The Reel Thing

Kailasa has been a wondrous blend of Sufi and folk music with a contemporary twist to it since its inception in 2006 and Kailash Kher has been the face of it. But now the long-maned, beads-wearing, guitar-strumming trio are all set to go the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy way, calling themselves Kailash-Paresh-Naresh as they enter Bollywood.

“We have composed music for two films and their sounds are different from the Kailasa sound,” says Kher. While one of the films is Chandni Chowk to China, directed by Nikhil Advani and starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, the other is Allah Ke Bande directed by Farooque Kabir. “We are doing a track in each film and both are in the anthem format,” says Kher. While the track in Chandni Chowk... is power-packed, AR Rahman will sing the title track of Allah Ke Bande “which is like a prayer to God”.

But their music doesn’t stop there. Kailasa are working on their third album that will be released in mid-2008. “This album is going to be intense and will have a strong ballad feel to it with a high emotional quotient,” says Kher, who, in all probability, will be singing with rock group Pearl Jam’s singer Eddie Vedder by the end of the year in a concert that will be a tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Vedder had collaborated with Khan for a track in Dead Man Walking.

Amid the busy tour schedules and recordings, Kher has taken up social causes as well. As a participant in the reality show Mission Ustaad, Kher is singing about UN’s Millennium Development Goals. “I don’t want my music to cater to entertainment alone but also create awareness among people,” says Kher, who, along with the other participants, composed songs on 11 issues, including human trafficking and poverty. The compilation will be released in April.

Courtesy: ExpressIndia.com