Kumar Shanu’s career in Bollywood spans more than 25 years starting with Yeh Desh in 1984. But recently, when the Hindi playback singer met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, he couldn’t find an appropriate song from his repertoire to sing for him.
So he tried the next best alternative — a vintage Rabindranath Tagore song “Ami chini go chini tomaare, ogo bideshini” (the song is all about knowing a foreign lady).
Mukherjee, one of the most senior ministers in the United Progressive Alliance, apparently soaked in the spirit of the song and nodded his head in appreciation.
Shanu, however, was not entertaining Mukherjee for fun. As the Government of India starts the process of selecting this year’s Padma awards, Bollywood celebrities are making a beeline for Delhi to showcase their talents.
Last week, the “disco king” of the 1980s — music director Bappi Lahiri — also spent time with politicians considered important in the corridors of power.
Lahiri, who is as well known for his gold jewellery as his talent for composing Indian songs from foreign tunes, joined the Congress as a star campaigner before the 2004 elections. He struck an instant chord with Congress supporters when, at the party headquarters he took the microphone to sing, “Desh ki maa, Soniaji, hamari maa Soniaji” (Soniaji is India’s mother, Soniaji is our mother) in praise of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Congress sources said another Bollywood singer, Udit Narayan, also visited Delhi in the past few weeks, even as the frequency of music programmes starring Hindi film industry stalwarts has fallen.
In relying on their talent to impress the political class, these singers are not leaving anything to chance. Before he entered Mukherjee’s room, Shanu sang “Ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga” from the hit 1942: A Love Story to the minister’s staff — comprised entirely of men.
The trouble is that the nodal ministry in charge of selecting Padma awards is the home ministry, which does so in consultation with the prime minister. Sources suggest that some aspirants also tried to meet P Chidambaram but all of them have failed to get appointments. Besides, musical notes leave the home minister unmoved.
The trend, however, is not new. Mithun Chakraborty, who is known as the Poor Man’s Bachchan, tried his luck a few years back. But when he visited South Block to meet senior government officials, the security arrangements almost collapsed with many security personnel, helpers and clerks scrambling for an autograph.
