Shahid Mallya On Nepotism: ‘How Long Will They Try To Ignore Talent? I Won’t Give Up’

A journey of perseverance and hard work that started years ago, still continues. Shahid Mallya a singer par excellence, full of talent and blessed with a melodious voice, has given hits after hits since his debut in Bollywood in 2011; but his success still feels incomplete and he feels like miles to go before he can truly celebrate. 9 years, 50 mainstream Bollywood releases and counting, Shahid still feels like an outsider trying to create that special niche for himself. Starting with his first song for Yamla Pagla Deewana staring the Deols, there has been no looking back for him. He has sung songs for some of the popular mainstream actors like, Shah Rukh Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal , Arjun Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Abhishek Bachchan, Varun Dhawan, John Abraham and many more. One of his most popular and loved songs is Ikk Kudi from Udta Punjab.

But like many others, is Shahid facing the brunt of the Bollywood lobby? For every Shah Rukh Khan, there are countless like Sushant Singh Rajput, Prachi Desai, Vidyut Jammwal, Randeep Hooda struggling to make a mark even after hits and amazing performances. After the unfortunate demise of Sushant Singh Rajput and the explosive interview by Kangana Ranaut, the focus is finally on the Bollywood industry, nepotism and justice for talent.

However, Shahid believes in staying away from politics and negative thoughts, “True talent and perseverance will find its way. How long will they try to ignore talent? I won’t give up; I will keep giving my audience a taste of great music and share my love for songs with them. Unfortunately, someone had to die for the world’s focus to follow on what many talented souls go through every day in the process of trying to fulfill their dreams.”

Shahid wants to focus on creativity and great music, he feels negativity kills talent and so he tries to keep his mind free. However, one cannot ignore the fact that only a handful of singers enjoy the limelight and stardom, even though many more talented singers give hits and have produced amazing albums and songs. His latest non film song Chadeya Fitoor under the Times Music banner is loved by the listeners and has got almost 3.7 million views on YouTube and counting in 2 months since its release. As you listen to his songs you can feel the soul and purity of his talent and music, and such singers should be given opportunities as much as possible to obtain quality songs over quantity in Bollywood and on other forums.

The hope is for talent to shine, the hope is for Nepotism to end; the audience has already started showing Bollywood what they can do. Sadak 2 trailer launch was a sign of the change that might come; audiences may finally push producers to give space to talent rather than acquaintances. It may not be a case of ‘My film, My Wish’ anymore. It will be a case of who the audiences love and want to see and hear from here onwards.

So, has he been side-lined by the Bollywood lobby? Will his talent and skills remain unutilized by the industry, will auto tune deny true talent what they deserve. There is a silver lining and hope for things to change.