Remember the song, Jumma chumma de de, from Hum? The song that Amitabh Bachchan sang? Well, this is exactly what happens to the very talented Sudesh Bhosle all the time. All his credit goes to someone else. Why? Simple, because he can imitate another’s voice to perfection. So much so that no one could make out that 70 per cent of Anil Kapoor’s voice in the film Tezaab was actually that of Sudesh Bhosle’s! “I feel sad. Especially when music composers make me sing in someone’s voice, but do not give me credit for it. All I need is somebody to acknowledge my work and give me credit where it is due,” says the ‘voice of Amitabh Bachchan’, with a tinge of hurt. He says, “Being Mr Bachchan’s voice has really contributed to my career, but there are times when some songs, which I have sung for him, get passed off as his voice. And in the music industry if I ask for my due credit, the producer passes the buck to the music company and vice versa, so I have just tried to live with this.”

How did it all start? “It happened accidentally with me. I was very young at that time and was learning to sing from my grandmother who was a renowned singer. I just happened to see Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and was so impressed with the film that I kept repeating Amitji’s dialogues from the film wherever I went. A friend then pointed out to me that since I imitate Amitabh Bachchan so well, why don’t I try it professionally? And that was the beginning.”

But in spite of being a talented singer, why did he choose to imitate? “I never intended to. It was Laxmikant-Pyarelal who had asked me to record a song for Hum. When I went inside the studio, knowing that I copy different actors’ voices quite well, Laxmiji said, ‘Let’s do an experiment. You try singing in Amitji’s voice.’ I got damn nervous since never before had I done something like that. I said, I can’t do that. But then Laxmiji proposed to dub two songs. One in my voice, and another in Amitji’s and when we recorded the songs, the one in Amitji’s voice was liked by everyone. Even Mr Bachchan himself liked the way I imitated his voice. The song was Jumma chumma de de. The song went on to become a hit and from that day onwards, everyone started asking me to sing in others’ voices. There was no turning back.”

Sudesh Bhosle is now working with Asha Bhosle. “I have just recorded 12 songs in Asha Bhosle’s latest album, a tribute to RD. It is something I am extremely proud of and honoured to be part of because it’s a very prestigious album for me. I was also part of her album, Rahul and I, a few years ago. I think the fact that despite so many singers around she chose me to sing with her is a matter of pride for me.”

With new singers rising almost every day, would he advise them to try matching voices with the actors they sing for, especially after his experience? “No way! What I did was an accident. If you copy someone’s voice, you get typecast. I tried to stop it many times, but people kept on asking me to imitate. They expect me to sing in someone else’s voice only, forgetting that I have a voice of my own. Newcomers, be original before you are branded like me! Singing in someone else’s voice gives you momentarily pleasure, but then you are branded forever,” is how Sudesh Bhosle rings the alarm bells for the new generation. (Sampurn)

EXTRA FREE

THE POPULAR BACHCHAN SONGS SUNG BY SUDESH BHOSLE

1. Jumma chumma de de (Hum)
2. Sona sona (Major Saab)
3. Shava shava (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...)
4. Bade miyan to bade miyan (Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan)
5. Meri makhana
(Baghban)

VOICES SUDESH HAS IMITATED OTHER THAN BIG B

1. Anil Kapoor in Tezaab
2. Sanjeev Kumar, in five films after his sudden demise — Love And God, Katl, Professor Ki Padosan, Do Waqt Ki Roti and Oonch-Neech-Beech.