'It's sad how people twist things'

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script><br />She exploded onto the international music scene with her album, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Come Away With Me</span>, sweeping the Grammy Awards. But what made headlines was that she was Pandit Ravi Shankar’s ‘other’ daughter.Even as the world wanted to know about her ties with her famous father, her silence was fodder for gossip. There were reports of frost within the family and of rivalry with her sister Anoushka. In an <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">exclusive interview</span> from Ravi Shankar’s residence in the US, Norah Jones speaks out to dismiss the rumours. Excerpts: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.indiatimes.com/it/norahgallery1.htm" target="_blank"><img align="right" src="/photo/44863704.cms" alt="/photo/44863704.cms" border="0" /></a>“I was wary of talking about my father because it would set up expectations before I played any music. As someone just starting out, I didn’t want to live up to constant comparison. Anoushka has been trained by him, so it’s different with her�, Norah explains. “My father has been very encouraging about my music. For the past five years we’ve reconciled, and have been very close. I’ve never said anything negative about him, but people twist things. I don’t feel obliged to explain anything about us and sadly people turn that into gossip. I know my dad’s very famous, but they should respect him for it, not tear him down. I wish they would just lay off my family. Life is complicated, and it’s not something to be printed in a magazine. I know you can’t stop the media, but it’s just my request.� <br /><br />She says her not mentioning her father at the Grammy Awards has been misconstrued: “To make a big deal of that is silly. I didn’t thank my grandma either, hello! I thanked the people who talked me through the day-to-day stress of making my record. And when I thanked my family, I meant both my Indian family - my dad, sister, step-mom - <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">and</span> my American family.� <br /><br />And she sounds angry when asked about recent reports of rivalry with her sister Anoushka. “The only frost within the family is from the press. They should leave her out of it. She’s very talented; I’m very proud of her and she’s very proud of me. We get along really well�.<br /><br />On Dev Anand’s plans to make a movie on her life, she says: “We’ve read about it, I think it’s very exploitative. It shows the dark side of greedy people. He has no idea of our story and he’s going to fictionalise it. It’s sad because it’s nobody’s business but ours.�<br /><br />The lady with the honey and smoke voice says her dad is the first thing that comes to her mind about India. “I’d love to play there some day. And it would be nice to get in touch with my roots a little more.� <br /></div> </div>