Exclusive: The magic that Divya Kumar’s voice spread with Pawan Singh in the song ‘Kati Raat Maine Khetto Mein’ of ‘Stree 2’ is now forcing people to dance on the dance floor.
Be it the song ‘Aaj Mera Ji Karda’ from Badlapur or the evening of pure desi romance ‘Chanchal Man’, singer Divya Kumar, who has given voice to many such songs, gave interesting answers to many different questions in a special conversation with ABP News.
So let us know what he told about Bollywood work culture. Also, what did he tell on the questions related to the earnings of singers?
How much do singers get paid?
In response to this, Divya Kumar says that it varies greatly. If you think that in a film worth Rs 1000 crore or Rs 500 crore, many artists get a lot of money, then it is not so. Out of that, the big amount is taken away by the big actors and directors.
Divya further says – When it comes to cost cutting, the first thing that is reduced is the money of singers and musicians. This is a big dilemma for the artist. Even if you are a big name and ask for good money, you may get it, but sometimes you are easily refused. Saying that we will not be able to pay that much money, we will lose it to someone else.
He further said this positive point that there are good people in Bollywood who take care of us, even though they are very few but their presence is there. These people pay you good money because they do not compromise on quality. If they want Arijit or me, they will get it from us only. And will also give good wages.
Divya Kumar further says that still we carry a certain amount in our mind that we need this much. However, there is definitely bargaining in that too. However, it is never disclosed who gets how much money.
Many times even big brands do not pay money to singers.
Divya Kumar told one more thing. He said that there are some big brands which directly refuse that they do not pay money to the singers. Without taking names he told that this happens many times.
Singer told that even today there are many singers who, despite being a big name, are able to earn only Rs 50 thousand to Rs 1 lakh. It is very difficult to sing to earn money in Bollywood, this used to happen in the 90s, not today.
Many options make a difference
This has also happened because there are too many options. And if you do not perform live, your earning potential is greatly reduced.
More money is earned in the world of ad films
Divya Kumar also told a very interesting thing that even today the world of ad films is better than Bollywood. Looking at them it seems that Bollywood should also be like this. They pay a very respectably good amount even for singing one line jingles in small ads.
However, the drawback there is definitely that there is no recognition there. But there is definitely earning. That’s why ad film is my favorite industry. There you can get very good money for work of 30 seconds or 1 minute.
Divya further says that if your voice is a brand like Shreya Ghoshal or Arijit Singh, then you get even more money. It is difficult to make a living just by being a singer, hence it is important to be multitalented. You will have to go for songs ranging from jingles to South Indian or regional languages.
How much advantage did you get from being from a family of musicians?
Divya Kumar inherited the understanding of music and singing. His father and grandfather have been giving their music in Bollywood since the time when there were giants like RD and SD Burman. In such a situation, when we asked him about the benefits of being Napokid, he answered it very candidly.
Divya Kumar says, ‘Singing is such a skill which can take you forward only on the basis of talent. The only advantage of having a Napokid is that your entry can be done easily. But if you do not have talent then you will not be able to last long.
Let us tell you that Divya Kumar’s father Lord Shivaram is a musician who has worked with big names like RD Burman to Himesh Reshammiya. And his grandfather, his grandfather Pandit Shivram had given music for many regional films and V. Shantaram’s films.
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