Salma, once more

The renowned singer-actress is back with a new album slated for release soon, as well as an exciting movie offer that could mark her acting comeback.

Even though more than 25 years have passed since Salma Agha made her sensational Bollywood debut in Nikah, no fan has ever forgotten the Pakistani beauty with her sensuous, husky voice.

After Noor Jehan, she was the only singer-actress to make an impact on both the Indian and Pakistani film and music industries. Agha's colourful and often controversial life has taken her around the globe but for the last 3 years, she has come to settle in the UAE.

From here, she shuttles between Sharjah, Mumbai and Karachi, planning a comeback to films and music. Although she is busy with her new ventures, she agreed to an interview with e+. Totally informal, friendly and without any starry airs, Salma was a delight to talk to. Here are excerpts of that interview.

e+: Your mother was your first mentor. Tell us something about her.
Salma Agha: My mother (Zarina Agha) was my inspiration and greatest teacher. She had formal training in Kirana Gharana (an Indian music style). She wanted to be a classical vocalist but family pressures did not let her fulfil her dream. She was the leading lady in the famous 1946 film Shah Jehan. My mother groomed and supported me all through my career.

One article mentioned that you started your career singing ABBA hits.
Even before singing those pop cover versions, I had cut my first album, Jalwa-E-Ghazal, composed by my mother. I even wrote one of the songs. The compositions on those albums were quite challenging and in the classical ghazal style. I was about 16 years old then.

How come you dabbled in both Indian and Western songs?
While learning Indian classical music, a singer has to master the 7 basic notes. Once those basic notes are mastered, it becomes easy to switch between musical styles.

How did you enter Hindi films?
I had gone from London to Mumbai to record a song for the film Chanakya Chandragupt, for which Naushad was the music director. Unfortunately, the film was shelved. Meanwhile, Raj Kapoor, who was a distant cousin of my mother, introduced me to B.R. Chopra, who offered me a role in Nikaah. I always wanted to be a singer and I was told that if I acted in the film, I would also get to sing my own songs! So it was as if a child had agreed to do something only after being offered her favourite toy!

What was the role of director B.R. Chopra in shaping your career?
When I acted in Nikaah, I had no formal training in acting. Chopra was my first mentor in this field. He was a very nice and patient man, who would act out each and every scene for me. Even before the shooting began, we worked a lot on the scenes and dialogues.

Tell us about the experience of recording Dil Ke Armaan – the song that catapulted you to fame.
I was fortunate to get such a lovely composition from a senior music director like Ravi. But thanks to my classical training, I was quite confident of carrying off that song well. People accepted my voice from the first song. That song won the prestigious Filmfare award that year, when established singers like Asha Bhosle were in contention. Later on, I won the National Award in Pakistan for the song Ik Baar Milo Humse.

How was your experience of working with different Indian composers?
I was lucky to have worked with major composers such as Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji, Bhappi Lahiri, Khayyam and R. D. Burman. Even though today's composers are quite talented, I don't think anybody could ever replace those veterans. They were really different! I can still remember the recording of my song Pahla Pahla Pyaar Na Bhoole for the film Mazdoor. Kamaal Hassan had written that song. R. D. Burman first taught me the tune on the harmonium and then just told me to sing it the way I felt like. That was the first time I realised what a real composer does – he understands and uses the singer's strengths.

Did you experience the so-called Mangeshkar monopoly in Bollywood?
No, never! Lata is a very graceful lady and overall, the Indian film industry is quite fair. They respect talent and good work.

Your voice sounds a lot like Noor Jehan's.
(Smiles) When I was a new singer, many people thought that I was Noor Jehan's daughter! Both of us were classically trained and such voices are always more detailed and varied in texture. The pitch and tone of my voice matched hers quite naturally and that's why we sound so similar. It is natural and not deliberately done.

What is the difference between yesteryear singers and contemporary singers?
In the old days, it was necessary for every singer to have musical training. The song would be recorded in a single take. You had to weed out your vocal flaws through rehearsals. Now the song is recorded in bits and the voice can be tuned and modified electronically. That's why most of the new singers are untrained and their vocal flaws life-long.

Tell us something about your new ventures.
My new album is a perfect fusion of notes, rhythms and languages. It is tentatively titled East and West. It is a blend of Punjabi and English, raga and rhythm. Somebody asked me why I was doing a pop album. Look at Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He made the West accept our tunes by singing them in the musical language they would understand. I am doing the same thing. We will release the album in Mumbai soon. We will also shoot the videos there. I also have an interesting offer to act in a Bollywood film, which will be a sort of a comeback for me. But the details are yet to be finalised. My daughter Zahra is also making a music album and she has got a film offer from Bollywood.

How do you look back at life?
I have been a rebel all my life and have always done what I wanted. I don't have any regrets. Life is a journey and you take the good with the bad. They say you learn from your mistakes – I don't believe that! You don't learn from old mistakes but rather by making new ones!