By Pallavi Bhattacharya
VIJAY Benedict came to Mumbai from Allahabad looking for a big break. A postgraduate in business management, the youngster could sing well too. Convinced he had a talent for music, he hitched his wagon to the flourishing Hindi film industry. Soon enough he got a break in playback singing in films. Public and professional recognition followed after the phenomenal success of the Mithun Chakraborty starrer ‘Disco Dancer’ in which he had sung the title song ‘I am a disco dancer’. The song sparked off a craze all over the country with both the young and the old humming the number. He went on to sing in 35 films under top music directors of those times. While the song ‘I am a disco dancer’ catapulted him to fame and name, little did Vijay realize that God had different plans for him. When Vijay was riding the crest of success a tragic thing happened. His younger brother was brutally murdered in Germany. That shook him and made him rethink the purpose of his own life. When the love of Jesus Christ touched him, he quit the film industry and took to Gospel singing. Step by step, God revealed the purpose in his life was to be at the centre of the Lord’s will, bring glory and honor to Him through his songs and bring many lost souls to the Cross. In an exclusive chat with The Christian Messenger, Vijay Benedict talked about his spiritual journey so far and what music means to him. Excerpts from the interview:
In earlier interviews, you have reminisced about being mentored by a pastor in an Assembly of God church in Mumbai. What did you learn from him?
Pastor Charles of the Assembly of God church in Mumbai is now with the Lord. He was a lovely person and one of the finest pastors I have ever met in my life. The things I learned from him stay with me till this day. I learned what it means to be humble in life from him. He never talked about money. He would tell me money is not a big thing. It will not make much of a difference in our lives. He taught me that to serve the Lord is far more important than anything in life. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, pastor Charles would spot me as soon as I came into the church and ask me to pick up a guitar and sing every Sunday. Eventually, I got a little tired singing every week and told him that I didn’t wish to sing regularly. From then on, he would make me sing only on occasions. Even then, I kept telling him I was a pop singer and not into singing Gospel music. He then told me something that I would never forget. He turned to me and said, ‘I will pray that God would make you a Gospel singer.’ I thought to myself that would never happen but God’s ways are not our ways. He had already planned my life and that’s why I am serving God through Gospel music now.
After you were born again, you said you were able to forgive the man who had murdered your brother. How did the transformation from a vengeful man to a peace-loving person happen?
My younger brother who lived in Germany was murdered by a mafia dealing in drugs. When I went to Germany to take possession of his body, a powerful thought hit me. My brother who had everything going his way left behind all his material possessions when he died. Nothing could save his life. I returned to India confused and feeling dejected. In my own work, there was a lot of competition, anxiety and pressure. I found life quite meaningless. I realized that any day I could leave this world like my brother leaving behind all the fame and riches I had acquired. Then, I tried to look for something more meaningful in life. At that time, I toyed around with various philosophies. Several earnest and well-meaning people consoled me but peace remained elusive. It was then that I came to know about Jesus Christ through some born-again believers. Though initially I hesitated to accept Jesus as my savior when I prayed to Him for forgiveness of all my sins, He filled me with great peace. He woke me up and gave me a new life. There was a newfound joy in my heart. Initially, it was tough to forgive my brother’s killer. It’s humanly impossible. I wanted to harm this man when he came out of the prison. He had just got a seven-year prison term for the cold-blooded murder. However, when Jesus filled me with His love, I softened. At the cross, Jesus Himself had forgiven those who had crucified Him. I realized that if my heavenly Father could forgive me, I had no right to hold on to my grudges.
When did you compose your first Gospel song and what was it about?
After accepting the Lord, I started going to church regularly. I started reading the Bible – something I hadn’t done earlier. I realized that God wanted me to do something more but I was so preoccupied in films that I didn’t have the time. There’s just too much of glamour and glitz in films which people don’t want to leave. After all, you are singing for the film stars! In the midst of all my work, one morning when I was composing a song, I heard a voice asking me: ‘Can you not make one song for me?’ The Holy Spirit gave me the song Yeshu tu hain mahan. The song is basically a testimony of my life. That song was very well accepted by people from all walks of life. Even today, when I do a concert the audience will invariably demand that I sing that song.
Aren’t your songs well received by even non-Christians?
Yes, both Christians and people of other faiths love my songs especially the ones which talk about God’s love and the songs about God’s blessings on my great country. I always tell everyone that if you preach hatred you can’t win. If you preach love, you will always win. Jesus preached love. There is nothing beyond love.
What do you tell Christians who are enamored by films and still so lured by the money that they can’t leave Bollywood?
The Word of God says that the rich man is attracted to money. I found it very difficult to love God and be in the film industry, so I left films and chose Lord Jesus Christ instead. People still call me to sing at film concerts, but I refuse saying that I only serve God. The film industry is a high voltage place where you can’t think about anything spiritual. You are always thinking about how to meet someone, how to please him, how to bag that contract and make more money. The film industry is a great place to have a ‘good time’, get acknowledgment and earn money. But it’s also a place where you would get highly depressed. It is not going to give you fulfillment. When you reach a certain level of ‘high’, there is a big vacuum around you. The money, the name and the fame around you can’t fill it. What’s most important is God’s love, peace and joy.
This interview was published in the December 2010 edition of The Christian Messenger newspaper.
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