EXCLUSIVE | Singer Anuradha Juju: 'Pankaj Udhas' son-in-law has played a crucial role in my new song'

Juju Productions, a Boston-based music production company releases the music video and the song of the most anticipated song “MITWA,” a ground-breaking musical composition and video. MITWA is a musical masterpiece paying homage to the late Ustad Rashid Khan and Anuradha Juju.

This highly anticipated project celebrates the extraordinary vocal prowess of the late Ustad Rashid Khan, a luminary in the realm of classical music, alongside the accomplished Indian-American singer.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the singer shared the experience of being a part of Mitwa, the passing away and legacy of Pankaj Udhas, and what the word signifies for her.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

How was the experience being a part of the song Mitwa?

Well, it was fantastic to collaborate with an artist of Ustad Rashid Khan’s caliber. You know, it’s a dream come true to collaborate with somebody who’s so versatile. And it was a challenge because he was in Mumbai and I was, you know, I don’t live in India. So thanks to technology, we were able to do all of that. He was able to record there and meet with the music composer. And I could record here in my studio. And my husband is the one who records all my songs. So that was the challenge. But we wanted to show his versatility.
And for that purpose, the whole vision was, first of all,to, you know, show his caliber. That was the first thing. So that’s why we included classical Western music orchestration with the Budapest String Orchestra and Indian classical music, which was him. And I myself am a light, I’m a student of classical music and I perform only light music, Bollywood styleand semi-classical style. So we were able to do that. And I was able to do that successfully. So it was quite interesting because I had never met him till the song was recorded. He had heard my voice and he had, you know, approved. Because just to get the nod of approval from an artist
of his stature was a very big honor for me to collaborate with him. So that went very well. And he was very happy with the end product. And we recorded it and it was beautifully produced by Ishaan Chhabra, who is the director of the film. He used the Budapest String Orchestra and music was composed by Rahul Ranade, who was a good friend of Ustadji’s. So I don’t know what else to say. It was great.

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Can you share with us the inspiration behind creating Mitwa and collaborating with late Ustad Rashid Khan?

I’m starting so late in my life, I’d like to, you know, we’ve, we’ve worked with so many artists in the past and, uh, I wanted to, every time I collaborate with an artist, I want to learn something from the artist. So I’ve collaborated with Kumar Sanu, with Suresh Varkar, with Sean and the song with Mika Singh. So at this point, my husband wanted me to, you know, um, sing with Ustad Rashid. Khan, when we found out he is the best singer in the world, you know, absolutely no debate there. So he put out on Facebook saying, Hey, does anybody know Ustad Rashid Khan? And Rahul Ranade, who’s a good friend, who’s a music composer himself in Pune. He wrote back and said, are you serious? And we said, yes. So that’s how it all started. And that was the inspiration to collaborate with Ustadji. Also, I chose a story between two mature adults. And that was an idea behind the story of Mitwa where you show a classical singer male vocalist and an indian classical dancer a female and how they come together and how they’re inspired by each other and how you know it can happen at any age and there is no um age limit for finding the right companion and love in life so that was the purpose of the story behind Mitwa.

What does the word Mitwa signify for you?

I think I just said that Mitwa in this song and this video and this idea signifies a companion,
you know best friend companion the person who understands your soul, who is able to connect with you through that and who will let you soar and reach the heights of your purpose and your achievement and help you attain things in life. And I have that in my life,
you know the somebody who helps me attain what I want to do no matter what any any age in your life in that process so Mitwa is about that for me and that’s what I wanted to show in this.

How do you look back at Pankaj Udhas’ legacy and contribution to Indian music?

Pankaj Udhas’ passing away takes me back to my courtship days when I was in Bits Pilani where I met my future husband, the music would play in all our pizza place, the Chitthi Aayi Hai song, so it takes me back to that and also one more point it’s very nostalgia that’s what I’m trying to say. His passing away takes me back to my days where he talks about his life and he also visits Bits Pilani and my friends from my batch mates are sending me photos of
themselves they’ve taken with him he, he performs there at a cultural festival in 1986. His son-in-law Ojas is a brilliant Tabla player who actually has played in the song Mitwa
and also some of the other songs.