Kailash Kher on creative freedom: Sensitivity, decency, & culture are essential in an artist

Mumbai: Acclaimed singer Kailash Kher shared his take on the ongoing debate on creative freedom while dealing with sensitive topics during an exclusive interaction with IANS.

He stated that sensitivity, decency, and culture are essential traits of an artist. Kher said that a true artist is sensitive and should try to bring a smile to people's faces through their work, while also feeling others' pain.

He added that he believes that the stage should be used to win people's hearts.

Kher was asked, "Through emotions and social realities, artists often speak about sensitive subjects. Do you think that while addressing sensitive issues, understanding the context is as important as protecting creative freedom?"

He told IANS, "Of course. An artist is someone who is sensitive. And if someone is not sensitive and still calls themselves an artist, then they are not an artist; they are a slanderer. The stage exists to win people's hearts."

"Talking nonsense, making meaningless statements or simply trying to entertain people without sensitivity can be a sign of being a slanderer. But even satire or slander can be considered a form of art. Everyone has their own thoughts. But our thoughts are directed towards purity," he added.

Kher shared that if you genuinely have a good feeling, that feeling is meaningful only when your heart can feel sadness for someone else's pain, when you can make someone else happy while laughing, when your work can make someone else laugh and bring happiness to them.

"There should be a sense of purity. There should be cleanliness, civility, and culture. These are very necessary virtues for any artist," he concluded.

Kher first came to the limelight for his soulful track 'Allah Ke Bande' from the 2003 film 'Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II'.

After this, he went on to deliver some soulful numbers, such as 'Teri Deewani', 'Saiyyan', and 'Bam Lahiri'.

Kher has lent his voice to several acclaimed films, like 'Mangal Pandey: The Rising', 'Corporate', 'Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love', and the 'Baahubali' series, along with others.

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