Shalmali Kholgade, Singer: Learn To Deal With Success As Well As You Dealt With Failure

Shalmali Kholgade, Singer: Learn To Deal With Success As Well As You Dealt With Failure

People say that I’ve had an easy break in Bollywood. And that is true in some ways. I used to record demos which my friend Anjo John handed over to Amit Trivedi. And there I was, singing Pareshaan for one of the greatest musicians in Bollywood. But what people don’t know is that I have faced rejection on more than one occasion from every music director I’ve worked with. I just choose to not speak about it.

Rejection can make anyone feel sorry for themselves and most times my first reaction has been that of anger. But I have devised a unique way of dealing with it. I just attribute it to several things, not just me. If a song does not go through in my voice, I say “maybe I didn’t sing well enough”, “maybe my voice was too young for the actor”, so on and so forth. I don’t only blame myself for it. Call it naivety or just positive outlook, I keep myself happy like that.

Today I am famous. It’s a great feeling but it’s also very scary. In the beginning of my career, I used to get intimidated by people staring at me. Slowly, I started adjusting to the attention. I am extremely aware of what is expected of me now. For every off day I have, I feel like it’s a day wasted, that I will let so many people down, let myself down too. The pressure is immense. Popularity puts you in a tough spot that requires you to keep achieving all the time. So you start expecting more from yourself.

And yes, sometimes I get taken for a ride. I am only one year old in Bollywood. But I’m becoming smarter when it comes to people and the promises they make. I’ve realised that most compliments are not genuine and I have to keep reminding myself to not get carried away. That is my struggle.

Scorecard
1 Remember the person you were before you got popular. That is the real you. And that is who you should be.
2 There are many people who will be sweet to your face but may have malicious intent. Beware of them.
3 If you feel overwhelmed by the situation, seek help from friends and family.