As the man from Bollywood took the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers. Fans sang along from the first song itself, Jo bhi main from Rockstar. Mohit Chauhan belted out one hit song after another — Kuch khaas hai, Yeh dooriyan, Tum se hi and Pehli baar mohabbat. Before long, chants of “Dooba Dooba” filled the air and Mohit happily obliged. “I used to sit outside the class more than inside. And if by chance I got to sit inside I would only daydream. My friends were used to it and they would take notes for me. The song Dooba dooba is especially for those times,” he said, before picking up the guitar and strumming along. He also played the harmonica on the song Zara nazar utha ke dekho, another song by Silk Route.

Mohit: “Calcutta is full of music lovers and they love to listen to music. So, will you sing along?” Crowd: “Yes!” Mohit: “Give me a noise then (launching into Pee loon)!” Fans got to their feet for Sadda haq and also danced along to Ilahi, the last song for the evening.“I have performed in other places in Bengal too like Durgapur and Diamond Harbour and they’ve always been nice experiences. I love the city and the food. In winters I love the gur ka rosogolla because it tastes so good and you don’t get it anywhere else,” the man with romance in his voice told t2.

 

TETE-A-TETE

From Silk Route to now, what changes do you see in yourself?

Silk Route days were carefree days with complete freedom and the band was like a community with a whole lot of jamming and music, whereas now there’s a difference. I can’t be as free anymore. There’s more maturity plus times and things have changed. I’m also married now and then I was single, so yeah, a whole lot of difference (laughs).

Any plans to get back together with Silk Route?

Seems unlikely because we’re not really in touch with each other. But there was a beautiful and creative flow of energy in those days. It’s not like I was looking for people (to form a band) or that they were looking for somebody but we just found each other, so that was the best part.

In 2011 and 2012 you were doing a whole lot of Bolly songs, but it seems you have cut back on your Bolly projects…

I’m doing a lot of Bollywood songs even now. You know, Rockstar was such a strong and huge hit, it’s very difficult to match up to that. Something as good as that comes your way only once in a while.

What’s your take on Arijit Singh?

At different times, different people get songs but yeah he is a good singer and he is doing good work but there are so many talented people in the industry.

Honey Singh is on a roll now...

His genre is different and he’s given us some good songs but you know it all depends on the individual and what kind of music one likes and prefers to listen to.

What genre of music do you think suits you best?

As a singer, I like to travel different paths, where I haven’t been before and as a musician it’s exciting and challenging. But I like a good melody, meaningful and passionate music.

What do you think is the main difference between singing live and playback singing?

There are a whole lot of differences. There’s the manufacturing of the song in the solitude of the studio and then there’s the performance of maybe the same song but it’s live and there are no retakes.

Any song of yours that is special to you?

Jo bhi main from Rockstar. I can really identify with the lyrics. It is also my story because I can make music and sing but talking is not really my thing.

What kind of music did you grow up listening to?

Many different kinds of music, right from ghazal to Hindi film music to western music. I really enjoy listening to Dire Straits, Paul Simon, Rolling Stones.

A song you’ve been listening to on loop?

For the past few weeks I’ve been listening to Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Nirvana a lot. I have also been listening to some music by Ghulam Ali lately.

Forthcoming projects?

I will be doing some work with Rahman sa’ab again, and Imtiaz Ali and Pritam.

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Bangla rock phenom Fossils started soft with Alo and then completely turned the mood around with Bicycle chor. Midway through the song, Rupam held out the mic to the audience and let them sing along, and the next couple of minutes were deafening. “Apnara ki prostut?” Rupam asked before launching into Bishakto manush. “I don’t know what the youngsters are called now but when we were young, we were called the MTV generation. Thank you MTV for organising this concert,” he said. Fossils ended their set with Hasnuhana and Acid.

 

Folk band Bhoomi took the stage first and set the mood for the evening with Sonali chander alo. While songs like Kande shudhu mon were soft, Lal paharir deshe ja and Sohag chaand garnered a lot of loud cheers from the crowd. Pocha kaka made the crowd dance in their seats. As Nazom nazom filled the air, the crowd sang along. Before they launched into Barandaye roddur, Surojit urged everyone to get up and dance and soon enough everyone was on their feet singing along to “Tomar dekha nai re, tomar dekha nai!” “It was great playing here. After a long time, we played at an open-air concert like this and it felt nice,” Surojit told t2.

 

 

 

Ayushi Talukdar, third-year mass communication student at St. Xavier’s College, came especially for Mohit Chauhan. Dressed in a floral maxi from City Centre and a woollen scarf from BK Market, Ayushi said: “It’s cold out here and I’m glad I got something to keep my neck warm.... Ever since I got to know Mohit Chauhan was performing in Calcutta I have been telling all my friends to block their dates.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apoorba Roy (left) chose white because “it’s the best colour for a musical evening”. Meanwhile, Madhurima Chaudhuri found a perfect pair of stockings to go with her red-and-black party dress. “I enjoyed dancing with my friends... the field was open and I felt liberated with the music,” said Madhurima, an intern at KPC Medical College.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smriti Parmeshwaram, who is training to be an air-hostess, went all black. “This little black dress is such a good buy because it’s comfortable, light and even if it gets soiled I’m not worried. To add a pop of colour I chose a bright pink purse. It’s actually fuchsia but looks too pink in these lights,” smiled the 23-year-old. Check out her matching lip colour!

 

 

 

 

Text: Deborima Ganguly and Astha Modi

Pictures: Mayukh Sengupta