Lizaa Malik “I am Ready to Shed My Inhibitions”
She is full of energy, life, spunk and is charming and poised. She is Lizaa Malik who has succeeded in carving a unique and inimitable niche for herself in the entertainment scenario. Whether it is about her journey as a singer and actress or her personal life, Lizaa is honest to the core and absolutely truthful when standing by her belief. In this freewheeling talkathon at her well furnished apartment in Yari Road, over a steaming cup of hot cappuccino, Lizaa talks about her journey and her new album Baby Tera Fraud Romance to JYOTHI VENKATESH
How will you describe yourself?
All that I would like to say is that I am a very straight forward person who likes to work 24/7. I want my work to be spoken more than I am. I am a very confident person in life. Whatever I do in life, I make it a point to do with a lot of confidence. I am really a very bubbly person in real life. Believe it or not, till date whatever I have set out to do till date, I have never ever had butterflies in my stomach.
You seem to be inspired by the likes of Beonce, Shakira and Jennifer Lopes. Why?
I am inspired by Beonce and Jennifer Lopes because they are wonderful performers of the first order who know how to carry themselves on the stage internationally. Unfortunately in India we have only a Malaika Arora who does not sing. Today we only have a Sunidhi Chauhan who has made a mark of her own as a performer in India. I wish the organizers in India too are provided with the kind of budgets for their shows like the organizers of Beonce and Jennifer Lopes are abroad.
Which are your music videos till date?
I have done six music videos including Sayya Jhootonka Bada Sartraj Nikla, Tip Tip Barsa Pani and Baby Tera Fraud Romance.
What is your new album Baby Tera Fraud Romance all about?
My latest album Baby Tera Fraud Romance has been designed mainly to attract the young audiences today whose taste has changed over the years. We coined the title Fraud Romance because we needed a very picky line top attract the youngsters today who send a text message through sms one day and profess their love, call the guy or girl Baby the next day and Darling on the third day but break up the relationship on the fourth day just like that.
Is your attempt to come up with an album solely to celebrate break ups?
I do not want to be insensitive enough to goad people to enjoy their break ups and celebrate a break up because I know what a break up entails, having experienced it myself eight months ago.
How would you describe your latest album Baby Tera Fraud Romance?
It is an out and out dance number to recreate and outdo the magic like the previous music single had created. The single Baby Tera Fraud Romance opens with a fun opening verse and then launches into club mode with the party beats. When the song speeds up the tempo, it sounds very Punjabi-like which enhances the danceable mood of the song. Although the song has a western touch, it is undoubtedly high on its Hindi & desi feel.
Okay, what is the message that you want to drive home with your album Fraud Romance?
I want to drive home the subtle message that you have absolutely no right at all to play around with some one’s feelings. Colossus who is like a combo of my parents, brother and mentor has directed the album which has been produced by Vipul D Shah and Champak Jain, with music by Harry Anand. Manav Gohil plays the bad man in the video.
How happy are you with the sales of the album?
The forte of Venus Worldwide Entertainment, apart from selecting the right kind of music, lies in music promotion. Venus Worldwide Entertainment has always been powered by innovation. Their marketing approach has been a stupendous success winning them great acclaim. No wonder my single album touched 3 million in just three days of its launch.
Where did you vanish in thin air? You have bounced back actually after a long time!
I was in a state of limbo, because after dating someone for almost four years, I was marred for six years. I would not blame my ex husband but the marriage did not work and I am now back to square on after we broke off eight months back. After my marriage, I thought I should focus more on my married life as a wife instead of a career but unfortunately that did not work at all.
Is it true that you turned down a lot of offers to act because you were not ready to appear in a two piece bikini or do lip lock scenes in films?
Yes. My marriage took me behind by several steps. Though many offers came to me as far as films are concerned, I turned them down because they wanted me to appear in a bikini and also indulge in steaming and sizzling lip lock sequences.
Are you now open for acting in glamorous roles in films or web series?
Now that I have shed my baggage as a housewife, right now I am considering offers to act in feature films. Earlier I had acted in TV shows like Dangal and Life Ka Recharge which were on & Pictures. I was also a part and parcel of the comedy show Comedy Classes on Life OK. I am getting to meet big film producers and am ready to do glamorous films. I am also keen on being a part of films which are being made by directors like Rohit Shetty and Madhur Bhandarkar. I am an actor and hence I am ready to shed my inhibitions in front of the camera.
Is it true that you were slated to act in Vikram Bhatt’s web series Spotlight?
Yes. I was supposed to act in his web series Spotlight but for some reasons could not be a part of it. I hope Vikram Bhatt casts me in his web series or his franchise Raaz 5 or Raaz 6 soon
What do you think of the syndrome of the casting couch? Did you also encounter wolves in lamb’s clothing since you are a pretty girl?
Though in general, I hate to talk about this subject, I would not mind giving you my view because I know you for ages. I think the casting couch is something that is very overrated. It is often a self proclaimed topic. Thankfully till date, though I have not faced it, when I was 21, I talked about the syndrome to the media and it went viral. You have to take everything positively and try to tackle it.
Today actresses like Shraddha Kapoor and Alia Bhatt also have made inroads into singing and come up with songs as playback singers. What do you think about the new trend?
Come to think, it is not exactly a new trend because long back in the past there have been singing actresses like Nurjehan, Uma Devi, Sulakshana Pandit etc who have sung as well as acted in films. I would only say frankly that it is good if girls like Shraddha and Alia are now exploring their talent as singers too.
Can you name your favorite singers?
My all time favorite singers are Asha Bhonsle, Kishore Kumar, Jagjit Singh, Ghulam Ali, Arijit, Sonu and Shreya Ghosal
And who your favorite music directors are?
Rahul Deb Burman, Anu Malik, Ankit Tiwari and Sajid-Wajid are my favorite music directors till date.
Who are the actors who are in your wish list?
My favorite actors are Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan. Among the actresses, my favorites are Swara Bhaskar, Kajol and Alia Bhatt.