Reviving folklore with a twist

Remember the Poraney Poraney song from the national award-winning film Vaagai Sooda Vaa? The vocalist of the song, Neha Bhasin, gave life to the song with her voice. Thanks to composer Ghibran, the number still remains in the playlist of melody lovers. Having received appreciation for her latest rendition Jag Ghoomeya from Salman Khan-Anushka Sharma starrer Sultan, Neha is kicked about her latest single Chan Mahi which was released recently.

“I am excited and nervous about the reception the song would receive. Chan Mahi is a famous old song and my family sings an old version of it. I wanted to revive Punjabi folk songs and have been working on it for two years now. I think I’ve succeeded quite a bit, as people are singing my songs at weddings and other public gatherings,” she begins her conversation.

Elaborating on Punjabi folk numbers, Neha explains, “The folk songs started sounding acoustic and I wanted to enhance the feel of it. They usually have a gypsy-like Bohemian ring to them. That is when I thought of doing an authentic dance video. Thanks to the social media, I got in touch with my fan, Naina Batra — whose wedding dance performance on my single Nai Jaana became a viral sensation, and she choreographed the Chan Mahi routine.”

Neha feels a close connection with Tamil people as she does with Punjabis. “My friends call me a Tamilian as I hog on south Indian food, especially idli and dosa. I think being in Mumbai, sort of limits my work in Tamil. That said, I’d love to work more in Kollywood. Of course, Ilaiyaraaja and AR Rahman are the top composers in my list, but I’d also like to work with others,” she quips.

The singer is also geared up for her next single, which would be out in August. “The post-production work is underway and by the end of 2017, I’m planning to do a hardcore dance number,” she reveals and bids adieu.