A blue jeans and a frill shirt the small built powerhouse opened the door as the Woman Times team enter her house. On the second floor, the ambience welcomes the team and thus starts our interview with Lagnajita Chakraborty…
WT: How was your entry in the music industry?
LC: I was hardly 3 years when I was started learning ‘kheyaal’ and that was by our family default. Pretty determined to pursue my higher studies as I had been a good student and I loved it but then music just happened when I was asked to sing a song ‘adol-bodol’ from the film ‘Pendulam’ that Srijit Da and Anupam Da liked my singing quality and was offered ‘Basanto eshegeche…’
WT: Everyone says ‘You’re a tomboy’ – your take on it.
LC: Since childhood I had idolised my father, and I am the eldest of all the girls of my generation adding to it I had five brothers elder to me hence I never had any ‘didi’ to teach me the girly stuffs. Climbing trees, cycling and playing with balls and hockey bats had been my routine so I was much into sync with my brothers.
WT: Just being married how are you balancing your life?
LC: (with a smile) Interestingly, I do not have to adjust as my in-laws are very accommodative. Moreover, I do not stay with Satyaki and hardly I get to meet Satyaki as when he came to India during Durga Puja I was on a musical tour abroad.
I never had any ‘didi’ to teach me the girly stuffs. Climbing trees, cycling and playing with balls and hockey bats had been my routine so I was much into sync with my brothers.
WT: In an article on a portal, you have compared Kolkata with Europe. On what fronts do you think Kolkata needs development?
LC: I am very possessive about Kolkata and at times it becomes obsession. When I look at Kolkata as an outside visitor I get saddened at the flaws. Three changes I want to see in Kolkata are:
- People should stop hiring artists without any payment.
- The sense of courtesy should be higher. The vibe of the city comes from the vibes of the people. Like in Mumbai everyone are smiling.
- Kolkata has become a dead city as everything has become so stagnant with no new opportunities.
WT: Do you dream of Bollywood? Or are you satisfied with Tollywood?
LC: No, I am not satisfied with Tollywood. I stay one month here in Kolkata and one month in Mumbai so it can be considered that I am trying in bollywood and this will be a struggle period. I am singing jingles and one of the jingles that is broadcasted is for Pradeep Sarkar’s ‘Sparkle dishwash’.
WT: What are your upcoming albums in Tollywood or Bollywood?
LC: In Bollywood it is purely struggling period but recently an album got released during Durga Puja named ‘Gaan Paarar Pujo’.
WT: Which is your comfort zone in your profession?
LC: I never thought that apart from classical I can sing any other genre but thanks to few music directors who has believed in me and had given me the opportunity to sing out of my zone which I can sing quite comfortably.
WT: What do you think about remixes of old songs these days? Even Rabindra sangeet
LC: Any of the remix will not be heard for long this thing needs to be understood by the music arrangers. The composer of a particular song invests a lot in a composition and when the same original composition is remixed by someone that affects the outcome of the product and to some extent discourages the composers.
I am not a feminist kind of person and I fail to understand the issue of woman who voices out for woman related issues.
WT: The Bangla music industry has been stagnant. Do you feel so?
LC: I do not see any compositions other than Anupam Da to be a hit these days. Though I am the newest kid in the industry and it is too early to comment on such things but yes our seniors are giving a serious thought on this and the proxy songs slowly should decline so that the original singers have a claim to their work which is a natural demand from the public.
WT: Are you happy with the exposure you have got in Kolkata or are there any factors of disappointment?
LC: I am quite satisfied with the exposure I have received but I am disappointed just with the fact that I could have done more songs which I could not either due to me or for some other people.
WT: What do you think about the status of women in India?
LC: I am not a feminist kind of person and I fail to understand the issue of woman who voices out for woman related issues. I have seen few women who works but cannot afford a foreign trip and the same woman is going with her husband to foreign tours and try to project that she has borne half of the expense which she does not at that point she does not have any problem. This might be controversial but I am saying on record that I do not take a single paisa from Satyaki for my livelihood.
Rapid Fire –
Favorite Bangla Singer: Anupam Roy
First Love: My school friend
Favorite Food: Chinese
Favorite Destination: Australia
Husband: Extremely accommodating
Three things in your purse: Lip balm,
Love is: adjustment
