Breaking the mould ??. Review on Sonu Nigam

Many a times, when God generously confers some exceptionally quality on a person, she is miserly with the others. Almost as if she thinks

We done enough there – let’s sprinkle some elsewhere now

So she moves on.

In case of Sonu Nigam, she gave him a good voice to start with. With years of riyaz, it got better and finally settled into the smooth tones of a practised singer. But in addition to that, he also had acceptable good looks. Not the macho looks of a Shahrukh, but closer to the chocolate boy looks of an Aamir. The required height and the worked-upon physique added to the overall appeal of a personality polished by education, experience and newly-acquired confidence.

And herein lies the bane of his existence

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Dear Sonu,

Let me say it up front – You are a good singer, an accomplished singer. Not the best perhaps, because your voice lacks that distinctiveness, that edge which sets you apart from the others, but probably it’s the very ordinariness of your voice that makes you so commercially viable for today’s film industry. Still, you’ve churned out many hits that have made my heart melt. I never liked Acha sila diya but then there was always a Saathiya (Saathiya), a Panchi nadiya (Refugee), Yeh Dil (Pardes) that was flawlessly done.

You also have fairly good looks and personality. All in all, you look like a fairly good guy.

But let me lay it gently, you just do not have the charisma, the sheer presence required to make it as a filmi hero. I don’t know about your acting abilities because I had the sheer good fortune of missing all your flopped movies, but there it is in a nutshell – you are just not the right material. And your nice boy image doesn’t help any.

The same goes for the Rock Star image you are currently trying to project – no, no and a strict no. It doesn’t work for you ! I mean, you are definitely better looking and fitter than Lucky Ali, but he beats you for that sheer “lived-in” look, that glamour. With the few exception of a few songs, the albums that you’ve cut have hardly made it into the must-have list of music lovers. Sorry, you either have it or you don’t.

It’s true, you have hosted some nice TV shows, had a successful stint as an anchor of music shows, but really, compare with that Ali fellw – you lack the zing and compared with Shaan, you just lack the charm.

So, here’s some good, solid, heartfelt advice – stick to what you’re good at. What ? There’s still some doubt as to what that is ? Singing! If you look good, put that in your pocket and enjoy it – put it to your personal use and look upon it as an unexpected perk from life. Enjoy it, don’t look upon it as a burden that has to be exploited to bring you further into the public eye.

What ? You’re thinking of Kishore Kumar, you say ? Cease and desist, my dear, they broke the mould with that one. Look upon the fringe benefits – you probably get to live longer !

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