Singer Shreya Ghoshal may have made a dream debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, but success did not translate into instant offers.
In a recent interaction with ABP Network, Shreya revealed that despite the film’s massive impact, it took time for her next big opportunity to arrive.
Shreya made her Bollywood playback debut with Devdas, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit. She lent her voice to five songs in the film — Silsila Ye Chahat Ka, Bairi Piya, Chalak Chalak, Morey Piya, and Dola Re Dola.
“Devdas was a great launchpad. When you sing in a film with stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit, your beginning is very strong. But it took me a long time to get my next song. It was not as if I called everyone every day asking for work. I waited for the right opportunities. I believe every piece of music deserves the right casting, and if it does not happen at the right time, it does not create magic,” she said.
‘I felt like I was a misfit for Bipasha Basu’
Her next major breakthrough came with Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai from Jism, picturised on Bipasha Basu — a bold, sensuous track that marked a shift in perception.
Shreya admitted she initially felt unsure about being the voice behind the sultry number.
“I felt like I was a misfit for Bipasha Basu, but it was a very bold choice by composer MM Keeravani, who is internationally acclaimed. He said he wanted that exact voice. I don’t think I tried to be sensuous in it, because that does not come naturally to me. I think it was meant to have the rawness of youth, I was 18 at the time,” she added.
The song went on to become one of the most memorable tracks of the early 2000s, establishing Shreya as a versatile playback singer capable of balancing classical depth with contemporary appeal.
