Is what Neeraj Shridhar of Bombay Vikings and Character Dheela Hai fame has to say to you ahead of his show in town this week
Is what Neeraj Shridhar of Bombay Vikings and Character Dheela Hai fame has to say to you ahead of his show in town this week
Hit remix tracks like Kya Surat Hai and Woh Chali have at some point made it to all our playlists. It's now time for the city to play host to the creator of these catchy tracks and the 90s band Bombay Vikings, Neeraj Shridhar. While Bombay Vikings, a band created when Neeraj lived in Sweden was what brought almost instant fame and recognition to him, he has made a mark for himself in the world of commercial film music too with hits like Hare Krishna Hare Ram (Bhool Bhulaiya), Ticket to Hollywood (Jhoom Barabar Jhoom) and Character Dheela Hai (Ready) from more recent times. 
For the show in town, Neeraj has big plans and promises to make this the best live performance he has ever had. "I want to make this my best performance. I will be playing a few special songs that the audience can sing along to. I will of course play Kya Surat Hai amongst other numbers as the video for that song was shot in Bangalore," says Neeraj.
His association with the city doesn't end here and goes back a long way in both his musical career and life otherwise. "My first ever promotion for the album Woh Chali happened on MG Road in Bangalore. I had no notion of how famous I was here and that makes Bangalore very special to me," he says. "Besides, I got my second name 'Shridhar' from my father's friend who used to live in Bangalore," he adds, narrating an old story where his father made him use his friend's second name as he had no children and wanted him to consider them as their own. "I was born a Punjabi Sharma and hail from Jalandhar, but my tastes are essentially South Indian," says Shridhar who confesses of having a natural taste for Sambar Vada.
Talking about the fading away of the band and his plans for the future, he says, "I have done quite a bit and now I would like people to listen to music I connect to". "With Bombay Vikings I released four albums and gave up as I could not stand people telling me what to make. I got sick and tired of it," he adds. The future in turn he tells us holds more Bollywood music and a new album release in a year's time with a hope of reviving the album scene in India. Also, on the cards, he tells us, are plans of promoting new Indian bands with newer sounds, especially from the South of the country.
Quick five
Favourite Bombay Vikings' song
Aa Raha Hoon Main from the album Chod Do Aanchal
Favourite Bollywood song
Hare Krishna Hare Ram from the film Bhool Bhulaiya
Most memorable show
The one in Trinidad and Tobago where an audience of 35,000 turned up.
Dream collaboration on stage
Mick Jagger. If I could stand behind him it would be the ultimate thing.
Moment of inspiration
While traveling in a train and humming Mere Sapno Ki Rani along.
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Where Palace Grounds On June 24, 6 pm onwards
For tickets log onto www.leaveofficeearly.com
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