When you are singing a romantic song, do you have a muse in mind — some woman who inspires you?

I don’t have anyone in mind when I am singing. One day, I did try to think of my first girlfriend while singing. I thought I would sing a song in her memory but it didn’t really work. When you are singing, it doesn't matter if you are feeling sad — what matters is your ability to communicate the song’s feeling to the listener; and, for that, technique counts. One doesn’t have to feel the pain of yearning to communicate it. When I had to sing the whacky Salman number, Just chill, I was in a very disturbed state of mind but I could still pull it off.

When you are attracted to a woman, are you the demonstrative kind?

I think every human being is romantic at heart, some people express it, others don’t. I belong to the expressive and demonstrative variety.

If you were to woo a woman with a song, which song would you choose?

I have wooed one or two girls with Rafi Saab’s unforgettable song from Guide: Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hai.

In the field of Bollywood music, why are there practically no women composers right now?

There have been very few women music directors in the Hindi film industry. Usha Khannaji is the only exception that comes to my mind. This is because music direction involves dealing with people galore — some of whom are not even trained in music and are very vague about their requirements — and women find that taxing. Also, girls may not be comfortable with music sittings that last eight to nine hours in a roomful of men. Men are probably more comfortable — physically, emotionally and politically — to deal with a host of people, ranging from technicians to marketing people. A girl prefers to become a singer rather than a music director.

Since there is a surfeit of male music directors, is it more difficult for a male singer to make an impression?

You got it — bang on! It is very difficult for a male singer to impress a male music director. When I came from Delhi to Mumbai to try and become a singer, I was barely 18 years old. At that time, I knew that I was neither a girl, nor old enough to be taken seriously. Also, I had no godfather and I wasn’t even a star son. There were no TV shows like Sa Re Ga Ma, no Indian Idol, which promoted new singing talent in those days. My dad and I gave myself four years; it took me six years to find a foothold.

Have you refused any song because it was unflattering to women?

When I was very needy, I sang a song like Mera paon bhaari ho gaya. But I am not ashamed of it because I hadn’t established myself yet. When you are a nobody, especially in a second-rated profession like singing in India (that’s the way singers were viewed at that time; things have changed in the past few years), you can’t afford to have an opinion. Recently, I requested Himeshji and Davidji to excuse me from singing a song for Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya. I reasoned that it wasn’t a bad song but people wouldn’t want to hear such lyrics from me. They were very understanding about it. Later, I heard they scrapped the song altogether.

Does it hurt if a female playback singer gets paid more than you?

I think we are not here to settle scores and I don’t really care about what another person — male or female — earns. Each of us has to work on one’s ego or it goes to the head and spells destruction.

You have gone through a see-saw relationship with your wife. What do men and women fight about?

You may court a woman for years but things change drastically after marriage. A ‘taken for granted’ kind of feeling after marriage should never be allowed to seep in, however big and busy one may become. The day you stop working on your marriage, everything goes for a toss.

Who takes the other for granted — the man or the woman?

I have seen men being more involved in making a relationship work. I have seen that my friends handle their wives very carefully.

How would you describe a world without women?

I would feel lost. A man can live without money or whatever, but a man can never live without a woman. The woman could be a mother or a sister or a girlfriend.