Exclusive: “This Panchami is special because I turned 50,” says birthday boy Shaan

From celebrating friendship to experiencing first love or first heartbreak, fans have always found solace in his songs. Be it ‘Chand Sifarish’, ‘All is Well’, ‘Jabse Tere Naina’ or ‘Jise Dhoondta Hoon Main…’, his songs have always managed to strike the right chord. And probably that’s the reason, he enjoys an enormous fan following that keeps growing with each passing day.
Yes, we are speaking about singer Shaan, who turned a year ‘younger’ today.It’s his 50th birthday and warm wishes from his family, friends and fans across the world are pouring in.
“This year my birthday falls on Panchami. So it’s special for me; after all, I am 50,” says the birthday boy in an exclusive chat with ETimes TV.
From Durga Pujo, nostalgic memories associated with the festive season, his work as well as the secret behind his ever-young look, the eminent singer poured his heart out in a candid chat. Excerpts…
“Yes, I am 50 now,” Shaan said. When asked about the secret behind his young look, he said, “People keep asking me this question. In fact, someone compared me with Devanand sahab (laughs)… Just joking! To be honest, I don’t do anything special. I don’t maintain a special diet either. Rather I eat whatever I like. But I have a small gym at my place and work out a little bit. It’s just that I am always happy and I try to be always cheerful,” says Shaan.
The singer, who has a perfect sense of humour and eloquence, finally spilled the beans and said, “Let me finally tell you the secret. Someone, who was born 10 years before me, hasn’t aged a single day. Yes, I am Bumba Da (Prosenjit Chatterjee), he hasn’t aged a bit. So the secret behind the young look lies in the date 30th September itself (laughed out loud). People who are born on 30th September don’t age, (laughed again).”
Meanwhile, Bengali people around the world are enjoying the festive spirit; after all it’s Durga Puja. When asked about his plans for the festive season, Shaan says, “I thoroughly enjoyed the pre-Durga Puja fever when I was in Kolkata. In Mumbai, we celebrate Durga Puja too. I offer Anjali on Ashtami as well, but the atmosphere in Kolkata around this time of the year is something magical. I miss enjoying long addas in Mumbai during the festive season.”
In his career, Shaan, who graced ‘Super Singer Season 2’ as a judge, has tasted immense success, be it in Bollywood or in regional movie industries where he did playbacks. His humble and down-to-earth behaviour is something that has always caught the attention of his fans. When asked about this, he says, “I don’t know, why people compliment about being down to earth. That’s the innate quality everyone should have. I also believe that an artist should always be humble. If you ask me, I would tell you that there are many more singers who are way too talented than me. Yet, I found success. For example, my dad was impeccably talented, but unfortunately, he couldn’t taste success which I did. So, success is a matter of chance and it shouldn’t be the measuring scale of success. I am truly grateful for the love I have received and I will always be indebted to people who love me,” says the birthday boy.
Interestingly, Snigdhajit Bhowmik, who was in Shaan’s team in reality show ‘The Voice’ recently made his Bollywood debut with the song ‘Alcoholia’, in the upcoming movie Vikram Vedha. And mentor Shaan couldn’t be any prouder. “I am really proud of Snigdhajit. He did a remarkable job and I was speaking with Shekhar about his performance too. Snigdhajit is really talented and has struggled a lot to see this day. He and Pawandeep (Rajan) both were in my team in reality show The Voice. I had mentored both of them and taught them the same song for finale. Pawandeep won the competition and he has been doing remarkably well. Now Snigdhajit has also made his debut that too with a Vishal-Shekhar’s song in which Hrithik Roshan made us groove,” says the proud mentor.