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Sanu's story

V S Srinivasan

Kumar Sanu. Click for bigger pic!

Kumar Sanu is one singer who has always been in the news in the last 10 years or so. He has won five Filmfare awards in a row, broken records with 28 recordings in a day and still found time for romantic liaisons.

Sanu is now producing a film in Bengali. And the hero? Himself!

Now all this may sound self-indulgent to some, but the film, Gaane Bhuvan Bhowriye Devo is tangentially autobiographical in content, deals with the destruction of a good marriage by the Other Woman. To get the right feel, Sanu even shot at his own house, Aashiqui.

"Yes, I have shot in my bungalow, but it is called Aashiana in the film."

"Gaane Bhuvan Bhowriye Devo is not based on my life," asserts Sanu. "But yes, certain scenes and instances do bear resemblance to instances in my life. Since the film is based on the life of a singer, there has been a great deal of speculation that the film is based on my life. There are some rumour-mongers who want to create trouble and they will continue to do so."

Kunika Click for bigger pic!

The film follows the life of a singer who, already a rage in Bengal, tries to repeat his success in Bombay. And when things do work out, his personal life goes awry.

According to Sanu, the triangular element was added to supply some spice.

"See, it is all part of the storyline. There has to be some element of drama in the subject," he says.

The film is directed by Pupil Guha, who is unequivocal in his admiration for Sanu. "He is very photogenic. Moreover, he has great confidence... Sanu has done justice to the character since he knows what it takes to be a singer. I am sure he will be a hit," says Guha.

The talented singer from Bengal hit headlines when his numbers from Mahesh Bhatt's Aashiqui proved to be, in filmi parlance, a super-duper hit, giving him as a bonus a Filmfare award. Sanu kept picking up the award for the next four years, for his numbers in Saajan, Deewana, Baazigar and 1942, A Love Story. That was the time he plunged into controversy after controversy.

Now, there are doubts that Sanu is hedging his bets in starting the production company that made this film. He hasn't won a Filmfare award for two years now. Could it be a touch of anxiety that's pushing him to acting in films?

A still from Gaane Bhuvan Bhowriye Devo. Click for bigger pic!

"Singing is my first love and I shall continue to sing till my last breath. But then I also had a passion of appearing on screen since my childhood. I have also been picturised in some films songs I sang for. That gave me a lot of confidence and so I decided to get into acting. This Bangla film is the result of all that."

So he will be taking his acting career seriously?

"That will be decided by the masses," he says guardedly. "I am playing lead roles in the film and in a television serial too. My acting career depends on the outcome of these projects." And he gets to discussing why the film is being made in Bengali

"I am a Bengali and I speak Bangla more fluently that I speak Hindi." That, of course, explains it all. But he goes on to admit that he would have some trouble starting his acting career in Hindi where the competition could be overwhelming. "Since I am playing the hero, I thought, it would be better for me to act in a Bangla film."

Kumar Sanu

Gaane Bhuvan Bhowriye Devo, (I will fill the world with my songs) includes two Hindi songs, not just because the album might just capture the imagination of the Hindi viewing public, but "because the story demanded it". After all, since the story is about a Bengali singer making it big in Bombay, it better have some Hindi songs, right?

His production house is also making a serial based on the life of singer Yadu Bhatt, wherein Sanu again plays the protagonist. The pilot has been submitted to Doordarshan and it should be on the air soon, he thinks.

Considering he hasn't won a major award in two years, is singing on the backburner now? Or is he planning to do something about it.

"I have never used any tactics to win the Filmfare award and I'll avoid doing anything like that. But I do hope I'll get the award this year since quite a few of my numbers have been topping the charts, like Papayliya chunmun chunmun from Virasat, Do dil mil rahen hain and Zara tasveer se from Pardes.

"I have already won the Bengal Film Journalists award apart from the R D Burman award earlier this year. But now I want to concentrate seriously on my film."