta hu aapke sath. You know, he was so happy and carefree about everything ki bhai kya farak padta hai.

Any three songs that are on the top of your playlist?
Closer by The Chainsmokers, Something Like This by Coldplay and Laila from Raees. Yes! I listen to my song every day (giggles).

What are your upcoming projects, after Phillauri and Anaarkali of Aarah?
Right now, there is one song in this film, Julie 2. There is a duet song with Mohit Chauhan in Guns of Banaras. There are many more that I have recorded but I really don’t know about them.