Josh: One-on-one with Rup Magon

The ‘other’ half of Josh talks about his links to Pakistan, politics, acting, music and future plans.

LAHORE:

Rup Magon, of the pop sensation Josh, a huge foodie, lover of all things desi and now Bollywood actor, claims, “I know Karachi and Lahore better than I know New York City. In fact, I have visited Pakistan more than any other country in the world!”

And that is true. The band travels wildly performing all over the world, yet with jet lag as his annoying wife, Magon manages to keep abreast of everything in Pakistan from politics to society, to what new desi joint has opened up in Lahore and which friend has a new kitchen that he can conquer. “My dadi was from Gujranwala so I feel more for Pakistan than Canada, where I was born and raised,” he offers by way of explanation for his near (and endearing) obsession about Pakistan. So much so that when his bandmate Qurram Hussain left for Karachi immediately after their gig in Lahore, Magon stayed back to enjoy platters of biryani from Dumpukht and to cook for his best friend in Lahore.

Political efficacy

Josh’s concert in Lahore at an all girls private school went phenomenally well, although it was scheduled on the same day as the epic Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf rally: “Every time we visit an all girls school our ears are ringing! People are starved for entertainment here,” says Magon. But just because he was doing the gig does not mean Magon is unaware of the tsunami that was raging in the city that day. The singer understands what a momentous occasion it was, especially since his mentors and pals, Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia of Strings, who sung at the rally, were living with him. Yet Magon says candidly “I don’t buy the hype,” admitting though, “I’m a big fan of Imran Khan. We speak of ideological politics that Pakistan lacks and my frustration is why, when he has the power to transform mind sets, would he would demonise his opponents and use the age-old religion card.”

Strategy is everything

So what is Rup Magon’s strategy for success? “At the base of it all, there has to be a core passion for what you do. Without talent and humility you can’t go anywhere in life.” Adding that, “The second you think you’re better than the next guy you’ve lost it. Our song ‘Mahi Ve’ is based exactly on this premise; that you get the strength to stay grounded even when you take flight.”

Feasting for the stomach and soul

Magon admits that he gets bored very easily. So while there is the passion for music, there is always the desire to do more things. And what’s up next is something completely unprecedented: a cook book. But with so much touring how does he manage to work on the text? “I sit in planes and write and I want to tell boys that it’s frigging 2013! Cooking is not a gender specific activity. Although it is ironic that all the top chefs in the world are male, yet women are forced to do it every day as a household chore.”

An avid desi food fan, it comes off as no surprise that the cook is entitled Ten Easy Desi Recipes for Guys. “I’m not going to go Gordan Ramsey on these men,” he says explaining that he totally believes in buying prepared masalas and condiments from the desi store. The book will have variations though such as tofu biryani if you can’t find meat.

Bollywood beckoning

His recent stint with the ice hockey film Speedy Singhs would have us believe that Magon has now transitioned, much like our own Ali Zafar, into films while keeping music on the back stand. “Frankly it’s not what I am dying to do,” says Magon dispelling the myth. “I’m dying to do music — that is who I am. Although, there are a few talks about films in the pipeline, I know that I am a typecast character given the pugri and Sikh heritage. So it’s tougher getting good roles.”

There was a time, says Magon, when his music and himself would never fit into Bollywood. The only songs you would hear were deep melodies to the backdrop of an orchestra. “But Bollywood’s changed now,” he says. “There is just no platform for pop music in India anymore since Bollywood has eaten all avenues up. But not in a bad way — it’s just that earlier you could get only one kind of music in Bollywood; the filmy melodies. Now you have an item number, a Minglish song, a whole spectrum of genres in just one CD. So why would anyone make the effort of buying a separate record when one CD can cater to every taste?”

Next up the band is shooting a video next week for their song “Meri Dua”, “But that’s just for Pakistan,” says Magon. Otherwise all their music is now geared towards Bollywood.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2011.