Iman makes singing debut in Bengali theatre

Besides earning her a National Award, Iman Chakraborty’s rendition of Tumi jake bhalobaso in Praktan made her one of the most sought-after playback singers in Tollywood. Now, the singer is all set to record songs for stage productions. Iman has already sung four songs for Purba Paschim’s next, Athoi Jol.
“Singing for theatre is completely different from doing playback for films.Theatre is live performance and my songs have to be in sync with the artistes on stage. Unlike in films, there is no room for editing. And that is a challenge. I am really excited about this project,” Iman told us. It was Soumitra Mitra’s idea to make Iman sing for his group’s next production. “I’ve always liked Iman’s style of singing. The texture of her voice is such that it will fit the character perfectly. Earlier, singers, including Lopamudra Mitra, Srikanto Acharya and many others, have recorded songs for my stage productions. Iman is one of the leading playback singers today and I am sure her renditions will suit the play,” he said.
Thespian Bratya Basu, the director of the play, is also excited about the development. “I am glad that she has agreed to sing for theatre. She is extremely popular and I am sure people will love her songs in this play too,” he said. While the songs are written by playwright Ujjwal Chakraborty, young music director Subhadeep Guha has composed them. “Iman has sung for the character Panna. We have used a lot of khyamta, dhop, palagan and other forgotten folk genres of Bengal. I hope people will like the mixed bag we are creating,” shared Subhadeep. Debshankar Halder and Soumitra Mitra will be seen enacting important parts in the play.