SRINAGAR, Sep 2: On a pleasing afternoon, Masrat Un Nisa was pleasantly surprised when she received a call from the `Songs of Paradise’ team. Little did Nisa, an amateur singer then, realize that she had to fill in legendary Raj Begum’s shoes and sing her songs.
Excitement and jitters were complementing each other as she approached the studio. Santoor maestro Abhay Sopori, who was composing the music, had a clear idea of what he expected from Nisa. She had sung a Naat-e-Sharief during the SAMPA function when she was a kid. Since then, her voice was playing back in Sopori’s mind.
Few rehearsals and `Dil Tsooran’ was reborn in a new avatar. Nisa sang nine other songs of legendary singers, including Shameem Azad, in the movie. “I cannot express my excitement. Such a response to this song! I am in the seventh heaven,” Nisa told The Kashmir Monitor.
Youngest of six siblings, Nisa has not formally learnt music. However, her brother Shahbaz, who is also a singer, has been grooming her for the big day. “Music is in our DNA. My brother is a singer. I too learnt from him. But it was Abhay Sopori, who is my guru, who found the real singer in me. And that is why when he got this project, he called me up and tried my voice,” she said.
Nisa has become an instant celebrity since the song became viral. Her phones have not stopped ringing. “I have been receiving calls and messages. So much love from people was something I was not expecting. For me, doing justice to the songs that our legendary singers sang was my priority. I wanted to keep the flame aglow,” she said
What sets Nisa apart is that she sang the songs in one take, a hallmark in a true sense. “It is not like today’s songs, which are recorded in bits and pieces. Filmmakers had made it clear from day one that the song had to be recorded in one take. I tried my best and, by God’s grace, passed that test too. I sang all the songs in one take. It took a lot of rehearsals and Riyaz. But in the end, it worked,” she said.
Coming from a humble background, her father is a businessman from Charer-e-Sharief. Nisa is pursuing a master’s in public administration while focusing on her musical career. “I want to pursue law. Music is my first love. Yet I want to do law. That is why after my master’s is complete, I will give shot at law. It is my aim,” she said.
For music connoisseurs, Nisa has the original voice that sets her apart from the current tribe. “She is the original voice of Kashmir,” said Abhay Sopori, who has composed the music for Songs of Paradise.