August 2014 – Toronto Desi Diaries

Bollywood singing sensation Rajdeep Chatterjee will perform at the Bollywood Monster Mashup (BMM) at Celebration Square in Mississauga, Saturday, Aug. 30.

Vikas Kohli, artistic director, Zee Bollywood Monster Mashup (BMM), straddles two musical worlds— western and masala Bollywood — with ease.

The internationally renowned music producer/composer and his state-of-the-art studio, Fatlabs are pretty well known in this part of the world, but apart from his musical IQ, Vikas has weighty academic credentials as well.

Let’s see, honours degree in math and philosophy as well as business and CFA (chartered financial analyst) degrees. Trust me, in journalistic circles, an intelligent, well-read and successful source can become a coveted and valued asset. It’s he or she that sets the tone of the story.

I digress. When the press release about Vikas’ Bollywood Monster Mashup (BMM) landed on my inbox, I asked my colleague if I could ‘poach’ on his beat. That’s how much I wanted to write about it.

Unlike most other festivals that cater to desis, BMM attempts to bridge two cultures — Canadian and Indian —with its fantastic fusion offerings. The main stage event on Saturday, Aug. 30 has Vikas’ stamp all over it. One segment will include Indian artists and singers crooning alongside western musicians and mixing melodies to create a heady cocktail of notes.

Rest assured, the show will run as per schedule because Ottawa-born Vikas has zero tolerance for the tardy Indian Standard Time (IST).

Last year, Vikas received a frantic call during the show from his event manager saying they were running three minutes behind, but with some minor tweaking, the concert was set back on track. Most organizers would have dismissed those three minutes as a minor irritant, but not the good folks at BMM. Now, that’s something everyone will appreciate, especially the fans.

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Bollywood singer Rajdeep Chatterjee will headline the free concert at Celebration Square in Mississauga. Here’s an exclusive chat Toronto Desi Diaries had with the immensely talented artist.

TDD: Tell us about some of the highlights of your life prior to your fame?

Bollywood Singer Rajdeep Chatterjee will headline the free Bollywood Monster Mashup concert, Saturday, Aug. 30 at Celebration Square Mississauga.

RC: I started learning music from the age of three. My mum was my first guru. I learnt Hindustani classical music for a few years and then started performing live at the age of eight. It has been 15 years now and I have done around 1,500 shows across the world. Before being the 3rd runner up of Indian idol season 4, I was also a part of Zee Lil champs in ‘05-06 where I reached the final 11, but had to quit because of my exams.

TDD: What about your struggles?

RC: Yes, struggle is a part of almost every artist’s journey and it’s not just the physical struggle, but the mental one as well. I was quite an introvert before I actually started performing live. In school, I was somehow not considered a good artist and was never given a chance to perform when all the other singers were given opportunities to prove themselves. But the will was always there. I waited and waited and finally got the television reality shows. That’s when I realized I could entertain people.

TDD: What are your strengths aside from the great voice and a great smile?

RC: Well, I believe my strength is my ability to spread happiness and positive vibes through my music and performances. I really work hard on stage to give everything I can … I have seen people connect to my music when I do it live. I am a very positive soul and I guess, I find it easy to spread smiles and happiness. If your art touches people’s hearts, you’re worth it.

TDD: What are you looking forward to at Bollywood Monster Mashup?

RC: I am extremely excited to be a part of BMM; it is one of the best Bollywood festivals internationally. The audience at BMM is always amazing and it feels like homecoming whenever I come to Canada.

TDD: How did you meet Vikas (Kohli) and why did you agree to perform at BMM?

RC: Vikas is like a buddy, a brother to me. We call each other as bhai. We have known each other for two years. I absolutely love his family, his mum and his cousins. I am always game for everything that Vikas bhai does.

TDD: Playback singing is a competitive environment, are you ready to take it on?

RC: Only true talent gets to shine among so many singers who are trying to make it big in the industry. I have been lucky that my hardwork has paid off and I have been singing for big Bollywood movies. I hope to continue doing that for years to come.

TDD: Your song for Bodyguard was a hit, when did it strike you that you had made it?

RC: It was a great experience to sing the title track of Bodyguard, Khiladi 786, and I also got to sing for the Bengali version of Gunday. I was also a part of Coke Studio season 2 for music director Shantanu Moitra. Recently, I started my own unplugged YouTube channel (IMX unplugged) where we do a lot of melody stuff. We are getting a great response.

TDD: Some quick questions

Favorite all-time movie: I am a hardcore SRK fan, so DDLJ (dil wale dulhaniya le jayenge).

Favorite cuisine: I love Indian food all the way

Philosophy that you stick by: love yourself. Only you know how to do it the best way

Success is: When I have “N” number of reasons to smile and be happy

If not a singer, what then: I would have had to discover an art that no one had ever tried and entertain people because I have always wanted to be a performer (laughs)

The Monster Mashup Double Take will run Saturday, Aug. 30 at Celebration Square Mississauga. Main stage portion will start at 6 p.m. Be sure to catch it.

This is the second of our two-part blog series on Prashant Tiwari. RIP, kiddo.

20-year-old Prashant Tiwari was an aspiring hip-hop singer who suffered from depression. He killed himself while on suicide watch at a local hospital. His friends say he will live in their hearts, always. Supplied photo.

If you were among the people that attended Prashant’s funeral, you probably witnessed an odd ritual.

Moments before his body was taken for cremation, the silent hall was punctuated with cries of “pineapple!”

The prickly tropical fruit, it so happens, was a buzzword for four young struggling musicians who wanted to communicate with the world and bring change through their lyrics and music.

Mayank Paul, 19, a member of Definition, a hip-hop group that Prashant belonged to, explained the chant.

A few years ago, Mayank Paul (MP), Shehzeb Iftakhar (Devious), Sukhman Dulay (Dulay) and Prashant Tiwari (PT), all members of Definition, were shooting the breeze and brainstorming about taking the world by storm, when PT, the ever pragmatic one among them, pointed out the obvious: their music was way too complex for the average human.

“He (Prashant) said we need to take all our lyrics and dumb them down,” Mayank recalled. “So, we were like, how do you dumb stuff down?”

“We need to say smart stuff stupidly,” Prashant quipped. “Yo, say anything on track, say, pineapple…”

And so “pineapple” became the mantra they used often when trying to connect with the quirky world that— at times — didn’t get them.

On a recent summer day, ten days after he was admitted to the local hospital, Prashant, hanged himself. He was under suicide watch. But, while he was in the hospital, his friends and family visited him daily.

“He couldn’t accept a lot of things and so, he wanted to change a lot of things,” Mayank said. “In one of the last conversations we had with him, he told us, we shouldn’t blame ourselves for the situation he had put himself in.”

During his short and troubled stint on this earth, all Prashant Tiwari ever wanted was, the world to validate his existence.

Definition members met by happenstance while in high school and connected. They all had one thing in common: an itch to transform the world, one hip-hop song at a time.

The quartet believed there was a growing feeling of alienation among teens today. School administrators couldn’t care less. Worse, no one in their immediate world, had the inclination or time to listen, coach or guide them.

Prashant was funny and wise. He was a jester and a philosopher. He understood the black and white shades of life, but could not handle the gray areas.

Not a day goes by when Gautam Tiwari, 17, (Prashant’s kid brother) doesn’t miss him.

“Depression doesn’t happen suddenly,” Gautam said. “It builds up. When kids leave high school, we are completely left in the dark. There’s a huge pressure to go to university. We have counsellors in school, I am not sure, if they are trained in mental health, they should be. Prashant was a driven person, but depression eats away at you slowly.”

School wasn’t Prashant’s thing. He wanted to be a rapper. Music was his salvation; his antidote to keeping the monster that was depression at bay.

“We were all pretty serious about making music that would make an impact,” Mayank said. “One of the things people should know about Prashant was that he wanted to discipline himself to the point nothing would faze him. He focused on his body and mind. Do you know any 19-year-olds interested in taking Sanskrit classes? Prashant wanted to learn the vedas and use them as references to guide his mind, body and spirit…”

“He always stood-up for what was right,” he continued. “Prashant had no problem saying anything that was in his mind. He was a very funny guy. He always did spontaneous things…”

There’s a huge expectation in our society to succeed, but what’s success? And who defines it?

Definition will be releasing an album soon that will include a track called No More that Prashant recorded a long time ago.

Prashant, you said it right. Ultimately, all existence comes down to the pineapple philosophy.

Toronto Desi Diaries

Sights, sounds and stories of South Asians in Toronto

Month: August 2014

Rajdeep Chatterjee: all set to wow the Canadians

Pineapple !