The Devil Departs

Mohammad Vakil belongs to the exclusive club of 'young classical singers'. Recently, he was the winner of the musical show Sa Re Ga Ma and the older generation heaved a sigh of relief. Young people can sing classical music after all, they said. SO flawless was his voice that Magnasound signed him and released his first album Kasak.

The album helped Vakil display his talent and carves a niche for himself as a serious singer. He hopes to further consolidate his position with his recent album Keh Do Keh Do.

Vakil comes from a musical family. His uncles were, Ustad Ahmed Hussain and Ustad Mohammed Hussain were renowned classical musicians. They have composed the music for Keh Do Keh Do too. For him, it was dream come true since they are famous ghazal singers and have to their credit nearly 50 ghazal albums. Vakil learnt music from them and to have his gurus composing music for his own album was an overwhelming experience.

Working on the album was an exhilarating experience. However, Vakil had to ensure that the lyrics were good and that his singing was truly good. He says that the title song penned by the late Hasrat Jaipuri captured the true spirit of love. Apart from the title song, Jaipuri also penned Sambhal ke chal and Tere shaher chala hoon, just five days before his death. One of the leading actors in television, Amar Upadhyay, features in the video of the album. The album took four months to complete and will appeal to all classes of people.

Vakil feels that his situation is somewhat similar to Hariharan's who was branded as a serious ghazal singer before A.R. Rahman gave him a break. Vakil hopes that he too will find a composer who will help him prove his versatility.

Vakil, in spite of his chocolate boy looks, reminds one of the late renowned singer Mohammed Rafi. In fact, Rafi is Vakil's idol and as a boy, Vakil was in awe of him. So does Vakil have any dreams of singing in films. Yes, he does. He would love to sing for Anu Malik, Jatin-Lalit, Ismail Darbar, A.R. Rahman… the list goes on.

As a classical singer, does he look down upon playback singing? Vakil feels that some classical musicians may feel that way but he would love to sing in films. He also feels that films will be the ideal platform to showcase his versatility. His single-minded devotion to music and his goal-oriented nature are what make Vakil stand apart. Here's wishing him a successful career.