Thaindian News

April 9, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Mahesh Manjrekar introduced yet another facet of his talented personality by turning singer songwriter for his latest directorial venture City of Gold. After testing his skills at, production, directing, acting, scriptwriting, and theatre Mahesh will now be seen rapping. The song is called “Mumbai- The City of Gold’ and Mahesh has also penned down the lyrics of the song in addition to lending his voice to the same.

The movie which will be releasing in Hindi and Marathi simultaneously is based on the lives of mill workers and the song highlights the plight of middle class Mumbaikar’s.

The rap has some serious lyrics considering the serious theme of the movie. “We are slowly losing the city’s culture,” says Manjrekar. “Flats are being sold for 1 lakh per square feet even though the poor can’t even afford one meal in the day. It’s an inhuman and insulting display of wealth, and I wanted my movie’s title City of Gold, as well as the title song to reflect that. The song is about how we are pushing the middle class out of the city.”

Prior to this Mahesh had also hummed a few lines in his acting debut Kaante. He had even sung a complete song for his movie Pyaar Kiya Nahin Jaata, which never came to light. “We call out-of-tune singers as “Aurangazeb singers’” Manjrekar laughs. “I wouldn’t say I’m as bad as an “Aurangazeb singer’, but I’m definitely no singer. I just sang because I feel if you do anything confidently, and from your heart, it turns out well.”

Mahesh who started out his career as a theatre actor with a play named Aflatoon where he even sang a few lines, said that singing isn’t alien to him, but over the years due to constant smoking his voice does not sound that good.

The movie releases today in Marathi as well as Hindi. While the name of the Marathi movie is Lalbaug Parel the Hindi version is called City of Gold. It is one of the three films that Mahesh has signed with DAR Motion Pictures.

- Sampurn Wire