I came here finally around 1995-1996 and met Preetam. He too was a struggler then.

Using our common musical interests, we got along well. I sang a number of jingles for him.

But I did not have to struggle much in Mumbai. I mean, I did face hardships -- I still do -- but not like the other strugglers because I had an established career in Assam.

I own recording studios in Assam and scored music for 26 films before I came to Mumbai. So I did not face any financial difficulties.

If I did not have any backup in Assam, shifting to Mumbai would have been difficult. I came to Mumbai to have a pan-India presence.

I am still not a big name in Mumbai, and that's my mistake. Till a few years back, I was not fully settled in Mumbai and went off to Assam for a few months every year to work there as well. As a result, even if a music director wanted to get in touch with me, he could not do so. So I lost a number of good offers.

Which was your first Bollywood number? What else have you sung?

I knew (composer) Anand Raj Anand for a long time and it was through him that I got my first break in the film Kaante. I sang the song Rama Re, which went on to become a hit.

But the first song I recorded was the title song for the Jackie Shroff film Sandhya. It was a very nice number and I really put my heart into it. Unfortunately, the film got shelved.

After Kaante became a hit, I started getting offers and sang for Fiza (Mere Watan), Mudda (Sapne Saare) and Ek Hasina Thi (the title track).

Image: Shiny Ahuja and Kangana in a scene from Gangster