To say what Neha Kakkar is to the teens – the years 2013 to 2019 – is quite similar to what Sunidhi Chauhan was to the 2000’s won’t be too much of an exaggeration. Yes, both have a lot in (un)common, and Sunidhi, the legend that she is, is ruling like a queen at her own comfort level, but Neha too is one of the princesses who’s most likely to rule for a good period of time.
A Delhiite, as Neha Kakkar describes herself, Neha’s influence in the Bollywood music circles has grown exponentially over the last couple of years. She’s crooning at least one top party hit every month, has plenty of concerts lined up and is also judging the longest season so far of one of India’s top kid’s singing shows.
If you have been listening to Hindi film songs over the past few years, it’s a shame if you still can’t pick out Neha’s voice. While there is a lot of competition these days, Neha’s voice has a distinct, unique, seductive charm about it. She knows how to play with her voice, and can sound like an unattainable beauty and the girl next door at the same time. If you’ve heard ‘Kundi na khadkao Raja’ and ‘Paani Paani’, even you would vouch for it.
While her younger brother Tony Kakkar is also tasting early success, her elder sister is Sonu Kakkar, renowned for Bollywood hits like ‘Babuji zara dheere chalo’ (Dum – 2003), ‘Lagali Kunachi Hichki’ (Risk – 2007), ‘Aali Re’ (No One Killed Jessica – 2011) and many more. The two sisters used to perform in Jaagrans and cultural programs from a very young age. While Sonu received her Bollywood break early, Neha auditioned and made it to the final top 12 contestants in the second season of Indian Idol during 2005-06. Though she was eliminated early after entering the top 12, a few years of hard work fetched her a big first break.
And her first big break was with the globally acclaimed composer A.R. Rahman. It was for the theme song of Blue (2009), a movie with an ensemble cast and India’s most expensive movie at the time of its release. Though the song is more about the music and beats, it has about seven singers crooning their voices, making it a tad difficult to separate the voices. The song was a club hit during its relase, and while Neha might not have made a big name, the experience was worth it.
Her first big hit was ‘Second Hand Jawani’ from Cocktail (2012), which she sang with Nakash Aziz and Punjabi sensation Miss Pooja. Her playback for Nargis Fakhri in ‘Dhating Naach’ (Phata Poster Nikla Hero – 2013) seemed to go hand in hand with the personality of the actress, who was in the film just for this song. The end of the year brought with it a perfect party number ‘Paani Paani’. Sung by Yo Yo Honey Singh and Neha Kakkar, the song created waves and helped the stardom of all those who were a part of the song.
The 2014 film Queen, which catapulted Kangana Ranaut to another level of stardom, also gave a wedding dance number which has now become a must on wedding playlists – ‘London Thumakda’. While the leading vocals are from the late Labh Janjua, also known for his hit party numbers and funky songs, Neha and Sonu both completed the female vocals. Her next hit was ‘Manali Trance’ from The Shaukeens, released later that year. Yet another Honey Singh song, her vocals went perfectly with the mood of the song and with Lisa Haydon’s expressions.
Her big hits in 2015 were ‘Aao Raja’ (Gabbar is Back), ‘Tu Issak Mera’ (Hate Story 3) and ‘Tukur Tukur’ from Dilwale.
2016 brought a string of hits for Neha, with ‘Dekhega Raja Trailer’ (Mastizaade), ‘Kar Gayi Chull’ (Kapoor and Sons), ‘Kaala Chashma’ (Baar Baar Dekho), and the female version of ‘Naina’ from Dangal. Though the female version was released later, it sure brings tears to the eyes and talks a lot about Neha’s maturity as a singer, and her range besides just funky and flamboyant songs.
Talking of 2017, while she was one of the singers for the title track of ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya’, she added another feather to her cap when she sang Kavita Krishnamurthy’s part in the remake of ‘Cheez Badhi’ from Mohra (1994), which was re-created for Machine, released earlier this year. Her rendition of the song was widely appreciated, and so was her rendition of ‘Main tera boyfriend’, which was re-created for Raabta. Her latest song ‘Trippy Trippy’ from Sanjay Dutt’s comeback film Bhoomi has also made it to the hit list.
We just hope Neha carries on her job of giving yet more hits, one after the other, with her fresh and mesmerizing voice.