Straight from Punjab

YouTube has become a widely used platform to showcase the skills of various individuals and artists, sometimes becoming a turning point in their lives. Punjabi kudi Simran Sehgal, based in Pune, used to upload on YouTube the cover songs she sang and one such cover song caught the attention of music composer Sunny Vishwanath, who recognised her talent and invited her to come over to take part in programmes in Kerala. That was a year and a half ago and now, Kerala is Simran’s second home. The singer, who is busy with stage programmes, is also a part of a band Paatukada which is popular on TV. What has really got Simran excited is that she got a chance to croon for a Malayalam song in the film Sambar.  

Talking about the opportunity, she says, “Since Sunny is the music composer for the film, I got a chance to sing my first Malayalam song. In fact, my other band members Delsy, Sreerag and Sreekanth have all sung in the film.”

Simran had some initial hiccups with the language, but she worked hard to finetune it. “My pronunciation was not always right but my band mates helped me out with the diction. I worked really hard to get the nuances right.”

Back in Pune, Simran is also a business woman handling her father’s business, but her commitments in Kerala has been holding her back. However, she has no complaints. “First, it was difficult as I was all alone. The culture and food were different. But my band mates and Sunny have been very supportive and they make sure that I am not left alone; we are like family now. I love to cook and so end up cooking a mix of Punjabi and Kerala food. I have also been listening to Malayalam songs and seeing a lot of Malayalam films. Now whenever I speak to my friends in Malayalam, they are totally zapped about how easily I picked up the language.”

Simran also nurses a big dream. She reveals, “Shreya Ghoshal is a favourite of mine and when I came here I used to constantly hear that she was the only singer from the North who could sing like a Malayali without any North Indian accent. Somehow a thought crept into my mind that maybe if I work hard, I too can sing in chaste Malayalam.” She is working hard towards fulfilling that dream now.