Singer Jasbir Jassi has been making the listeners groove to his songs since he released his first pop album Dil Le Gayee in 1998. There is hardly anyone who hasn't shaken a leg on his popular tracks like 'Kudi Gujarat Di', 'Koka' and others. Currently, the audience is mesmerised by his latest song 'Ye Luthrey' from late Rishi Kapoor's last film Sharmaji Namkeen. The singer has already sung the song 'Laung Da Lashkara' featuring the veteran actor in his film Patiala House. However, this time the circumstances were different. Recalling how challenging it was for him to sing 'Ye Luthrey' after Rishi Kapoor passed away, Jasbir Jassi revealed that Paresh Rawal made it easy and effortless.
Jasbir Jassi said, "When I got to know that the song will be picturised on Rishi Kapoor, I was thrilled. It was very disheartening that he could not complete the film. I was surprised when the makers told me that Paresh Rawal will step into the shoes of Rishi Kapoor and complete the film alongside him. At first, I was not sure how it will look, but it turned out really well and the response has been great. To know that I have sung the title song of the film and it is getting a great response feels good."
While Jasbir Jassi said that he hasn't interacted with Rishi Kapoor a lot, they have crossed paths many times. Talking about his fondest memory of the '102 Not Out' actor, the singer shared, "I spoke to him on the telephone for the first time, I remember it was through Vinod Khanna. He was in Jammu while I was in Mumbai."
"When I first met him, he was at the JW Marriott. He was having dinner and I was passing by. My friend told me he was sitting at the restaurant. He looked up and waved to me. He asked me to sing. I sang a Munda Punjabi and they applauded. The whole restaurant was watching us. I also met Abhishek, Kareena and Karisma and it was a fond memory," he added.
When Jasbir Jassi was approached to sing a song in Sharmaji Namkeen, he was told that Rishi Kapoor will feature in it. However, his sudden death forced the makers to bring another actor on board. According to Jassi, Paresh Rawal did a great job in adopting the mannerisms of Rishi Kapoor.
Further talking about the growing dominance of Punjabi songs in Bollywood films, Jasbir Jassi asserted that Punjabi music has been majorly used in mainstream films for a long time now. He said, "It has been playing a strong part in the Bollywood films with songs like 'Ude Jab Jab Zulfe Teri', 'Kajra Mohabbat Wala' and others. Today, it is visible more because of social media and online streaming. People like it, in fact, 80-90 per cent of people are listening to Punjabi music nowadays."
Jasbir Jassi has given some of the most popular songs in the 90s and people still listen to them and cherish the memories. However, the singer explained that the process of making music has changed over the years. Now, it has become easier to produce and have access to music.
"When I started making music, Dil Le Gayi Kudi Gujarat Di and before that, the process was very different from today. At that time, we first used to get the lyrics and then we used to compose the music using harmonium, tabla and dholak. Out of 100-150 songs, we used to pick 7-8 songs. Now, the process and the music have changed a lot. It is not that difficult anymore. We just go to the studio and explore a song. If we like the sound and vibe of it, we record it. People have nowadays started to like the sound. The trend is also changing regularly these days with new sounds and instruments being introduced."
With new trends and the emergence of social media, Jasbir Jassi believes that the industry is changing rapidly. However, he doesn't think that there is a formula for success. He trusts that only the hard work and the blessings of God can lead a person to the path of success.
