Exclusive interview! Jatin Pandit of the ‘Jatin-Lalit’ duo: Favouritism has always been in the industry – Times of India
As a senior singer-composer in Bollywood, how do you look at the trend of remixes and remakes?
A lot of musicians these days are remaking and remixing old songs and it surely has become a trend. However, I am not on board with it. If an artist has created a beautiful painting and after a few years somebody tries to put new colours into the same art, it’s not going to look the same as the original one. This is what is going on in the music industry as well. I would appreciate it if people would try creating original music and take it to the next level.
‘Jatin-Lalit’ duo was the first one to make songs in Bollywood for actors than for playback singers. Do you think singing without formal training is the way to go?
Yes, in the 90s era, I can say we were the first who made actors sing on songs like we had Aamir Khan sing ‘Aati Kya Khandala’. The song is still popular amongst fans to date. Even Govinda and Sanjay Dutt sang their own songs. So sometimes raw voices work but to be an accomplished singer, you have to have proper training in music because there are so many factors to learn and deliver.
With new singers and composers coming in, many popular artists from the 90s and early 2000s have almost disappeared. Whose work do you miss the most?
I miss all the singers with whom I have worked in the 90s till date. They are still working but currently, they aren’t working actively as they used to work during our times. However, I have learnt one thing that when the time changes you need to keep yourself updated. It is very important and it applies to singers, actors.
From amongst the newcomers, who do you think is most promising?
Our country has many talented people. Even when I watch any reality show, I see so many talents around me, so many singers and dancers and they are all so hard working. But among the current lot, I like Arijit Singh. He has a soulful voice and his singing style is next level. He has purity and freshness in his singing. I even like Sunidhi Chauhan. She is supremely talented.
Do you think the music industry has changed as compared to the 90s and early 2000s?
Yes, I believe our music industry has immensely changed over the years, especially in the music domain. Earlier, there used to be one composer for six to seven songs and now there are six composers for six songs. I fail to understand this concept. There are no situations in the film because maximum movies these days are biopics. The lyrics are also not up to the mark due to no situation in the story. We can’t write poetic and soulful lyrics for an action film. So that’s what is changing. That’s why singers are turning towards singles, independent music. It is because the situations in the films are changing.
Many have spoken about favouritism and music mafias in the industry. You being a veteran in the industry, have you ever faced any such thing?
Yes, favouritism has always been there in the industry. Some people openly speak about it while some refrain from doing so. For example, Sonu Nigam is a trained singer and great musician but the work that he is getting today in the Industry is very less.
When can we see ‘Jatin-Lalit’ come back together to recreate the magic we grew up listening to?
I personally feel our concert ‘Jatin-Lalit Night’ in Mumbai last year was a great success and I really enjoyed it. We both were supposed to do a few more things together but the COVID pandemic has put everything on standby mode. We are waiting for the situation to change.