Recognised as the first Indian lead singer to feature in Coke Studio Pakistan, Sharmistha Chatterjee is set to present her latest work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi. Asserting that “the music of the tawaifs” has been an abiding interest of hers, Chatterjee, who rendered Tilasmi bahein, says the music “revolves around the genre that I explore”. 

“This belongs to [the genre of] world music. The style that we explored is a fusion of elements from the Middle East and Spain. There’s a bit of Arabic or Bulgarian music too. When I first went into the studio, I was told to explore the song as I desired. Initially, the lyrics didn’t sit well, and I had to work on a part of it. But, because I was associated with the song from [the beginning], I could truly enjoy rendering it. The emotions of the character were conveyed to me. I was made to understand that it was about the power of womanhood, and celebrating it.”