Mehnat rang lati hai...ab dekh bhi liya, says Heeramandi singer Kalpana Gandharv

Kalpana Gandharv, the singer behind the romantic number Ek Baar Dekh Lijiye from Heeramandi, says success does leave a lasting impact on you.

“Such huge success is unimaginable for anyone, where your song is playing across platforms, and you know that sab sunn rahe hain. The best part is that all are liking it. Mehnat rang lati hai aisa suna tha, ab dekh bhi liya. Itni badi success ka mein bhi hissa hu, it makes me feel happy. It’s thrilling to take the legacy of my Ujjain Gharana forward,” says the Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015) singer.

Sharing her take on working for an OTT project, she adds, “I was in two minds whether this song would continue to be part of series or not because this does happen with almost all singers in the industry. Initially, I was a bit sceptical as it was for OTT, but not any more. When singing for films, you are clear how music gets promoted but for OTT I had no idea on how far it will go. But seeing how big it turned out to be, feels great.”

It has been more than a year since she lent her voice to the song and feels projects do take time to happen.

“I was in the beginning of my second trimester expecting my first baby. When I got a call to meet (director Sanjay Leela) Bhansali sir, I was quite unwell, but I went to meet him and he said ‘kuch sunaiye’, and I sang a few lines of a ghazal,” she recalls.

“Working with Krsna Solo for TWMR then with an ensemble music team for Sarbjit (2016) had made me understand the industry better. So, I am readily exploring options coming my way along with my Indie songs,” says the fifth-generation singer of the Gharana.