The accidental singer

Nikhita Gandhi was introduced to various genres of dance and music at a young age. But the Kolkata-born singer never thought that one day she would make her Bollywood debut, crooning a remake of a popular track. She insists that singing always worked as a stressbuster. “I never thought I would be taking up music as a career,” Nikhita says, adding, “In Bengal, it is very normal to take up an interest. I have been singing since childhood, but I never took it seriously.”

Today, the singer is still in disbelief that she is the voice behind the title track of the film, Raabta. Incidentally, the title track of Raabta is the remake of the song Raabta (Kehte Hain Khuda) from the 2012 film, Agent Vinod. Nikhita says, “We have only retained the chorus from the original song. Recreating old numbers may be in vogue, but we have experimented with something new with this number. When I heard the song, I had a good feeling about it. Now, I am getting a lot of positive feedback for my fans.”

Her career began to take shape after she relocated to Chennai in 2010 to pursue a degree in dentistry. She even released a Bengali album titled Kotha, a re-arrangement of Nazrul Geeti, as a tribute to renowned poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. “I started to feel detached from music in Chennai. I wanted to stay in touch with it and so I applied for a part-time course in A. R. Rahman’s school. I casually auditioned for one of his non-filmy projects. He liked my part and began calling me for sessions. That’s pretty much how my career started,” says the singer who went on to sing for the movie  I and  O Kadhal Kanmani, under Rahman’s guidance.

In Bollywood, Nikhita  hopes to collaborate with Vishal-Shekhar, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Amit Trivedi, and Vishal Bharadwaj. “I have been trying to meet and work with many established and upcoming composers. After Raabta, the road has got a little easier. But in any case, I like challenges… like singing in languages I don’t even know,” she explains.

The crooner doesn’t want to give up on her career as a dentist, though. “I like having Plan Bs in life! It helps that I love my profession as a dentist. I enjoy academics and would like to study further,” says Nikhita, a self-confessed multitasker.