'It's rock and roll all the way'

CITY TIMES chats with Subir Malik, keyboard player and manager of famous Indian rock band Parikrama, who have performed with Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt and international heavy metal superstars Iron Maiden.

By Amit Kakkar (Staff Reporter)

Published: Thu 20 Dec 2007, 11:35 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 11:55 PM

How would you describe your musical genre?

You could say that our music is blues-based classic rock, with Indian influences.

How many concerts have you played so far and in how many cities?

Oh... it's nearing a 1000 now. It's been 16 years. We have toured almost the whole country; there are hardly any places left.

Tell us about what the band is up to now.

Well, we all have our own businesses. Parikrama is still our passion and hobby (thank God, else we too would be doing indipop). Nitin and Chintan have their audio studios. Sonam has a music school. I have an artiste and event management company. Rajat, our drummer, is a music producer.

What about your latest concert?

It was the United Kingdom... seven gigs in five cities there... it was whole lotta' madness...

Your video with Bollywood actor Sushant, " But it rained" — what was the inspiration behind it?

Sushant is my old college buddy; I asked him to come and he did. The song "But it rained" is dedicated to the armed forces. Actually, it is a song about the people who are left behind, if someone in a family goes missing. You can download the song and video from www.parikrama.com for free. We believe in piracy of our music only... ha ha... so go out there, download our music and share if for free.

Which are your favourite places to play concerts?

The North East, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Delhi... the list goes on and on....

Any memorable moments?

Many.. actually, the first Aids Awareness show we did in 1992, and then the show with Bollywood Actor Saif Ali khan playing with us, then performing with Iron Maiden. There are a lot, actually...

Any album release we can look forward to?

As I mentioned before, instead of a physical CD, we release our music for free on the site.

Tell us about your brush with actor Sanjay Dutt on the sets of "Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai" ?

It was cool man.. he is a cool dude and a great guy.We all share the same traits too — a great bike, a fast car, lots of good music.

What about your performance with Saif Ali Khan... how was that?

Saif Ali Khan played with us on December 18 last year. It was a full-fledged show. Saif played the guitar in five songs and sang for two songs. He did a few of our original stuff that he likes and the other songs were "Highway to hell" by AC/DC, "Whole lotta Rosie", dedicated this song to ex-girlfriend Rosa, and Again by AC/DC.

Share a bit of the band's history with us.

The eight-piece band formed in 1991. We have performed hundreds of shows, including TV appearances, up and down the length of India to thousands of people with our unique mix of rock, metal and also traditional Indian influences as part of our repertoire. We have been leading the way for rock music in a country that contains over 1.2 billion people (one sixths of the world's population) and yet has been rarely visited by rock and metal acts from around the world.

What's the difference between other bands and Parikrama?

Really not... we have been around too long for all this... we have had our share of rivalries etc, maybe 15 years back or so... and then you grow up...

Who would you guys love to jam with?

If you mean India, then definitely Saif Ali Khan again, Sunjay Dutt, maybe John. It was my life's ambition to do a song with the great late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan... he was a great singer! Recently when Iron Maiden played to the sold out Bangalore Palace grounds in front of 25,000 manic metal fans, the biggest ever attendance for a Rock concert in India, with thousands more who couldn't get in listening from outside the stadium. Parikrama were one of two Indian bands chosen to support and it was at this point that they came to the attention of Iron Maiden's manager, Rod Smallwood.

Who are the famous rockers you admire or draw inspiration from ?

So many... Floyd, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Allman Bros, Coldplay...

What about your future plans?

Rock n' roll all the way man...

Any exclusive information for City Times ?

Yes, "But it rained" has had more than 2 million downloads till date.