Navigating two names and many worlds, Shilpa Rao has existed in a state of contradiction — classically trained yet instinctively contemporary, intensely disciplined yet emotionally fluid, present everywhere in popular memory and almost invisible as a personality. Her voice has travelled further than her face, from the haunting minimalism of Tose Naina in Anwar (2007) to Chaleya from Jawan (2023). Sitting down for mid-day’s The Bombay Film Story, the National Award-winning singer speaks about choosing music as a way of life rather than hobby.

Excerpts from the interview.