Zayed Khan, a resident of Andaman has finally, after a lot of struggles succeeded to leave his mark in Bollywood, as a singer, making Andaman and Nicobar Islands proud.
Zayed has got this golden opportunity through producer Prem Raj Joshi who spotted him in an indie music album on Instagram that Khan had created himself.
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Commenting on the association Khan said “My ancestors were freedom fighters and they were in the Andaman Cellular Jail. My father expired when I was only four years old. Due to the early demise of my father, my family’s financial condition was not very good. My father was also fond of singing. Maybe that is why I like to sing, maybe it is in my genes. I started singing in school and other public places from the age of 9. Over some time, I thought of making a career in music. I took training in vocals from Hyderabad for over 2 years but had to leave it in between due to financial constraints. I returned to the island to take care of and help my mother. Over some time, I started a music band there and started earning some money from local performances.”
Zayed gave the credit for his success to his mother who never left hope in him and also to his close friends who helped him in all difficult times. Continuing the conversation, he added “Over some time, I came to Mumbai many a time for visits to try my luck here; but things did not work out neither did I get any financial support. Then over years, from whatever I could earn from band performances I started saving a part of it and created an album of my own. I also wrote songs for the same. The album got a good response and I got a message on Instagram from Prem sir who wanted me to sing a song for his movie on the 18th century Maratha queen Ahiyabai Holkar. He called me to Mumbai and I recorded the track. He liked it and now it is going to be a part of the movie. It is the title track of the movie. I got excited to know that the makers are looking forward to onboarding Priyanka Chopra Jonas for the titular role.
The singer spent a lot of time also reading and understanding more about Indian women rulers and Ahilyabai Holkar in detail. Commenting on the same he said “The queen took Indore to new heights, and her legacy is visible in the city even today. The entire country should be proud of her and know of her. I am glad that this is a multilingual film and will be made in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu.”
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are known for their folk literature and folk songs. The island is often described as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious ‘casteless society’ in which people from different faiths take part in each other's religious festivals. “I think this film chose me, the producer contacted me and it instantly clicked. The song was a challenge because it had to cover different emotions of the character, but it turned out pretty well. For me, music and signing are like worship, they bring liberation, I promise to work harder with every song. I sincerely pray to the Almighty to guide me in the right direction. I want to bring a good name to the people of Andaman and Nicobar so that more and more youth from the island get opportunities on the mainland. I want the gap between the island and the mainland to be filled, this gap has long been responsible for the social and political indifference towards the unheard voices of uprooted communities” said Khan as he signed off for the moment.
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