“Always Felt My Voice Was Similar To Madhuri’s”, Says Singer Arpita Chakraborty

“Always Felt My Voice Was Similar To Madhuri’s”, Says Singer Arpita Chakraborty

The Museum of Indian Cinema at Mumbai might not have included a single Odia film or its artists, but there definitely is no dearth of talent from the state. In the last couple of years, a lot of artists from Odisha have shared screen-space with Bollywood bigwigs in Hindi films. The list includes not just actors, but singers as well. The latest to join the bandwagon is Arpita Chakraborty whose voice can be heard in the remake song ‘Paisa Yeh Paisa’ from the Madhuri Dixit-starrer ‘Total Dhamaal’. In fact, the DhakDhak girl is lip syncing to her voice.

A native of Rourkela, Arpita completed her schooling from Mount Carmel Convent School. She joined National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad and studied designing. In the year 2013, she got her first break as a playback singer in Bollywood with the song ‘RaskeBhare Tore Naina’ from the film ‘Satyagraha’. In 2014, she sang the scary ‘Lori of Death’ for the film Ragini MMS-2. The singer has also sung for other Bollywood films like ‘Hero’ and ‘BezubanIshq’ and a few Telugu and Bengali songs.

With more than 1500 shows to her credit both within and outside the country, Arpita now wishes to do more live shows in the twin cities having already performed across other parts of the state.

My City Links had an exclusive interaction with the singer. Here are the excerpts.

Tell Us About Your Debut Bollywood Film.

Music composer Aadesh Shrivastava was the person who is behind my debut. Before his film ‘Satyagraha’, I sang for one of his regional films, which did not release unfortunately. So, he assured he’d give another chance in his upcoming film. I had no idea the film had a great director like Prakash Jha and actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor. I was ecstatic. It was Aadesh sir’s last film. He passed away two years later.

How Was Your Experience Singing For Madhuri Dixit In ‘Total Dhamaal’?

It’s obviously like a dream come true. I remember when I was younger, whenever I’d watch Madhuri on TV, I felt my voice is similar to hers. The song proves it now (Chuckles).‘Paisa Yeh Paisa’ Is A Remake Song And You Stated In An Interview That You Like To Sing Such Songs. Tell Us Why?

Yes, because I feel these golden melodies can be brought back only through remakes because our younger generation will listen to them and remember them.

When And How Were You Introduced To Singing Or Music?

My father was an engineer at Rourkela Steel Plant and my mother Tapati Chakraborty was a music teacher who was also running a music institute Surangana at Rourkela. The institute was quite famous and was affiliated to Prayag Sangit Samiti, Allahabad. I was introduced to music from an early age and began learning music from her when I was only 4-5 years old. Unfortunately I lost my parents last year. The institute has now shut down. I was only 5-6 years old when I performed on stage for the first time at a program in Rourkela. I was quite fortunate to get a standing ovation from a large crowd there and that boosted me to become more dedicated towards singing.

Is It Right That You Began Your Career As A Designer In Mumbai?

Yes, it is. After completing my studies at NID, I moved to Mumbai where I began my career as a designer. I was at a higher post in a company that time and was getting quite a good salary. Singing is a passion and I never thought of singing in Bollywood movies.  I feel my destiny pushed me towards singing. But again, before becoming a singer, I worked as a dubbing artist. I have given my voice for several cartoon shows of famous cartoon channels like Cartoon Network, POGO and Disney.Tell Us About The Support You Get From Your Husband And In Laws.

My husband Rajiv Bagchi is a businessman and my in-laws are well settled in Mumbai. All of them are supportive. My husband has always inspired me to stay independent so that I can tackle any type of situation by myself.

We Have Heard That You Performed In Puri Several Times At The Bhajan Samaroha. Tell Us About It.

Once veteran musician Prafulla Kar along with famous singer Lakhmikanta Palit were at Rourkela to judge a singing show where they noticed my singing and approached me to sing at a grand Bhajan Samaroha at Puri. I was only about 12 years old then and I got the opportunity to sing in front of more than a lakh people. I kept performing there every year during Kartika Purnima. Due to lack of time, I have not been able to perform there for the past two years.Did You Ever Receive Any Offer To Sing An Odia Song?

Yes, I sang a song for the Anubhav Mohanty-starrer ‘Mo Hata Dhari ChaluTha’ with Udit Narayan ji. I don’t know the reason but I was replaced by Ira Mohanty later. I would love to sing Odia songs if offered.

Would You Like To Feature In Your Own Album Songs?

In today’s era, you have to be smarter. I mean if you have the potential, you should not only sing behind the camera but also find an opportunity to be on screen. I would love to feature in my own songs. You can act better in the songs sung by yourself as you can feel it better than anyone else.

Is there any message from Arpita to aspiring singers?

Follow your dreams but do have a backup plan, like I had, and give your first priority to studies.