New singers making it big in Bollywood. A Special Interview with a rising star Miss. Gunjan Rastogi with Filmymantra Team. Here are points that she shared with us.
Gunjan Rastogi is a very simple and down to earth person who never gives up and never forgets to thank to God who made her this way.
1. How did you get involved in Singing?
ANS : I was interested in Music since my childhood. I used to sing at home & my family & friends knew that I could sing well so they encouraged me & I started learning Indian Classical Music in the year 2000.
2. How long have you been a Singer? From where did you get started?
ANS : I started singing professionally since 2008 after getting so many experiences by taking part in various singing competetions & by the grace of God & with the blessings of my parents, I won most of them, which actually made me confident to show my talent worldwide.
3. How many songs or albums you have done till now?
ANS : I have sung for so many music companies i.g. t-series, universal, saregama etc. & fortunately sang a devotional song with the great playback singer Suresh Wadker ji, launched by Universal & recently I launched my own song.
4. Are you working on any current projects?
ANS : Yes, so many are there. Some of them are my own creations & own projects.
5. What kind of songs have you performed throughout your career? Are you satisfied with them?
ANS : I have sung almost each genre of music like classical, semi classical, romantic, sad, rock, sufi & a bit of devotional too. Yes, somehow I am satisfied as I have used my talent in above all the catagories but as an artist, I can never be satisfied because the more you do, the more you desire to do.
6. Tell me about an area in which you would like to improve as a singer?
ANS : As a singer, there are always a large scope to learn but still I would like to improve my singing skills in other indian languages like bangali, gujrati, marathi, punjabi etc. and would like to learn more and more.
7. Do you ever think that you could have done a bit better in any particular field?
ANS : I personally think that what I am doing is best for me but still if I would not be a singer, I would be a lecturer.
8. Which is your favorite song that you have performed?
ANS : Its always very difficult for me to mention my favourite songs as every song has its own colour & fragrance but if I have to mention so, “sun raha hai na tu” sung by Shreya Ghoshal, “ishq sufiyana” by Sunidhi Chauhan & my all time favourite “Lag ja gale” sung by the legend Lata Mangeshkar itself.
9. What are your strong points in Singing?
ANS : I feel I can accomplish classical and romantic songs very well.
10. What have you learned from the directors/ singers that you have worked with throughout your career?
ANS : Indeed I have learnt a lot from all of them. I leaned to deliver pronunciation of the specific words used in any song, to perform well, to interact with the audience & to understand the mood of the crowd.
11. What have you learned from your senior singers?
ANS : I am always a learner and always want to learn more from my seniors. They always guide me to move ahead and achieve new goals in my singing career.
13. From where have you learned singing?
ANS : I completed Sangeet Prabhakar from “Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad” in 2005, Graduation with Music as a subject from “Vivekananda College, University of Delhi” in 2006, Post Graduation in Music from “The faculty of Music & fine arts, University of Delhi” in 2008 and moreover I learned from my Guruji Lt. Pt. Shridutt Sharma Ji, a renowned Dhrupad Gayak, who will always be remembered for me as my God of Music.
14. How do you think film stars handle their popularity?
ANS : They are always very concsious about their social image and their hard work & dedication towards their work what makes them popular.
15. What has been your biggest achievement in the field of singing?
ANS : Oh..!! Its yet to come.
16. Mention about any special recognition or award that you have received for your singing skills?
ANS : I have won so many awards as a winner at national level and luckily have been a part of the singing shows i.g. “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” & “Voice of India”.
17. What kind of songs you prefer?
ANS : As I already said that I love to sing the songs composed classically but according to the listners, a singer has to be versatile.
18. What is the hardest part of being a celebrity?
ANS : Being a celebrity is an opportunity. I think there is no any hardest part but yes, a celebrity always has to maintain his/her image socially & professionally.
19. Give me a few tips to be a successful singer?
ANS : Never stop learning & practising because practise makes a man perfect.
20. Who is your favorite Singer?
ANS : Not one singer, there are a few singers of bollywood who are my favourite as my all time favourite & my ideal Lata Mangeshkar ji, Md. Rafi, Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam & Arijit.
She also told us she would like to tell to the world, that Music/Singing is just not my profession, its my life, my passion, my all time love. I will stop singing only at the day I will leave this world.
Interview By: Sumit Sharma
