2000s was the year of Indian playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan who rose to fame with her song “Mehboob Mere” from Fiza. The 37-year-old singer known for her eclectic and powerful voice since then earned multiple accolades and became one of the sought-after singers in Bollywood.
However, there was a time when this vivacious and bubbly singer was rejected by a music director who said that her voice sounded ‘manly’.
According to Hindustan Times, Chauhan in an interview said, “In the initial stage of my career, I did get to hear things like, ‘You should pack your bags and go home because you cannot sing Lag Jaa Gale in the original key’.”
She was also told, “Beta, tum na riyaaz kar ke aao (Go home and practice).”
She further divulged:
“Then another music director told me, ‘This kind of voice is not going to work, you have too strong a voice. It sounds like a man’s voice on an actress. Pack your bags. Abhi ek-do saal ki baat hai (It is just a matter of one or two years), then you go home’.”
The ‘Dhoom Machale’ singer further recalled that after years of struggling, when she finally gained stardom, the same directors seemed to suffer from ‘memory loss’ about their initial comment on her singing.
“That happened but I am only thankful for those comments because they made me a stronger person. But today, they have memory loss. For them, such things never happened,” DNA quoted her saying.
Regardless of what others said about her, Chauhan believed in herself and her talent and continued her musical journey. And the rest is history!