Talking Relationship: 'We share a bond'

Shaan, well known Indian pop and playback singer, and his sister, Sagarika, also a well known singer, speak to Kavitha S. Daniel

He's the Indi-pop star with a great voice and oodles of charm. An engaging, pleasant manner combined with tousled hair and a never-ending grin, Shantanu Mukherjee or Shaan seems to be striking the right notes in his life. After the success of his album Tanha Dil in 2000, his career seems to be very much on track as his voice is behind most of the Hindi film songs today.

Popular for compering the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa music show on Indian television as well, this star is also revelling in being judged as the best music star in the MTV Asia music awards in Singapore.

The pretty, spunky, Sagarika, the elder of the two siblings and the first to enter the fiercely competitive music world, is still struggling to make a mark on her own. Daughter of a famous music composer, Manas Mukherjee, she's done her share of ad jingles, cut pop music albums and sung in films.

Even as she waits in the wings scouting around for a music company to release her latest album, she's branched into the food business - her new restaurant Olive is the latest hotspot with the rich and famous in Mumbai.

Shaan:

As kids, my sister was a tomboy, the terror of our neighbourhood in Mumbai. She was a really tall, lanky girl playing marbles, the only female to take part in boxing and athletic competitions. She was a tough cookie, the didi (elder sister) to everyone in the neighbourhood.

My earliest memories of our childhood is sitting outside our home playing "I spy" games. I used to drive her crazy asking her to spot a wall painting framed through an open window of a neighbour's home or a clothesline in the vicinity. It seems we used to make quite a pair while going for tuition classes as well - she with her long legs dragging me along the road to be in time for class.

Sagarika is more impulsive, an independent thinker who always got into trouble by telling people openly what she thought. Her philosophy being if I am not harming anyone I have to stand by my views. That's a great way to function.

I'm more amiable and look at things from another's perspective. I pause before I act. She's more about life not being fair. If she feels strongly about something she would do it, she can be very stubborn. Sometimes, I must admit that's tough to handle.

But, she was the confident one. I was the one who was too easy-going and clueless, I remember my mother used to send her with me to buy clothes. I lacked taste, they used to say since I used to buy the dull greys to merge into the background.

Didi and I share a very strong bond. I believe it's because of the friendship we share. We can go to any lengths to fight for each other. My mum, Sagarika and I are very close but if it comes to the crunch, my mum knows it can boil down to just two of us. I don't know why some brothers think their sisters are clumsy or uncool, I've never had that feeling.

My mother had this dream of making Sagarika a singer. She thought I'll become a cricketer because I was very sportive. Didi had problems adjusting to the Hindi film industry because not only is she talented but very pretty as well.

Her talent was overshadowed by her looks, she was getting propositioned by film people. I used to travel to the studio for recordings with her and they used to tease me about being overprotective about my elder sis. They used to call me her es(scort).

It was because of her I stepped into the music industry. She asked me to join her and we formed a band. Looking back I cannot imagine how we must have seemed seated on the floor togged up in very, traditional Indian clothes and singing old songs, bhajans and ghazals.

Fame fell into my lap with Musu Musu but Sagarika is taking time to make it. But, it's just a matter of time, I know she will be back. Meanwhile, she's busy with her restaurant, I'm also busy with my shows, recordings and my first baby. We don't seem to have much time to spend with each other now, we seem to be doing our own thing during this phase in our lives. It's sad but I will know if she needs me.

Sagarika:

As a child, Shaan was less of a trouble than me. He was very conscious about what mum and the others would think. He was always keen to please everyone. We played a lot together as kids. In fact, we had the same friends.

He was so shy and embarrassed with girls. He was more of a late bloomer. But, my friends and I used to get Shaan to make phone calls to the guys we liked for fun. Our childhood was fun, there were no computer games then, it was all about running barefoot outdoors or playing make believe games.

We used to stage absurd skits among ourselves, Shaan playing the role of actor Amol Palekar (the only actor we had met) waiting for his girlfriend while I was the pestering restaurant waiter. I used to be a real tomboy and getting into trouble.

My life centred around me, while Shaan was more a people person. But, we share an uncanny bond. Recently I got married and his wife and my husband know and respect what's between us. They are careful not to cross that boundary because we can fight tooth and nail for each other. Even as children when my father used to punish me for being disobedient, Shaan would cry and try to stand by me.

Sometimes I feel we are one. We may not meet but we know intuitively what the other feels. Once I was feeling very low and he was out of town. During that time, he called me out of the blue to check if I was alright.

There's another incident. We were playing pictionary with friends during Holi. We knew exactly what the other was thinking. I could tell straight off what colour he was thinking and the others felt we were cheating. It was so bizarre, it was like we had got into each other's mind. We felt as one person.

There's one quality I like about him. He's absolutely at ease with life and whatever happens around him. He's so calm, floating through life. I would have gone berserk in his place managing fame, family, friends and work and not having enough space to myself.

I don't see much of his negative quality these days. He used to be very irresponsible and careless. I used to get irritated because he lived in a world of his own. But, now his wife has taken charge not only of him but of all of us.

I was the one who first entered the pop music world. But, I did not fit into the film industry. I took off for a while to concentrate on setting up my restaurant but I'm biding my time. I hope to make a mark with my new pop album I recorded in London recently.

Shaan can see my frustration and is very encouraging by giving me tips on how to get back. He's almost like the older brother now.

When we do a show together we have one focus - to entertain people. Luckily, our energy levels match and we take cues from each other well. When I realise his voice is straining I take up, we feed off each other. We do a little prayer before we start and at the end we discuss things we saw in the crowd. Shaan's blind without his glasses and I have to tell him what happened in the crowd.

I don't resent his success, it comes back to our bonding. If his song does well it's a