Chances are, if you happen to switch on any music channel in India at this point, you'll be drawn to the image of Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra crooning away to the biggest hit at this point: Kala Chashma. An incredible hit with a sassy rekindled appeal of cool, Kala Chashma is towering at music charts. However, hailing from the land of Punjabi vernacular music, while you may have surely heard of the likes of Daler, Mika and Gurdas Maan, it is highly unlikely if you ever heard about the man behind the chart-topping hit at the moment:
43 years old Amrik Shera hails from Punjab, a land that has lent a mesmerizing touch to India's landscape of arresting music. Amrik hails from Kapurthala and literally a world away from the dizzying heights of Bollywood- sun drenched by charm and fame- the gentle bloke has got nothing to do with poetry or music whatsoever.
Truth be told, Amrik Shera is a head constable (HC) attached to the Kapurthala district police in Punjab and the holds the envious distinction of having penned the sassiest Bollywood number at the moment.
Amrik had actually penned the song when he was in his teens, would you believe it? Precisely, at age 17, back in 1990, when studying in IX standard, Amrik Shera wrote an instance of prose that he called 'Kala Chashma'. Who would have guessed that it would go on to become a massive Bollywood hit?
He's famous, incredibly famous, at least in his native village- Talwandi Chaudhrian at Kapurthala. Dolled with plenty of sweets, appetizers and good wishes, his friends and relatives flock to Shera's residence like honey bees to a hive. Congratulating him to have made it to Bollywood, the shy and good natured Shera remains unfazed by the sudden rise in his popularity.
Surprised? We were too! Confident that he had written lyrics that had the potential to be popular, it took Shera months and months together to find a taker for the song. No singer seemed interested until his path crossed with popular Punjabi singer Amar Arshi who sang it in one of his shows in England. It was just a matter of time before it was released on Arshi's album in Punjab for the number to gather some steam.
Amrik Shera confesses he had actually seen a girl walking nonchalantly in the streets of Chandigarh, sporting a trendy pair of sunglasses. This was way back in 1990. In his maiden trip to the city, the village boy seemed to have been struck by an instant idea- to compose a song that was about the style and glamour of a girl in perhaps the most trend-setting destination in the whole of Punjab.
In the beginning, Amrik had just no idea as to what became of his song once he had been approached by Mumbai based representatives who informed him his number would be played in a function of some sort for a Cement company. Paid a paltry 11,000 for his amazing hit, the jovial Sardar was happy for what he got. Only later did he become aware that it was playing big on TV screens all over India with stars like Katrina and Sidharth jiving to its catchy lyrics.
With the song having already become a household hit, also thanks to the sizzling chemistry between Katrina and Sidharth, it's time the world warmed up to the little known man behind this great hit!
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