Bollywood project is next: Raghu Dixit

It’s been 13 years since Raghu Dixit performed at the National Law School University of India (NLSIU), and when he takes the stage with the Raghu Dixit Project as the closing act of the Times of India Strawberry Fields 2010 today, it will be like a trip down memory lane.
“I first performed there in 1997. There were just two of us — me on acoustic guitar and vocals, and someone else on acoustic violin.We beat 43 other bands and got into the final six. I won Best Vocalist, and the guy who played the violin won Best Lead Instrumentalist. They didn’t give us Best Band because, technically, we weren’t a band!” laughs Raghu.
Raghu was also a judge at the rock fest in 2003 and says that he infinitely prefers being on stage at NLSIU to wearing his critic’s hat there. “It’s difficult to judge because the bands are so versatile. There are so many genres that have come together to fight for one place that it becomes tough to choose between them. It becomes more about good music and bad music, as opposed to a good band versus a bad band,” he says.
However, the fest is a great platform for emerging bands to make themselves known on a national platform, says Raghu. “It has brought to the fore a lot of bands that rose to national prominence, like Thermal and a Quarter, Molotov Cocktail, Kryptos and the Galeej Gurus. It’s one of the must-dos for emerging rock bands, because it’s so well followed by people all over the country,” he says.
When asked what they’ve got lined up for music fans tonight, Raghu says, “Everything that we’ve played from 1997!” However, he admits that they might not have the chance to actually do all that because the band has to be at the airport by midnight to catch a flight to the UK. “We’re heading to London to play on the BBC. This is something we’ve been working on for the past six months,” says an excited Raghu.
Once he’s back from the UK, Raghu will gear up for a busy 2011, which will be as crazy as the past year has been. “This year, we toured Spain, the UK, Australia and Sweden. In March, we’re touring the US, and from June to August, we’re doing our UK summer tour. In between all that, we might do a short Australia tour again,” he reveals.
And his film work won’t take a back seat to his tours, maintains Raghu. “I’ve done the music for the Prajwal Devraj-starrer Kote and I’m awaiting the audio release,” he says. But what he’s really excited about is his first Bollywood film. “I will definitely make an official entry to Bollywood with a full-length Hindi film. It’ll take about three weeks to materialise,” says Raghu. And the best part? “I got the offer on Thursday, which was my birthday. The perfect birthday gift!” he signs off.
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