Daler’s all for live shows

He laughs heartily, doles out damdar performances and is busy with a string of projects. But ask Daler Mehndi whether he has got over the trauma of being accused of illegally sending people to other countries, and his expression becomes melancholic and it’s obvious that the question is quite unpleasnt to him.
“It affected my work, my career in Bollywood...everything. It has been seven years now, abhi tak bhugat rahein hain,” says Daler while adding, “The case is still on and I have been accused of taking Rs two lakh from one person and Rs one lakh from another.” But Daler says that he has not allowed such matters to dishearten him. “I am very strong within and I believe in God, who helped me sail through the tough times. I have not changed a bit and still live life to the fullest. It was not easy for me. But I braved the media and the society and emerged a winner,” says the singer, who recently performed in the Pink City and is all excited about his upcoming albums.
Though Daler has been doing everything from playback singing for Bollywood films and regional cinema, to rolling out music albums, it’s live shows that his heart beats for. “These shows are my life because on stage, one can’t hide the truth and one can’t fake anything. I did 28 shows in February and now I am booked till 2011. When I don’t get to perform live, I start feeling the itch to perform at shows.”
Is that the reason that he is not doing many Bollywood projects? “Every year I do one song for Bollywood. People feel that I am not around because I am not very regular on TV. Those who don’t have work are seen on television,” says Daler.
So does that mean he would not be seen on TV, especially reality shows? “It is not that I am not getting a chance to do reality shows. I am game for it but not if I am not paid well. It has to be a good production house and a good offer. However, reality shows are helping in highlighting latent talent. It feels nice when hardworking, talented people get success,” says the crooner.
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