KOCHI: The lights go dim at the JT Pac hall at Kochi. Then a voice begins to rise in the silence. But the stage remains empty. Then a spotlight falls on the aisle at the back of the hall. And there stands the singer, Preety Bhalla. Adorning a black dress with a transparent black jacket lined with ruffles, she begins with a Sufi song, ‘Teri Deewani’ in a husky and vibrant voice. Slowly, she walks down the steps, smiles at the guests on the left and the right and reaches the stage.
After the song, she says, “I feel so happy to be here. There are two reasons for this. I am from Mumbai, originally from Punjab, but I am married to a Malayali (Deepu Paul). So Kochi is my second home. The other reason is my daughter comes to this place every day (Kyra is a student of Class two at Choice School). It seems like I am in my own house. I am going to take you through different genres of music in different languages.”
And for the next two hours, Preethi indeed takes the audience on an exhilarating ride: hit songs of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Illiyaraja, RD Burman, Laxmikant Pyarelal, and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, among many others. She sings in Hindi, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Spanish. The Spanish-Hindi song is called ‘Senorita’ from Zoya Akhtar’s film, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. For a Malayali touch, Preety sings ‘Appangal from ‘Ustad Hotel’ as well as ‘Meharuba’, composed by Gopi Sundar for Joshiy’s ‘Lailaa O Lailaa’.
Amazingly, there is hardly any pause between songs. Preety has no lyric sheet or song schedule in front of her. And there is no interval too. And for the climax, Preety sings her most famous number: a reworked version of ‘Damadam Mast Kalandar’ from the Album ‘Jalwa II’ that brings the house down.
A day earlier, Preety, along with Deepu, looks relaxed and happy at their tastefully decorated apartment near Marine Drive, with wooden furniture and muted ceiling lights. From their sixth-floor balcony, you can see the setting sun across the Cochin Harbour.
“Living in Kochi is beautiful,” says Preety. “There is a peace of mind as compared to life in Mumbai. There is so much greenery all around. The traffic, as compared to Mumbai, is much less. The people are very sweet. I love the local food a lot.”But she can’t eat just everything. To protect her voice, she avoids ice-creams. “But I melt it so that I can eat it,” she says with a laugh. “I also avoid pickles, as it irritates my throat and raw onions. But I like curd even though many singers avoid it. After all, I am a Punju and we love our curd.” And every day, after a morning walk, Preety does a two-hour practice of her vocal cords. “It is similar to a physical workout,” she says. “After that, I am ready to face the day.”
Preety has been ready to face every day as a singer for the past two decades. She has performed in all the major cities and towns in India, in Dubai, Indonesia, and Thailand.And after two decades, she no longer has any butterflies in the stomach before a show. “But, yes, I do feel a touch of nervousness regarding the sound system,” says Preety. “I pray that nothing goes wrong.”
To ensure nothing goes wrong, Deepu accompanies her for all the shows. Before they met, they spoke on the phone, because Deepu’s partner was doing an album with Preety. “Our first conversation lasted 15 minutes, and we sort of clicked,” says Deepu. They met nine months later, and it was a slow falling-in-love. They got married three years later, in December 2008. To please both sides of the family there was a gurudwara as well as a church wedding.
Asked what he likes about Preety, Deepu says, “She is a nice human being, and very soft-hearted. I also like the way she is focused on her singing.”Preety says, “Deepu is a cool guy. And my in-laws are exceptionally sweet people.”
At this moment, Kyra comes into the room. A beaming Preety says, “She is taking classes in singing. Thanks to God, she is naturally gifted and talented.”