'I get more sponsorship from the moon than from tissue companies': Tahsan Khan

Singer and actor Tahsan Khan, whose songs make half of Bangladesh's young people fall in love and the other half nurse heartbreak, appeared in a light-hearted chat in Rosh+Alor. In his songs he says, 'Let's get lost...', but in Dhaka's traffic jams, getting lost is not an option even if you want to. In dramas he cries, and in songs he makes others cry.

He was first asked whether the power department had a hand in the rumour that load-shedding increased after his song 'Alo Alo' was released. Tahsan said he wrote the song in 2006. Load-shedding existed before it and still exists after it. Linking his song to load-shedding is nothing but a motivated rumour.

His other timeless song is 'Irsha' (Jealousy). Asked whether looking at his evergreen face and chocolate-boy image in the mirror makes him jealous of himself, Tahsan said that if he suffered from a mental condition like that, he would need to see a psychiatrist. No such symptoms have appeared yet.

Many young people cry into their pillows listening to his songs after a break-up. Asked whether he gets any share of sponsorship from tissue companies, Tahsan said that was actually a corporate secret that had just been leaked. But the truth, he said, is that he gets more sponsorship from the moon than from tissue companies.

In dramas he is mostly seen in the familiar chocolate-boy or perfect gentleman role, playing the piano beautifully and crying. Asked whether he ever wants to play a tough villain wearing a lungi with a gamchha tied on his head, he said he certainly does. But directors tell him, 'Tahsan bhai, even when you wear a lungi, it somehow looks like formal trousers. And even when you get angry, it sounds like you are delivering a romantic dialogue.' So the piano and the ironed shirt remain his everyday companions.

Besides singing and acting, he is also a fine presenter. Asked whether, when the curry at home has too much salt, he still picks up a microphone and says in a grave voice, 'Dear viewers, let us look at the story behind the kitchen. But after a short break...', Tahsan said that just as the interviewer annoys everyone at home by asking questions, he too sends everyone on forced breaks every now and then.

He never seems to age. Asked about the secret of staying evergreen, with more female fans than even Justin Bieber or the Korean band BTS, Tahsan said it was a complete lie. He has taken a break from singing and acting for a few years now. In the meantime his fan count has fallen to 150. Now he roams around in a rickshaw with white hair and beard. Forget autographs and photos, nobody even recognises him. He is enjoying this time quite a lot.

He has sung, acted, taught at a university and written books. Only going to space is left. Asked whether he would write songs for a new album if NASA offered him a trip to Mars, he said he has not done a single concert in India or Pakistan yet, and here he is being asked about Mars. First he will make some hit songs in Hindi and Urdu. Then he will think about Mars.

Finally, he was asked to say something to the readers that would make them laugh rather than cry. Tahsan replied that they were having a lot of fun at the expense of his sad songs. But being able to cry, he said, is a blessing. The day feelings go numb, you will understand what peace there is in being able to cry.

If you want to laugh, he advised, go to a stand-up comedy show. And he also suggested stopping reading Rosh+Alor and eating roshkodombo sweets instead.