|
Still turning on
that old Punjabi MC song? The dynamic duo Reggie
Benjamin and Sukhbir will grab your ear for a
different tune in, "Can I turn you on." Dubbed as the
first Indian pop star abroad, Chicago native Reggie
Benjamin started his claim to fame by playing to
standing room only crowds at Club Elixir on their
slowest night. These days, Benjamin is all set to
seduce the mainstream American audience with his hit
single, "Can I turn you on."
To discover why the
single is set to become all the rave, I talked to one
of the hardest working desis in the entertainment
business, Manan Katohora about his experience
directing the video for this sensational single. In
association with his production partner Satish
Zalavadia of Xine Productions, Katohora accepted this
challenge to attract audiences from two sides of the
world, East and West.
Reggie Benjamin’s
music provides the ears an eclectic blend of style and
substance where R&B and Dance meet Bollywood and
Karnatic. Benjamin creates an even sharper “turn” with
his newest single, mixing an upbeat Latin dance number
with Bhangra and Asian beats. His previous hits
include “Hurry Up,” which found its way straight to
Italy’s top ten and recently “Ride” featuring Chynna
from WWF, which made top ten Dance Hits last year.
But Benjamin forms
only one part of this East/West collaboration as
Bhangra “rock star” Sukhbir adds to the mix. “ He is
such a talented singer and dancer,” praises Katohora
of Sukhbir, “With his own unique style - yet such a
down to earth soul.” Sukhbir hopes “Turn” will push
him into the ranks of Punjabi MC and Raje Shwari as
another South Asian artist trying to break into the
North American music market.
 |
|
Left: Katahora with Brande
Roderick. Right (from left): Manan, Sharanjit
Thind and Gurmeet Sodhi. |
Although these two
talented individuals cover the Eastern shorelines, the
Western star, Brande Roderick of “Out of Control,”
knows the beaches all too well. In fact, you may have
seen her gorgeous face in “Baywatch,” or the more
recent hit “Starsky and Hutch.”
To get the video
basics I asked Katohora the essential question, “ Are
you going to have the clichéd big booty girls in your
video?” He humorously answered, “Actually, eight.”
They will be featured in an upscale Manhattan hot spot
K (Kamasutra) Lounge, where the video was shot.
| |
 |
|
The
Golden Crew
|
Katohora likes to
credit much of the hard work to his special golden
crew as well as his talented choreographer, Rujuta
Vaidya. “ I was fortunate enough to choreograph for
two artists who I worked with before,” says Vaidya,
who is a disciple of the famous Indian dancer Saroj
Khan. Vaidya has worked as a choreographer for the
movie “Cosmopolitan” by Nisha Ganatra and for the
group Stereo Nation. Additionally, she starred as a
dancer in the Hollywood movie, “The Guru.”
As to what’s fresh
this video, Vaidya let me in on the inside scoop. “ [Sukhbir]
is one of those people who is sort of an "in the
closet" dancer. He claims that he can’t really
dance...when in fact he's got a whole stash of moves
that up until now, you probably have never seen him
bust out with.”
“Katohora directed
the video for Nu Way Advertising in association with
Club 2X records, all producers and sponsors of the
video. Katohora speaks of the wonderful fusion created
commenting, “I believe when various forces intersect,
at a common mutual creative point—things just
happen... as destined to.”
Vaidya expresses a
common hope for the video. “I think if I see this
video make it to MTV I will be very happy.” And we at
Sapna cannot wait to hear and watch the
single, all set to hit the mainstream channels this
year, turn audiences on everywhere.
Photo Credit – Balan
Srinivasan and special thanks to Manan Katohora,
Rujuta Vaidya and Nu Way.
For more information
please contact Pavani Reddy,
pavanireddy@sapnamagazine.com
Copyright SapnaMagazine.com, 2004.
Terms of Use |
