Singer Neeti Mohan has been in the film industry for quite a while, but her voice as Rosie Noronha in Bombay Velvet is smooth, silky, bold and oh, so, jazz
She had walked into the recording studio wearing casuals — a smart tee with a pair of jeans, and flats. When the music director saw this young singer, he asked her to go back home, open her wardrobe and come back wearing what a jazz singer would have worn. This time when the singer came back to the studio, she was wearing a shimmering long gown, stilettos, sporting a gorgeous 60s style hairdo, and the right amount of makeup.
Why, even the recording studio was given a makeover; getting converted to a makeshift jazz bar with tables, dim lighting and select crew members who doubled up as listeners. Clearly, the look gave her the attitude, the attitude made her voice bolder, and that’s how Neeti Mohan became the voice of Bombay Velvet’s Rosie Noronha.
With the film’s jazz score by Amit Trivedi and lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, it is Neeti Mohan’s singing that has particularly touched the hearts of many listeners. The song Dhadam, for instance, highlights Mohan’s sheer talent, what with her voice booming melodiously on the big screen, showcasing the vulnerability and helplessness of Rosie Noronha when the love of her life, Johnny Balraj, thinks she has cheated on him.
In the journey of her singing career, Bombay Velvet, Mohan agrees, is a milestone. In the course of our conversation, we laugh and joke about how the young singer will be talking to her children and grandchildren about this soundtrack. “There was intense preparation that went in for this film. I got the songs two months in advance, before we started recording [a rarity], we did the recording in two phases, first doing the ‘rough scratch’, and then polishing it further as we went along,” explains Mohan.
What’s more, to get into the skin of the character of Rosie Noronha, the young girl from Goa who runs away from her disturbing past to reach Bombay, Mohan, along with Trivedi and Bhattacharya, read the entire script of the film. “We went to Goa, sat by the beach for three days while reading the script. It helped me understand Rosie Noronha better. It allowed me to express myself freely through my singing,” she says.
Additionally, she learnt the nuances of opera and jazz singing from Celia Lobo (choreographer Ashley Lobo’s mother) in Pune for the film. Her only grouse: “Not being able to go to Prague where Amit [Trivedi, the music director of the film] recorded much of the film’s soundtrack live, complete with world class musicians.”
For Mohan, the entire “study” and the making of the jazz score in Bombay Velvet has become a turning point in her career. For the Delhi girl who was singing in school and college (she did her schooling in BITS, Pilani, before completing her graduation from Delhi University) and was listening to music, both Indian classical, semi-classical and western, her repertoire was growing. And while she was enjoying singing — encouraged wholeheartedly by her parents even though they were not from the entertainment industry — the turning point came a little over a decade ago, when she was selected as the winner of a reality show Popstars on Channel V.
Mohan, in fact, is a perfect case study on how television reality shows can create stars and success stories. “I didn’t know how to pursue my passion, my dream of singing. And when I saw the advertisement of Channel V Popstars, I auditioned for it and eventually got selected,” Mohan tells us. Sponsored by Coke, and hence called Coke [V] Popstars, this journey led to the creation of Aasma, a four-member band, in 2003. But where so many promising talents are lost — or get derailed — post the journey of reality shows, Mohan used the opportunity to fuel her singing dreams further. She shifted base to Bombay, and although Aasma disbanded quickly, she continued working, auditioning and even participating in other singing-based television shows. By this time, her family had moved to Mumbai and her sisters (Mukti, Kriti, Shakti) had also started their professional journeys in the entertainment industry.
Mohan’s big break came when she auditioned to be a part of music director A R Rahman’s troupe about eight years ago. Rahman was looking for a young voice for his live gigs to render some of his hit numbers and Mohan fit the bill among the thousands who had tried their luck.
“When I was in school; I used to tell my friends I wanted to sweep the floor of Rahman sir’s studio, just to be able to listen and watch how he created music. Being part of his troupe was — still is — quite surreal,” Mohan tells us. With him and other members, Mohan has travelled the world and sung at prestigious events and given world-class stage performances.
In fact, for anyone who has seen her perform live [as this writer did at an A R Rahman live concert in New Delhi in 2007], it is Mohan’s ability to sing effortlessly and perform dance moves with supreme grace, and connect with audiences, encouraging them to become a part of the entire live act, that shines through.
Although she had done some playback singing earlier in 2008, the young singer’s big break as a female vocalist in the film industry came with the chartbuster Ishqwala Love, that lilting melody from Student of the Year (2012) and followed it up with Jiya Re from Jab Tak Hai Jaan, also released in the same year. From the romantic notes of Saadi Galli from Vicky Donor to the dance, foottapping Tuney mari entry (Gunday) to even singing in other languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Bengali and English, Mohan’s voice is increasingly in demand in the film industry.
What’s the secret sauce for making each song of hers a success? Riyaaz (practice) is non-negotiable, she feels. She learns Indian classical and thumri from Rajashree Pathak, a Mumbai-based music teacher. Mohan also listens to a wide range of music. For her preparation of Bombay Velvet, Mohan was listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone. But what lies at the heart of her flawless singing ability is the attitude with which Mohan approaches each song.
“I just feel responsible towards the song I sing.” Now, that’s the right note to strike if you want to win.