Why Mahesh Kale sees no divide between ragas and contemporary music

National Award-winning vocalist Mahesh Kale recently went viral after performing the line “Aandhi banke aaya hun” from the song Ishq Jalakar (Dhurandhar) at his Pune concert; a moment that spotlighted how raga-inspired Bollywood music is finding renewed appreciation among audiences. In an exclusive with Mumbai Mirror, Mahesh explained his larger musical vision. “What I am trying to do is bring ragas from the traditional khayal repertoire into spaces where they converse with jazz and contemporary forms. Sometimes that happens through raga-inspired Bollywood songs like Dhurandhar’s Ishk Jalakar. Or even something like We Will Rock You has scales that come close to Indian classical music,” he said, adding, “I want to leave no stone unturned in spreading Indian classical music far and wide, and as deep as possible.” The singer is now gearing up for what could be a landmark moment for Hindustani classical music with 'Mahesh Kale Live with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra'. The concert in Mumbai, will see a full Western symphonic ensemble share the stage with a Hindustani classical vocalist, a first in this format. Explaining the philosophy behind such collaborations, Mahesh draws from Bhakti traditions. “Like Saguna and Nirguna worship - one rooted in form, the other omnipresent - I see my work in a similar juxtaposition. From pure ragas, I’m taking the music into dialogues with global sounds.” He visualises the fusion vividly: “Indian classical music is like ornate Rajasthani miniature art, intricate and intimate. Western classical is like Niagara Falls, grand and expansive. Bringing them together lets audiences experience both detail and scale.”