People
I have sung over ten thousand jingles – Preeti Sagar
(Shantanu Ray Chaudhari with Shyam Benegal and Preeti Sagar.)
Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri (SRC): So, ma’am, I’d like to begin with your early life. As the daughter of someone who was quite a prominent name in cinema, what was childhood like? What was life like in the Sagar household? How did Preeti Sagar grow up?
Preeti Sagar (PS): Well, we belong to the Mathur Kayasth family from Delhi. I was born and brought up in Bombay. My father, Moti Sagar, was a film actor, and my mother was a professor and head of the English department. So I grew up in a very balanced environment – creative on one side and academic on the other. I studied at Queen Mary High School and then went on to St. Xavier’s College.
SRC: What did you study? What were your academic interests?
PS: I did my BA, and then I decided to pursue an MBA. I cleared the Common Entrance Test (CET) and got through. But by that time, I had already sung the Julie song and done playback for Manthan and Bhumika. So my mother said, ‘You need to choose – either continue singing or go the corporate route.’ I told her, ‘Mom, I’ve already made a name for myself.’
SRC: Do you ever regret not pursuing a corporate career?
PS: Not at all.
SRC: You started out with jingles. Could you tell us about Liril? It became a cultural milestone. And I think Nirma too?
PS: Yes … Liril, Nirma, Pan Parag, Thums Up, Happy Days Are Here Again, Britannia, Marie… you name it, and I launched the product.
SRC: Which class were you in when you started?
PS: I was in the 10th. And as is tradition in our Mathur family, music was part of every occasion – we were always singing. Around that time, when Vividh Bharati was becoming commercial, a gentleman approached my father and said, ‘Why not let Preeti sing a launch jingle?’ My father said, ‘If you think she can do it, go ahead.’ So I sang for Kashmir Snow – that was my first. People heard it, wanted to know who the voice was … and the rest just followed. I’ve sung over 10,000 jingles since then.
SRC: Liril – any particular memories of that one? It became iconic.
PS: Liril was one of the most special pieces I did, composed by Vanraj Bhatia. It had no lyrics, just pure melody. It was so beautifully composed, with amazing orchestration and rhythm. When I saw the film, the music fit so seamlessly. It was fresh and unlike anything at the time.
SRC: The sound was very modern.
PS: Yes, and that really caught people’s attention.
SRC: From doing jingles as a schoolgirl to arriving at something like Julie – how did that happen?
PS: Let me start with my parents. They were both very strict. They wanted us to stay completely away from the film industry. We weren’t allowed to bring film magazines home, never attended dad’s shoots, and didn’t go to premieres. We were kept away from that world entirely. So my singing was limited to jingles, and that too mostly for people we knew. But gradually, I became known as the only singer at the time who could sing in eleven languages.
SRC: Eleven languages?
PS: Yes! At that time, clients would say, ‘If Preeti sang the Hindi version, we want her for all the other languages too.’ So I made the effort to get each one right. It mattered to me that it sounded natural. No wonder I did over 10,000 jingles! Then, while I was doing jingles, Rajesh Roshan got the opportunity to compose for Julie. Now, Rajesh Roshan’s father, Roshan sahab, and my father had actually started their careers together with a film called Malhar, so the families knew each other well. At the time, music director Shyam Sagar – who was also well known – recommended me. So Rajesh reached out and called our home. He said, ‘Uncle, I’d like Preeti to sing a song for my film. Would she be willing?’ My dad said, ‘For a film? I don’t know … but you can try. If she’s able to do it, fine. You’re like family, so of course, she can try.’ So I went in for a rehearsal – we did it once, and then we recorded.
SRC: So how was it, encountering this song? I mean, it wasn’t a Hindi song. When you were asked to sing for a Hindi film, did it strike you, ‘Wait, I’m singing in English’?
PS: You know, I just thought, ‘It’s just a song. I have to sing it – it’s okay.’ I assumed it would play in some club or something. I really didn’t think it would be so significant in the context of the film. I thought it would just come and go. Then came the day of the recording – it was at Mehboob Studio. I started feeling a little nervous because it was a big moment. I told Papa, ‘I’m nervous.’ He said, ‘You didn’t go asking for this song – they came to you. So sing boldly. If you can’t do it, just say so, step away from the mic. What do you have to lose?’ That really freed me up. I went in with that mindset, and the song turned out to be a massive success.
SRC: I don’t think there’s ever been a full-fledged English song sung with that kind of accent and authenticity. I mean, sure, Kishore Kumar or Lata Mangeshkar might have included a few English phrases here and there, but nothing like this – it didn’t work the same way.
PS: Exactly. And it was picturised on Lakshmi-ji, which made it all the more distinctive and interesting. When I finally went to see the movie in the theatre, it was jam-packed. Julie had become a sensation, especially among youngsters. I was still in Xavier’s College at the time, and I went straight from there to the theatre. When the song came on, I thought, ‘Oh! I haven’t seen this yet,’ and suddenly realized – it was picturised on the heroine! I was amazed. People sitting behind me were wondering aloud: ‘Who sang this? It’s not Lata-ji… could it be Asha-ji?’ Someone said, ‘Nahin yaar, not Asha-ji either.’ I so badly wanted to turn around and say, ‘Nahin, maine gaya hai!’
SRC: It must’ve made you an overnight sensation, especially in the college circuit.
PS: Yes, it really did. Not just in India, but among Indians all over the world. I remember visiting my uncle’s house in Delhi, in Defence Colony, and as I walked down the lane, every single house was playing My heart is beating. I was thrilled! It was such a joyful moment. And then came all the awards – Filmfare and so many others.
SRC: Your voice too was quite distinct from the playback singers of the era. Were you influenced by any of the legends at the time? What was the kind of music you were exposed to?
PS: I always admired Lata-ji, Asha-ji and Geeta Dutt-ji and I used to listen to them very carefully and try to emulate the expression and style in which they were singing. I didn’t want to copy the voice quality, but I wanted to learn how exactly they sang and the wonderful expressions they brought to their songs. It was amazing and I tried to inculcate all that in my songs. I loved semi-classical, not classical music so much, but I loved listening to Western music, yes, and also a lot of film songs and semi-classical music.
SRC: From the very modern, very contemporary My heart is beating, to Piya baaj pyala by QuliQutub Shah – how did that song come about? What was your experience singing it?
PS: Shyam Uncle, Shyam Benegal, was making Nishant, and he wanted the song recorded. Vanraj Uncle, Vanraj Bhatia, who was very close to our family, called me and said, ‘Preeti, come over, you have to sing this song.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’ll come.’ He said, ‘Classical chhe.’ I was like, ‘Classical chhe? You want me to do classical?’
SRC: You hadn’t trained as a classical singer at that point?
PS: No, not at all. So I said, okay, I’ll try. He was speaking in Gujarati, saying, ‘Murki amlevani, murki amlevani’ – add the murkis. I thought, Oh my God, what do I do now? Anyway, I sang it. And in the first take, Shyam Uncle said, ‘That’s it. This is exactly what I wanted – no more takes.’
SRC: And it’s a very difficult song, especially lyrically.
PS: Yes, Piya baaj piyala piya jaye na – the lyrics, the tune, and then the orchestration – oh my goodness! We had legends like Hariprasad Chaurasia-ji on flute and Shivkumar Sharma-ji on santoor. They told me, ‘Hats off to you, Preeti. You’re the only one who could’ve sung this with such complex orchestration – where the music is going in one direction, and you’re holding the melody.’ It was a very difficult piece, but Vanraj Uncle had that brilliance – he was one of the most intelligent composers I’ve worked with.
SRC: Manthan and Mero gaam katha parey. I was watching the film again in preparation for this conversation, and it struck me how your voice, and that song in particular, sets the tone for the entire film. There’s passion, sadness, joy – all wrapped into that one piece. Tell us about the journey of that song.
PS: All of that just came very naturally. When I was singing, I was imagining the women – how they carry milk, how they walk, how they might sing. Their voices aren’t necessarily soft or sweet, so I tried to bring that rawness in. And the lyrics – like ‘Main toh dekhoo thari vaat’ – they carry sadness. But before that, there’s ‘Mhare gamad leela ler /jaha nache mor albele’ – that’s happy and full of pride. But for me, I always believe the listener should feel the song. My dad used to say, ‘Beta, expression daalo. Expression nahi aaya.’
And jingles helped me immensely. In 30 seconds, you had to convey the brand, the mood, the story … everything. So I got a lot of practice bringing in the emotion. Like Liril’s ‘la la la…’ or even Tum kitni sundar ho that needed a soft, mellow touch.
I’d imagine the actress, how she would look, how she would move, what she would feel – and then I’d sing as if I were her. For Manthan, I imagined I was that village girl. In Mandi, I imagined I was one of those women in that space. In the lavani, I had to really channel that bold, rhythmic style – the whole mood. So, keeping the character and scene in mind, that’s what brought in the variation.
A happy accident led to my sister Neeti writing the song. ‘We were at Vanraj’s (uncle) house and Shyam (uncle) was going over the lyrics that a legendary name in Gujarati literature had written. Shyam uncle kept shaking his head saying that it was not what he wanted.’ At this juncture, Neeti, who happened to be there, piped up to offer to try her hand. She was all of eighteen at the time and what she came up with met Shyam Uncle’s approval immediately. ‘This is exactly what I want,’ Shyam Uncle said.
SRC: All of this, and yet you hadn’t trained formally until then. But you did study under Jagannath Prasad-ji, right? When did you start learning from him? Because by then, you had already made a name for yourself – what made you feel the need?
PS: The Nishant song. That was the turning point. It was such a challenging piece with all those murkis, the harkatein, the classical touches. After I sang it, I came home and said to my mom, ‘It was so tough!’ And both my parents said, ‘If you’re serious about this, you must learn music properly.’
Jagannath Prasad-ji was then brought in. He was already my father’s teacher, and also the guru of Mukesh tauji and Moti tauji. So Papa said, ‘Why don’t you teach Preeti as well?’ And that’s how it began.
I learned semi-classical from him. My father believed that if you go too deep into classical, your voice might become too heavy, too rounded for film music. So he said, learn enough to understand and control your voice, but keep it flexible for playback. And from that time until Jagannath-ji passed away, I kept learning with him.
SRC: And you had two of your biggest hits from that era – Piya baaj was a hit, and of course, Mara gaam katha parey. And then there’s Kalyug: What’s your problem? That song is so unique. It’s about mental health, in a way. How did that one come about?
PS: Honestly, it just happened. Shashi-ji said, ‘We want to record this.’ And the song had this refrain: What’s your problem? It was about the emotional state of a woman: ‘Kya hai tera gham bata … zindagi ko yun na dekh tu…’ It was such a different kind of song. And even today, people remember it. I’m often surprised. When I go to perform, someone will request the Kalyug song, and I’m never prepared for it because I assume no one remembers it. But they do!
SRC: And then Bhumika – so many iconic songs there. What was it about Vanraj Bhatia’s approach that brought out such variety in your singing? These songs span so many genres – n ghazal, lavani, romantic, thumri…
PS: Yes, I sang all the songs in Bhumika. There was the lavani, Ziskila balam, then Tumhare bin jeena lage, and also Saawan ke din aaye with Bhupinder-ji. All of them were so well received, and deeply appreciated. Even Mandi, with Shamsheer barahana, had thumri elements.
SRC: Exactly. That one too! So how did you manage to traverse such a wide range of styles? What was Vanraj Bhatia’s contribution in all this?
PS: The beauty of working with Vanraj Uncle was that he trusted me completely. He’d give me the melody, the lyrics, and say, ‘Now make it your own.’ I would ask him for the context … what’s the situation, what’s the emotion? He would explain: ‘This is a lavani, bring that flair … bring the swing here…’ And I would imagine myself as that character, how she would sing, how she would move. But at the heart of it, I think it’s God’s grace. I’ve sung bhajans, ghazals, children’s songs, film songs – I’m blessed that I’ve been accepted across such a wide repertoire. Some singers are known only for bhajans, or only for ghazals, or just children’s music, but I’ve been fortunate to do it all.
SRC: One song I must mention … it’s quite remarkable. Khota paisa nahi chalega, which was with Jaidev Saab. Do you have any memories of that?
PS: I remember singing it with Ranu Mukherjee and another gentleman. We rehearsed and recorded it, but honestly, I don’t have too many memories of the process. Jaidev-ji was a very quiet and reserved person. I also sang another beautiful song for him – Mujhe toh kuch pata na tha, main kitni khush naseeb hoon – but sadly, that film never released. He was an absolutely wonderful music director, very gentle and deep.
SRC: Between Julie, Manthan, Kalyug, Bhumika – you had all sorts of chartbusters. Julie was mainstream, but the rest were more offbeat, parallel cinema, and yet they were hits. And still, we don’t hear many commercial film songs from you from that era. Was that a choice, or was there another reason?
PS: I did sing for commercial films too. For example, Anand Ashram, I sang Tum kitni sundar ho. I also sang many songs for Bappi-da.
SRC: And of course, you sang the Katha song.
PS: Yes, Main sundar hoon. I’ve sung so many songs, but since they weren’t dramatically different, they sometimes got lost among all the other songs. I even sang for Shankar-Jaikishan-ji. And for another Rajesh Roshan film. I sang for Anu Malik too. Actually, I’ve sung the first songs for many of these music directors. I often joke with them: ‘See? When I sing your first song, you go on to become successful!’ The thing is, I’ve always been a little reserved. And my father, too, was a very simple, disciplined man. He’d go for shoots in the morning, come back in the evening. Our lifestyle at home wasn’t very filmy. So I never used to go around meeting music directors asking for work. And often, if you sing a song for a music director, they’d expect you to do shows with them too. But by then, I was married and had two daughters, and I felt they needed me more. I thought, it’s okay. I’ve had enough name and fame. What mattered most to me was respect. That’s my true earning – the love and respect people have given me over the years.
SRC: Fifty years later, we’re still talking about those songs. We don’t even talk about songs from two months ago.
PS: (laughs) Maybe, but honestly, it was the values my father instilled in me. He was always so respected. Whenever I walked into a studio – Dipak Chatterjee Uncle and all those old recordists – they’d say, ‘Arey Preeti beta! Moti ki beti hai! Beta, aise karo, waise karo…’ They loved my father deeply, and that affection was passed on to me. It really meant a lot.
SRC: And Mukesh-ji … he was a relative, right? Do you have any memories with him?
PS: Yes, Mukesh Tauji. He and my father were extremely close, like family. He was such a sweet and warm person. On Sundays, we used to go and love having kadhi-chawal. I have so many lovely memories of him. Once, I went with him for a show in Shimla. At night, before sleeping, he’d call me and say, ‘Idhar aa beta, mujhe yeh chaupai padh ke suna de.’ So I would read the chaupai (from the Ramcharitmanas) to him. Such a gentle and affectionate human being. A wonderful soul.
SRC: And Motilal-ji was also…?
PS: Yes, Moti Tauji was also my uncle. His film Chhoti Chhoti Baatein, in which Papa acted – it’s one of the true classics of that era.
SRC: Yes, indeed. Do you have any memories associated with him?
PS: Oh yes, Moti Tauji lived close by. He had this charismatic style, always dressed in a hat and suit, and he’d drive around in a smart sports car. When he’d pass by, he would wave at us, and we kids would go, ‘Wow, Dad, look at him!’ And then on Sundays, he’d call us over: ‘Aaja, aaja… meat bana hai.’ We were so young then, maybe in 8th standard or so. He was very fond of my dad, and the feeling was mutual. All three – Mukesh-ji, Motilal-ji and my father – were so close. I have very sweet memories of him, though not in too much detail.
SRC: Coming to a genre you truly made your own – singing for children. Your nursery rhymes – how did that begin? Where did the interest come from?
PS: Actually, it started quite naturally. After recordings, I’d come home and my elder daughter Anisha was about one-and-a-half or two. The maids were there, of course, but I always wanted to be personally involved. I’d feed her while singing nursery rhymes, and she enjoyed it so much. It became our little thing. Then one day, it just clicked. My sister Namita, my father and I thought, Why don’t we make a cassette of this? So we went to Mr Dubey, the director, and pitched the idea. He said, ‘Go ahead, do it if you believe in it.’ So we recorded it – not knowing at all how it would do. And then, oh my goodness, it was a huge success. Lakhs of copies sold.
SRC: It became quite a legendary thing – Preeti Sagar’s Nursery Rhymes. I still remember that!
PS: Absolutely! Every school, every child, grew up on it. Even today, someone will come up to me, maybe in their 30s or 40s, and say, ‘Ma’am, I grew up on your nursery rhymes.’ And I feel, Oh gosh, if you grew up on them, how old am I now! (laughs)
SRC: What does Preeti Sagar do these days? Are there any current projects you’re working on?
PS: Actually, along with my singing, my sister Namita Sagar, my dad, and I had worked on this children’s TV series called Phulwari Bachchon Ki. Namita was the host, and it ran for 204 episodes, years and years of it. Initially, we were asked to do just four episodes. Ravi Gupta, who was with NFDC, said, ‘We just have a little gap. Can you do four episodes?’
Papa was sceptical. ‘Who will come for just four episodes?’ But then he turned to Namita– there are three of us sisters, me, Neeti (who wrote the songs), and Namita – and said, ‘Namita, you do it.’ She was in college then and said, ‘Alright, I’ll try.’
So we did four. Then we did eight. Then twelve. Then they asked for 25 … then 50 … and eventually, we ended up doing 204 episodes! We only stopped because Papa passed away.
After his passing, Namita and I took over his production house. We’ve been making public service films, corporate films, and now, recently, I’ve launched a YouTube channel calledPreeti Sagar’s Nursery Rhymes. I sing the rhymes myself, along with children, and it’s been such a joy. I really feel there’s a huge need for quality children’s content. Everyone talks about how women are neglected. I feel it’s actually children who are most neglected in our country. There’s almost nothing for them now, aside from movies or being glued to phones and iPads. There’s no content that connects, teaches, or entertains meaningfully.
SRC: Your own children … did they enjoy your nursery rhymes?
PS (laughs): Oh yes! But you know how it is – ghar ki murgi daal barabar! ‘Mom, mom, my shoes…’ – that’s what I would hear more than anything else!
SRC: Has anyone from your family followed in your footsteps into singing?
PS: No, not really. One of my daughters is a graphic designer, and the other runs her own HR company. But now I have a little granddaughter, and she seems very musical. So, I’m really hoping she takes it up one day!
SRC: Looking back, how has the landscape of singing for films changed from the time you started out?
PS: When I started singing the scenario was totally different. There were no track recordings, we had to sing live. The musicians would play and we were in the booth singing along with them. If anyone made a mistake, whether the musician or I, we had to start the song right from the beginning. And I think that is wonderful because that brought in the soul of the artist into the song. Today if you play a track, the singer just sings on it and that’s it. But when we were singing with live music, we brought in a lot of soul and a lot of thought to it.
Now, the music of course is good, it’s very good, it’s so perfect, the sound is so good. All the singers are so good and they sing so well but sometimes I can’t differentiate one voice from another. When I was singing, you knew the voice immediately – this is Kishore Kumar, this is Mukesh. But today, there are so many wonderful singers, but unfortunately, they sound quite the same.
Another thing is that today’s music has a very short shelf life. You go to these reality singing shows, you see little children singing the old songs. Hardly any of them are singing new songs. So the old songs I feel had a lot of soul in it … the music was so good that we could even recollect the interlude music pieces. Today we can’t. I think today’s music is more to see in the movie rather than hear and those days the music was more about hearing. You know, we would just sit near the radio and people would listen to the songs and enjoy them – the songs touched their heart.
