“I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life relating to music,” Albert Einstein once said. And lots of of our Bollywood stars, who get up to a tune and sleep to one, would agree.
Music is the basic stressbuster for plenty of Bollywood stars, seeking to deal with erratic shooting schedules, hectic travel and long hours under the arclights, let alone the unrelenting paparazzi gaze.
The tastes are eclectic. If Amitabh Bachchan’s tastes range from classical to the more contemporary Coke Studio, son Abhishek likes Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan; Bipasha Basu loves it all, soft rock and Sufi both; Priyanka Chopra loves old Hindi film music as does Sonu Sood; and Shahid Kapoor favours progressive house music.
And it stays with them – within the gym, within the car or during a make-up session.
As Bipasha put it, “music should be part of an actor’s life because it’s too taxing a profession”.
“If I'M stressed, I tell my manager, ‘Give me HALF-HOUR. I’ll just go and figure out and hear my favourite music.’ After I take a massage and hear some soothing music, I AM GETTING very energetic,” Bipasha told IANS.
“From the time I wake up, music stays with me. My alarm is often my favourite song, after which right from the time I start brushing my teeth, I hear a wide variety of music in line with my mood.
“My driver, my spot boys get bored stiff of my music. Right from the self-love van to my car to my house to my terrace, music follows me,” said the 33-year-old, who especially loves soft rock, Irish bands and Sufi songs.
At 69, veteran star Amitabh enjoys taking note of classical and instrumental music.
He often mentions on his blog his love for normal music and the way he likes tuning into evergreen melodies before he slips into bed. But he also enjoys new age, fusion music from Pakistan’s Coke Studio during his make-up sessions.
Son Abhishek listens international musicians like Tom Petty, Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Hendrix and David Guetta while driving – and he listens to all of it at top volume.
Former beauty queen Neha Dhupia admits music either makes or breaks her mood each day.
“Music defines my day. The primary song that I take heed to at first of the day sets the mood for me. It defines my night and helps me decide if I NEED to head out,” said Neha, who listens to plenty of rock bands, contemporary pop up to Bollywood music and old classics.
Bollywood’s new kid at the block Parineeti Chopra is a trained singer like her cousin Priyanka.
“Music is my stressbuster. I enjoy taking note of music, but there's no specific more or less music that makes my mood. I take heed to a wide variety of music. I'M a trained singer; so music certainly keeps me going,” said Parineeti.
Priyanka, who recently returned from the united states after engaged on her debut music album, loves tuning into house, hip-hop and dad music. She gets her dose of Bollywood music to boot and wakes up many mornings to evergreen numbers by Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.
Priyanka’s rumoured former beau and now her “Teri Meri Kahaani” co-star Shahid Kapoor is as much a music fanatic.
“Music is part of my life… I can’t do without that. Music keeps us all going,” Shahid, who prefers progressive house music, told IANS.
Actor Sonu Sood is reserved in his choice.
“I am an excellent fan of R.D. Burman; so I still take heed to his songs; I REALLY LIKE the melodies he gave in films like ‘Ijaazat’, ‘Masoom’ and ‘Yaadon Ki Baraat’,” he said. – IANS
